I bit the bullet and bought an Alivecor gadget at patients day.I used it a few times to check I was doing it correctly and stowed it away in a drawer so I wouldn't obsess! At the weekend , my husband who has had a few runs of tachycardia over the last few years, went into A.F. we recorded it on Alivecor , printed it out and took it to the G.P. who was more than happy to accept the reading. So prompt action has been taken and all the usual tests set up without having a monitor. How unbelievably lucky was that!
Mind you I'm a bit miffed that I can't even have A.F. in peace. Hope it's not going to be like man flu. X
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dedeottie
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Oh honestly these husbands always want the same as us eh!! But what a great thing you did to take the reading and you got sorted quickly. I have used my Alivecor on several occasions and my GP always asks for updates. My cardiologist added it to my notes that I have one and is happy for any readings to be put on my records.
Expensive but a good gadget to have.
Hope you both well now
Makes me think I ought to get an Alivecor. Where is the best place to get one, cost etc and are they really easy to use as I'm not very techy. I have a Moto E phone ...android....would that support it? I have another year to go on my contract so wouldn't want to update until then. Sandra
Hope you are well and taking care. I got mine from Amazon a few months ago for around £80. Sorry to say I had nothing but problems with mine (could never get a proper reading), so I sent it back. Having said that, many people on the forum have no problems whatsoever and believe they are a "most have" item.
You can attach Alivecor to the back of your phone, or place it near to your smartphone or ipad etc to get a reading. You need to download the software first.
I do not have Alivecor but do use an App on my phone AF Detect. Cost under £1.50. Your finger is placed on the camera at back. Only a guide to how you are but if constantly showing AF worth seeing your doctor. It may show AF occasionally if your pulse is quite irregular maybe after eating drinking alcohol etc but may be nothing to be concerned about. I try it occasionally when I am really well to check reading. It is quite a good guide.
That's an interesting idea. I use an £10 oxymeter in a similar manner to save carrying my slightly larger than Alivecor ECG around. Do you have a name for the app ?
It is just called AF Detect. The middle 't' looks like a cross. You will find easily if you google. Prices vary slightly depending where you download from. Approx £1.30. ITunes have it but others too. Not sure if it varies on accuracy depending on quality of your phone camera. I have a pretty good one.
Thanks - and it's even got a Windows Phone version for my Nokia where the camera won't be a problem - it's the best available in any phone at 41 megapixels.
I could never get the app to work apart from the very odd occasion (say 1 in 25 to 1 in 50). Found out that was because I was in persistent AF and also often phone camera can't pick up veins in finger. My SA consultant said not to rely on oximeters at all for HB (I already knew that and it applies to almost all HB monitors) and only as a guide for SpO2 levels unless it was a medical grade one.
It was certainly worth getting the Alivecor to have such a speedy diagnosis for your husband - well done. Hope you both keep well - and no competing, now.
What a brilliant result, well done.
There's no such thing as man-flu though. It's a proven scientific fact that men suffer more when they have flu. A group of male scientists discovered this, so it must be true
We had the reverse situation. My husband was found to have Afib during a stress test about 6 years ago. I was found to have it during a routine Dr.'s appointment. I had known something was wrong but had been told my fainting in AM was due to dehydration from excess urination during the night.
At least I knew some of the questions to ask since I'd researched it for him.
I downloaded the ap for my phone and proudly showed my cardiologist at my appointment and he took a reading while I was there and it was so out of what was true (we compared ecg results prior to that) and told me it was giving me false results which could cause me to stress! That is why I bought the Alivecor - and have never had a problem with it. I don't keep it attached to my phone but in a small pouch in my bag just in case I'm having 'a moment'!
Glad you were able to access help for your husband really quickly. Hope that you are keeping well. It was lovely to meet up with you at the conference. Martine
Thank you. Yes it was really good to meet you as well. I feel as though I have made some good friends. I thought it was funny that mostly we all look so fit and healthy!! No wonder we have trouble making people believe us. We got some fantastic answers to questions didn't we and as a result I am feeling a lot more relaxed about it all. Take care.x
I thought the whole day was great and like you learnt a lot from the answers we got. We did look at healthy bunch but on 'off' days I am sure we would present quite a different picture! Take care. X
Yes but even on off days people may not notice even if they are observant. I also suspect that many of us just get on as best as we can (I know I do) and not wallow in it.
Dear Peter, I agree with you. I want to just get on as best I can and try and lead as normal a life as possible. I prefer not to talk about my health as it is just part of who I am and I want to focus on other things in life. (I guess that may sound ironic as I add a message on this site)!
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