Help!!

[Lotty321]

Can I just ask when your suffering with atrial fibrillation and you feel your own pulse, what does it feel like?

[doodle68]

Hello Lotty during an episode of P-AF my pulse always feels chaotic and is sometimes fast (not so fast now I am on medication) ...

Here is an example for you, scroll down the page and click on Pulse Sound example 2 ...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I guess for those in permanent AF the pulse feels irregular all the time but not necessarily faster than normal.

[Vonnieruth in reply to doodle68]

Doodle you have to download app to listen to them don't you

[doodle68 in reply to Vonnieruth]

Hi Vonny I just click on the link to listen....

ok see if this works, first AF..

soundcloud.com/bhf/heartbea...

now normal pulse to compare...

soundcloud.com/bhf/heartbea...

[Vonnieruth in reply to doodle68]

Will do Thank you

[RichMert in reply to doodle68]

I love what sounds like Donna Summers 'I Feel Love' at the end of the irregular beat clip but then, I have a sick sense of humour.

[Hidden]

I would say that mine feels like Morse code !

[Bshersey]

When I am in afib, my pulse is something like "thump, thump, thump... THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP... thump, thump, thump." Irregular and chaotic beats at varying rates.

[jennydog]

Learn to take your carotid pulse in your neck. Use 2 fingers from your right hand to feel to the left of your oesophagus about half way down your neck. A normal pulse is steady and strong. An AF pulse is weaker and raggy. You may feel pauses and bumpety, bumpety beats.

I can find this pulse in a split second but I cannot find a wrist pulse.

[Lotty321 in reply to jennydog]

So af is not always fast?

[jennydog in reply to Lotty321]

No. As such I do not have a rate problem. My usual pulse is 80 but as I take 2.5 bisoprolol daily it is reduced to about 65. When AF strikes it goes up to about 100. Top has been 130 odd but that was a one- off.

We're all different.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to jennydog]

I can never find the carotid pulse. I find it then it's gone, but can find the wrist one easily. My GP told me it's best to take it via the carotid.

[Bagrat in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Neither can I and I was a nurse!!!

[jennydog in reply to jeanjeannie50]

It does make sense as it's closer to your heart than the wrist.

You need to apply a bit of pressure to find it.

[RiderontheStorm]

In response to your question of pulse - When I cannot FEEL my pulse that is my tip off that AF is happening. I check with my Costco BP machine and it confirms it with an irregular pulse icon.

[BobD Volunteer]

AF is defined as an irregular irregular pulse. So no rhythm at all. Just chaotic beats which can be fast or slow but more commonly fast.

[NB66]

My AF episodes always result in HR of 180+. I feel very shaky and heart clearly running super fast and chaotic. The rate will stay that high for several days on amiodarone drip in hospital - so far it has managed to revert to normal with medicines.

[Melleray in reply to NB66]

I have had that high rate too, though it does not last as long as yours. On two occasions the rate has shot up to 250, which is horrendous. How often do you have your episodes?

[SuzieA]

Feels like a box of frogs jumping around in my chest so don’t have to take my pulse.

[Hidden in reply to SuzieA]

Hahaha same xx

[KMRobbo]

Lotty

When I was In AF or flutter I generally had HR 140 to 180. I could not feel the pulse in the wrist and even the pulse in the neck feels regular as it is so fast.

The only times for me when this is different is that (1) Sometimes as I went into afib I had a period of a minute or do where my pulse was really lumpy and I could feel it in my chest never mind wrist or neck, but this disappeared as my heart launched into fast mode, and (2) post my AF ablation i developed flutter. This was fast and breathless. The hospital mis diagnosed ( understandably) and thought I had AF back, and So increased my flecainide from 2 x 50 mg to 2 × 100mg in a bid to cardiovert me from AF. Unfortunately the result of this was my Hr did slow to 90 or 100 but got more much more lumpy - this is what I described as like having a bag of ferrets inside my chest at the time. When I reduced the flecainide dose the HR went up to 140+ and I could not feel my pulse being arrhythmic again although my BP monitor recognised it as arrhythmic.

Hope this helps

[Mimi44 in reply to KMRobbo]

Hi KMRobbo.

I had AFib for over 3 years since 2014 & for about 9 months it had been happening most of the time, for several days at a time & sometimes only went NSR for a few hours before it came back. Most of the time my HR would be very irregular & in the low to high 100's but never got over 179. I had a RF Ablation on Feb 26 for A Fib & had no more episodes, until Mar. 31 when my heart started racing really fast, HR in the low to mid 100's & it didn't feel like A Fib. It hadn't ever felt like that. Went to see my Cardiologist as my EP was out of town. Found that it was Aflutter in the right Atrium of heart. AFib had been in left Atrium. Was able to see EP on May 9 & he confirmed that it was Aflutter, but no A Fib. His first available appt for a Cardio Version to put me back in NSR was not until May 7. Aflutter was almost continuous & made me extremely weak & nauseous, feeling like I was going to pass out every time I got up to do anything & then on May 4 my heart CONVERTED to NSR by itself & has been in NSR ever since!!! I do have some skipped beats occasionally, but I've had that all my life as I was born with a heart murmur. Ablation was the best decision for me, as I had no quality of life since I couldn't do anything!!! I'm only 74 & have great grand kids that I missed being able to go see & do things with. I'm FINALLY being able to enjoy life again!!!!

[RichMert]

Very difficult to count as tends to be fast with echo. Missed beats, extra beats, weak beats and strong beats. You would find it difficult counting 10 beats without having to recheck.

[momist]

I too struggle to find the carotid pulse, but have learned to find the wrist one consistently. Yes, in AF it is _very_ irregular. As regards rate, my first recorded trace by the Ambulance paramedics showed over 280bpm. I was scared at the time, as are most people when this first hits. Since I've been on Bisoprolol, the 'resting' rate in AF has been around 180, while my normal resting rate is low, approx 54.

[Mimi44 in reply to momist]

I find it easier to use my first 2 fingers of my left hand to feel the carotid in my neck on the left side, about 3 fingers back from the middle of my chin just below my neck bone. Hope this helps!!

[Hidden]

Don't need my pulse to know, it's like a drummer doing a solo in my chest..

[momist in reply to Hidden]

A very unskilled drummer then. Mine feels more like a mixed doubles in a game of squash.

[wyliecoyote]

When I try to take my hubby’s pulse it is so irregular it is impossible but our Omron 10 series BP machine shows the irregular heartbeat

[LouBrig]

When I start with AF I feel like horrendous discomfort/pain in middle of my chest. You can see my heart quivering and I can certainly feel it.

[KMRobbo]

Mimi44

Your flutter symptoms were very very like mine. Amazing that it stopped on its own. I wish mine had, although the flutter ablation was ok.

Best wishes