Taking your own pulse,!,!,,

[jillgloucester]

Does anyone keep taking there own pulse through the day, just to check that the pulse isn't jumping about.... And can you tell by doing this if you might have AF etc?....

[Hidden]

yes,and yes, although I can feel when I'm in AF without having to take my pulse

[jedimasterlincoln]

I tend to use my app on my samsung, the same that measures my steps. It uses the camera flash and lense as pulse oximetre and measures rhythm and rate. It's been pretty accurate over the years. It picked up my eptopic beat after my 2nd ablation, it doesn't work so well if I'm in fast AF (usually telling me to keep my finger on the sensor when it already is) but it's also good at letting me see if my waves are "normal" and log any trends.

[NiceNana in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

What's it's name please?

[Hidden]

Yes Jill, and tested very frequently ( and surreptitiously !) during the first few weeks... no, years!!

Like Mikee I can tell if I'm in AF without touching my pulse but that's probably because of the fast rate. You would detect an uneven beat from your pulse. I would liken it to Morse code !

Sandra

[Hidden]

Only if I am home and decide to take a BP reading. My BP monitor gives the usual readings, BP, heart rate and mine will also tell me if I'm having an AF event. Apart from that I don't bother - if my body sends me a message that I'm unwell then I might take it more seriously. I tend to be asymptomatic so would never know what's happening anyway.

John

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes of course , Doesn't everybody? Although I don't have AF any more I still get bouts of ectopics and occasional tachycardia so it is nice to know which it is "just in case". Not sure if it is a good habit judging by the disapproving looks from SWMBO.

[jedimasterlincoln in reply to BobD]

I know that look! But you can't help but count/listen/pause and consider what your heart is doing!

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

SWMBO? Trying to work that out Bob .....

[Rellim296 in reply to Hidden]

You have to go back a few years Yatsura

[Hidden in reply to Rellim296]

Rellim...I do go back quite a few years !!....similar to Bob!

[Rellim296 in reply to Hidden]

Me too - but not quite as far as Bob. Did you never watch Rumpole of the Bailey?

[Hidden in reply to Rellim296]

No! Never watched much TV at all. Left that to other half .....

[Rellim296 in reply to Hidden]

Very wise!

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

And to NORWICH

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Hidden]

She who must be obeyed.

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

That's a new one for me. I don't get out much !!

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Hidden]

I think it came out of Rumpole of the Bailey. Showing my age now.

[Stucoo]

Oh yes - I had a cardio version this week and now constantly check. I was/am asymptomatic with AF so wouldn't necessarily know otherwise.

[Finvola]

Yes, I take my pulse - carotid as it is easier to find and it can be done without anyone noticing. Any irregularity is noticeable in the beat and I find it useful to be aware of what my heart is doing and to tell if my ectopics are starting.

[robin5]

yes, all the time and my daughter tells me off! I think I have been worse since my ablations.

[jillgloucester]

Thx everyone,, I now know I'm not the only one!

[constabule in reply to jillgloucester]

never could read my own pulse so wound buying a little machine you shove a finger in from Maplins - just use it now and again but its handy

I really do need to learn to to walk out of Maplins without buying something extra.

[Janarazzi]

I know immediately when I go

Into AF. I have a mechanical valve which is noises so I can hear

It too.

[scotcitz]

I got in the habit of taking my pulse after I had my first episode of afib in 2012. I was just nervous it would happen again -- as I was pretty out of it for the first one as it was after surgery, I just didn't know what to look for. I find it hard to take my pulse consistently (just not a handy person LOL) so I bought a cheap stethoscope at the drug store (in the US but I think they have them in UK over the counter) and would sometimes just listen to the steady lub-dub to reassure myself. I also bought a FitBit with heart rate monitoring. On Tuesday morning I felt awful, headache and vomiting and weakness. Lying on the sofa, I could see my HR spike to 115 when it is usually 70 on the FitBit when lying down. I grabbed the stethoscope from the bathroom cabinet and it was clear as day thanks to advice on this very forum!

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Immediately went to hospital, had a HR of 150 and afib, went on drip and cardioverted back to normal in 24 hours. According to FitBit trace (not 100% accurate, but enough to catch a change), I caught it just as it started. Although maybe the fact I was so weak I could not walk up the stairs should have been a wee hint. And catching it right away is huge to get to the hospital and get out of it because for me it is not constant (i.e. stroke risk goes up the longer I'm in it).

So I think being confident that you can tell you are in afib is a huge help. I also did feel it my pulse later but the stethoscope was easier for me (BTW I had my daughter listen to her regular one and then mine and her exact quote is "that's messed up").

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jill - I don't trust just checking my wrist pulse anymore. Last September when I had a really bad episode of fast AF I took my pulse which appeared quite normal, but I was struggling to keep conscious so I dialled the 111 number who sent paramedics. They discovered that what my heart was actually doing was not what my wrist indicated. My heart rate was too fast to register in my arm. From then on I've used a stethoscope so that I know for sure just what my heart is up to. I've tried feeling my carotid artery but the pulse is too weak there.

Jean

[jillgloucester in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Well, that's all worth knowing for sure! I did wonder about the doing your own pulse on the wrist if I was probably missing something! Thx

[Bagrat]

Donkeys years ago ( well the 60's) when I was training to be a nurse we used to do "apex and radials". One nurse took pulse at wrist and the other listened to heart with stethoscope. I can't remember why(!) but am thinking AF could have been the reason.