Afib?

[lulu91]

I have a question for all of you who have been living with afib . to start off I had svt had an ablation and haven't had any episodes since then . my doctor had me on an event monitor for a month found nothing so he is convinced there's nothing wrong with me and I agree . but I've been having other symptoms lately and wondering if I had afib would he have found it in my ep study ? He did two on me ablated once and the second one was only an ep study nothing else was found ? Any suggestions ? Could they miss afib? Any answers will be grately appreciated!!!! love to all of you xoxo

[BobD Volunteer]

Paroxysmal AF where is comes and goes can be pretty tricky to corner sometimes but I would have though that a month of ambulatory ECG would have found it. To be honest you are probably the best person to by taking your pulse. There is very good explanatory leaflet available from AF-A " Know Your Pulse". AF is easy to spot this was as it is such an irregular irregularity.

Bob

[Dave1961]

I have Paroxysmal AF and at the moment I have had one flutter for about 10 minutes 6 weeks ago with my improvement from weekly attacks due to magnesium supplementation but THAT is a different story.

I can tell exactly when an attack of AF starts and finishes - I guess I am lucky in that I can feel even a slight skip of a beat with my heart so if someone had put a monitor on me a month ago and left it for a month they would have found nothing significant at all.

As Bob says AF can be pretty picky to corner especially if there is a lot of time between attacks.

[lindylou72 in reply to Dave1961]

I had a monitor strapped to me for 4 weeks......nothing. Then April 2014 I had a monitoring device implanted as I can have weekly symptoms or nothing significant for 3 months or more! Eventually diagnosed with Paroxysmal AF. So far betablockers are keeping it more or less controlled, even if for me (awkward/difficult to the last) the betablocker most likely to work made me ill and controlled nothing except blood pressure, whereas (according to my doctor) the betablocker least likely to help is working like a charm, giving me a much better quality of life.

[Hidden]

Hello ,

I had been wondering on occasions how you were getting on...

Have you thought about an Alivecor machine or an Omeron 10 which also shows up whether you in AF or as you are in America request a four week monitor which I understand is nicknamed (The King of Hearts)

Keep Strong,

Carolx

[Thomps95 in reply to Hidden]

How do you find Alivecor? I didn't know anything about it. It looks great. I wonder if it is available in Australia, and if so, where?

[PeterWh in reply to Thomps95]

Try Amazon. Also look on AliveCor website to see if available through agents. If both fail you could always order on Amazon US or UK site and have it shipped. It is very worthwhile having.

[tibetan36 in reply to Thomps95]

I live in Australia and have had my AliveCor for a number of years. They asked me to take part in research so they sent one from England for free. Apart from battery changes there has not been a problem with it. The English research finished so now I am doing research for the Americans. Go to AliveCor website and you can purchase one from there! Kind regards. Barry

[Thomps95 in reply to tibetan36]

I'll get it! I'm also interested in whether the device gives you (or allows you to calculate) heart rate *variability*. This is the variability in inter-beat interval that occurs when you are in sinus rhythm - it is not the same as heart rate (how fast your heart is beating overall) but how your heart rate *changes* from moment to moment (e.g., increases as you breathe in; slows down as you breathe out etc.). Reduced HRV is associated with poor cardiovascular health.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[fallingtopieces in reply to Thomps95]

You will be able to see the rate change as you take a recording but once you finish recording it will leave you with an average Bpm for the recording time.

However, you can then print off your recording which will plot it out like a proper ecg with the small squares for measurement then you can study it yourself.

Pat

[heartmatters1 in reply to fallingtopieces]

I have been thinking of getting one, but do you think that you could get a bit obsessive & paranoid with it & worry more if it doesn't look right as I think

It might make me even more anxious - what are your thoughts Pat?

Aly

[fallingtopieces in reply to heartmatters1]

Aly, I don't think it could make you worry more. I think the opposite would be true.

For me, I'd rather not be kept in the dark. I'm a worrier and I need to know. The Alivecor doesn't make me worry more, it puts my mind at rest. Over the years All my 24/48hr holter monitors had only ever recorded perfect NSR. Then in 2012 I had 90 minutes of AF caught on an ambulance's ECG. I knew other bits and bobs were happening to me too and was worried not knowing what they were. I was thinking all sorts.Now I pick it all up.

Nothing beats the wonderful sight of a lovely NSR flowing along on the Alivecor.

: ))

I'm not on it all the time or anything like it. It's like a security blanket.

If you do get one you'll see what I mean.

Pat

[PeterWh in reply to fallingtopieces]

I agree with Pat (except AF for me not NSR) but it also truly shows where HB is high and not just more normal but jumping around a bit.

[heartmatters1 in reply to fallingtopieces]

Thanks for your advice, you and most others have found them to be very useful. I have a review in July with cardio consultant, so may have to get one so I am armed with info!

Best wishes Aly

[PeterWh in reply to heartmatters1]

I told my EP that I had bought an AliveCor on the morning after my ablation. I don't remember the exact words but he said that's great and you can always send me the results if there are problems and I can act on them. I got the impression that the NHS accepts them as "sound / valid" information and results.

