If pulse is irregular does that mean the heart HAS to be irregular?

[BattyMumma]

Probably a silly question, but is the pulse always an accurate portrayal of what the heart is doing?

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes. If your pulse is all over the place that means your heart is. There is nothing but your heart (left side) to cause the pulse you see as it is the blood being pumped round your body by the heart. It is possible for you to have something odd going on in your heart and not reflect this on you pulse if it is in the right side where the blood is pumped into your lungs as there is no way of checking that "pulse" other than on an ecg machine.

Bob

[kakapo]

The pulse in AF is irregularly iregular. With Atrial flutter it can be regularly iregular.With ectopic beats it is regular with some irregularities. It can take a bit of practice to work out just how Irregular you are .

[BattyMumma]

So if I felt my pulse for a min I feel some regular beats, what feels like gaps, some beats not as strong and some close together. This is how it always feels. I find it really hard to count, even if I do it over 15 secs because it is all over the place. There's no rhyme or reason to it? I should say I'm not very good at checking it because it is so difficult and with the kids about it just don't happen.

Also why is it so hard to take your pulse while laying down?

[Hidden in reply to BattyMumma]

Not sure with AF BattyMumma because I apparently don't have it any more. But the way you describe your pulse is the same as mine. Mine is due to constant ectopics and is simply described by doctors as "all over the place". I found it very hard to even find my pulse. Then you get a bump, then a few little bumps, then nothing, etc etc.

[cbsrbpm in reply to BattyMumma]

This is exactly what my pulse has been doing for the past 2 weeks and have assumed that I am in persistent AF, having not yet been lucky enough to secure a cardiologist appointment I can only guess what is going on. How long has this been going on with you? and what does your Cardio/GP say?

[Hidden in reply to cbsrbpm]

I don't know whether you mean me? Anyhow, I first went to A&E (for another reason) and they told me it was a lot of ectopics. Then I had an appointment with my Cardio/EP and he did an ECG which showed the "extra beats". He tried me on Flecainide, made things worse, then Propafenone which worked but with nasty side-effects for me, then lastly Disopyramide which has worked great so far (3-4 months?). Now I have a strong and regular pulse that's easy to find and I don't get any symptoms, not even after eating or lying down on left, right, back, anything.

Koll

[Loo53]

I was in AF and my pulse was regular. A nurse who took my pulse said just because my pulse is regular does not mean my heart isn't up to no good so the best test for that is an ECG.