Advice needed please

Please can someone clarify for me. I have a fairly normal pulse a lot of the time, I bought a Boots BP monitor which shows AF if you have it and its never caught it. My AF seems transient, as in, I can be ok, then for no reason, my heart just fibrillates, rather than beats for just seconds, and to be sure, any longer and I'd be on the floor!! Is this normal PAF? I feel very alone with it. I'm due a 24hr monitor soon.

[BobD Volunteer]

Without an ecg it is not possible to say what your arrhythmia is so hang in there till you get the 24 hour monitor. BP machines are not designed to test for AF and frankly the only device generally available which is worth the time is Kardia but even then since you say the events are seconds rather than minutes you would not have time to get it out and run the test.

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

Yes I realised that while looking to buy one. (AliveCor). It's the unpredictability of it that gets me down. I keep reading the AF is a prolonged period of arrhythmia. Although I feel rough in between episodes, I put that down to beta blockers. They are disagreeing with me. I just hope they catch an episode on a 24 HR.

[jacuk]

Hi Slipware, I have a similar problem to you. Most of the time I have a normal sinus heartbeat where don't even feel my heart beating and I can be sitting relaxing watching TV and I suddenly get a strange prominent heartbeat and I feel as if it's going into palpitations. Most of the time it passes but sometimes it leads to palpitations. Had several ECGs that come back normal and I'm on Apixaban to thin the blood as I wait for my cardiologist appointment. Apparently I have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

[Hidden in reply to jacuk]

I'm on warfarin, and do home test and self medication. I'm quite sure the beta blocker is doing an ok job but with a price. It does slow the heart rate. But does nothing for the thuds, fluttering and downright uncomfortable feeling in my heart. I suppose like the tinnitus I suffer, from the TIA everybody's AF is different.

[Goldfish_]

From your past posts I see you were diagnosed with paf 4 years ago. The episodes can vary from seconds to hours. The af blood pressure machines are only designed to indicate possible af at the time your bp is being checked, but there are many other causes of an irregular pulse although af is the commonest

[Hidden in reply to Goldfish_]

Ohh the thought of that dreadful feeling lasting hours is unthinkable!

[Manumad54]

When I started having symptoms of af I had every test available and nothing detected it. My specialist advised me to purchase an app called "active cor " which I did ( £90 ) I then had symptoms at home used the app and captured the reading allowing me to email the specialist who rang straight back and made appointment for me . Waiting for my ablation appointment as we speak ......

[Manumad54 in reply to Manumad54]

Sorry should have read "alivecor" by Kardia

[Hidden]

Mine has been captured, but I've never been offered anything other than warfarin and beta blocker. It's now progressed, so hope I can get it sorted