[sann in reply to fallingtopieces]

Hi I agree with fallingtopieces it is like a security blanket and I don't use it unnessasary, wouldn't be with out it now. Only problem I have is, I have an I pad and I don't know how to print it off, anybody any ideas how to print from an I pad, everyone tells me difficult. Thanks Sann

[PeterWh in reply to sann]

Sann. Open the AliveCor app and then scroll down to the ECG that you want to print. Then press Share icon on the top right hand corner and one of teh sub-options that comes up is print. Then select. It is possible that there may be some further options that relate to printing and your print set-up.

[sann in reply to PeterWh]

Thanks Peter I can print out n my lap top but since I've had the I pad can't seem to print anything, take care. Sann

[PeterWh in reply to sann]

Is your printer a wireless one?

[PeterWh in reply to Thomps95]

Set on 2 mins or more. You can watch the HB being calculated continuously as it is measuring. Before I had my CA I found that the BP could vary from 60 up to 130 over the course of a reading and you can remember high and low and log it if you want in the notes box on the AliveCor. Also as Pat says you can print out which can be very useful to se peaks and troughs and other information.

[PeterWh in reply to Thomps95]

Below I have included info re a few of the different posts on here rather than responding separately.

My own GP was away on holiday and the locum phoned me up and then called me in for a check-up. This was because I had my CA three weeks ago and went back into AF less than 72 hours later and I had written to my EP (copy GP) and included the AliveCor printout for the morning (when I was in NSR) and then early evening after I had gone back into AF.

There was some concern about my HB. The locum GP requested that I bring in a further printout for that day. She not only looked at the HB at the top of the printout (the average over the two minutes of each AliveCor reading) but she made herself a rule / template from paper equivalent to 6 seconds and also marked on the 3 sec mark and then used this to count the number of beats in the timeframe where the heart was beating faster and then multiplying by 10 or 20 to see what the "peaking rate was". This was about 140 for an average of 110 over the two minutes. She liked the fact that she could do this with the AliveCor printouts.

[Hidden in reply to Thomps95]

Hi there,

How do I find the Alivecor?

I don't use one myself,however I have read a lot of positive results from people off this site and I respect there judgement...

Pat (fallingtopieces) is really well up on this and a few weeks ago received a reply on here from the Doctor who invented it....

Myself I still use the OMRON M 10-1T which I find adequate for my needs....

All the best.

Carol.

[PeterWh in reply to Hidden]

See my note a few boxes above. AFA was selling them some weeks ago for £65 but I think that may have been the end of the previous model (which is the one I have).

[Roseyuk]

I have AF .. For few years,, always know when I have an attack. Tho..in and out of hospital with it..

Had ablation 0ver year ago, was fine for 3 months.. Then started up again.. Put on beta blockers and warfarin. Had second ablation in March .. This year.. All went wrong tho..I won't go into details, surface to say I went into AF after the ablation . Had to have cardio version..

It's 7 weeks post Surjury.. Not had any AF attacks since..

I know some people who do not know they are having an attack.. Which makes it difficult to diagnose . For sure.

I had a heart monitor for 7 days.. With over 4 And 5 hours of AF..

I hope you continue .. To be AF free.. ☺️

[pasionate2001]

There is an app that uses the camera on your phone to measure the capilliaries and the amount of blood going through your fingertip. I find it invaluable. It measures every second. I am not claiming it is medical quality, but it has been accurate when comparing with a heart monitor. It also stores the data so you can maybe find a trend. It is called Azumio.

[Hidden]

I have the azumio app, it does a good job of taking pulse rate, are those wavy lines really accurate though

[fallingtopieces in reply to Hidden]

The Azumio app only takes your pulse.

The wavy lines just go up and down denoting your blood pulsing in your fingertip. It' fine for pulse taking if you have trouble taking your pulse.

I used it myself for a year.

No substitute for an alivecor though.

Once you have one you will realise.

Pat

[PeterWh in reply to Hidden]

I initially used the App. However I did have difficulty a lot of time getting a suitable reading. After I bought my Microlife Watch Blood Pressure monitor for AFib and my AliveCor I did a check against the App and it was surprising how inaccurate the App was. Certainly no substitute.

[Hidden in reply to PeterWh]

That's reassuring because according to the app whilst my pulse feels in rhythm the lines on the app are all over the place which makes me think I'm back in af

[PeterWh in reply to Hidden]

Until you get an AliveCor the best way is to feel your pulse. If you are not sure then sit still for 5 mins. You could always get your wife to take it and have the stopwatch going because it is easier to check the frequency.

[Hidden]

Feeling my pulse it seems regular, certain ly not like it was when I went to a&e, May I ask how some got the alive cor on trial, I've emailed them and they said they know nothing of it

[Lal531]

Hi Lulu, If its any comfort, it toook them 2 x 24 hour monitors, and over 2 years to diagnose my PAF. I was admitted with an irregular heartbeat and put on a heart monitor again in the cardio ward. It was it developed in to an episode of AF that they then knew. I have had 1 more since but my heart has returned to a normal sinus rythmn with "P" waves. I have been stable for 2 years now, taliking 10mg if Bisoprolol so fingers crossed.

You may well have the same type of AFIB, i.e. Paroxysmal AF (irregular AF), it can come and go in 48 hours or may need a tweak with tablets.

Kind regards

Lal

[Tomp166]

my monitor did not work for me, so I purchased Cardia Mobile, which I showed results of episode’s and he wrote two scripts , which I did not take due to potential side effects.