What would we do without technology?

[NJ47]

Thought I'd put something a bit more light hearted up, as looking at various posts several people mention the tech they use.

How do you find it and how would you feel if you didn't have it to use?

As I was mad enough to start this, I'll pick off.

Currently using:

Apple Watch 3 with ’Heartwatch’ and ’Heartbeats’, both superb apps.

Heartbeats does cost around £45.00 a year but worth every penny. Even though we know when we're in AF/SINUS, the app confirms it.

Following my recent fun and games which no doubt I'll share at some point, my gorgeous partner, Gill, treated me to a Checkme lite health monitor by Viatom which checks heart rate, QRS and ST plus blood oxygen levels.

Finally I've got the Omron M7 Intelli IT for blood pressure plus.

All are absolutely brilliant and gives me all the info I’d get in hospital.

Thoughts/comments please?

NJ

[Finvola]

I agree with the title of your post NJ - so much at our fingertips to help.

I use a Kardia when I think I need to and watch my low blood pressure on an Omron. All else is ignored🙂

[jedimasterlincoln]

Samsung Health app (uses flash as a pulse oxymeter and gives a short 10 second trace reading) the rate is saved but the trace isn't, however you can see it at the time of recording and screenshot if you have 4 hands.

Goodmans activity watch - not as good as my crane connect watch it seems to eat battery and do things I don't want it to do, but I have it set to record 30 mins HR at 6:30-7am (walking to work), 8-830 (walking to school if not at work or else sat at work)... and 3-330 (walking to school again or sat at work)

A finger probe/pulsoxymeter - no recording feature but the same make and model as critical care nurses use in our hospital trust

Nothing for BP or anything else. Normally when actively recording whats going on I tend to take a "trend" across all three devices. My old watch recorded every 5-10-15 mins through the night which was useful and unintrusve and gave me an idea of when the heart kicked off or raised or lowered. This watch doesn't sadly, and vibrates when it does. Primarily because it's for "working out" and distance recording and the HR monitoring is an afterthought.

I did think about investing in kardia but it was a lot of money at the time and the hospital is only 10 mins walk down the road.

[NJ47 in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

I don't have it but I've thought about Kardia too. How many others use it here?

Very handy having hospital close. We’re only a few mins away here too.

[dedeottie]

Kardia , I couldnt do without this during dodgy times. When all is well I dont use it at all.

Watch BP for bloodpressure and heartrate. It takes an average of 3 readings.

[NJ47]

Thanks for the info dedeottie. I'd now be totally lost without my gadget’s. I'm going in and out of sinus like a yo-yo at the moment. My bp was lower and pulse 51bpm so I checked with my ’checkme lite’ 2 lead ECG and guess what?

Sinus.

Anyone else?

For now, night all.

NJ

[Flyer2820]

Hi NJ47

I have a Xiaomi mi band fitness watch which does time,date,steps,miles walked,calories and battery amount. It only costs around £20, a fraction of the cost of the Fitbit and every bit as good, plus the battery lasts at least 4 weeks in between charges. I also have a finger pulse monitor which goes mental when I am in af. Also I have an Omron M3 which tells me when my heart rate is irregular. Plenty of technology, worth every penny.

Best wishes

Flyer

[NJ47 in reply to Flyer2820]

You can say that again, Flyer. Couldn't agree more.

[Crystalbowl]

Hello NJ47. I have had a Kardia for 2 years which I used intermittently at first but more recently have used it more regularly. I now have Reynaud’s Disease in my hands probably due to Bisoprolol so sometimes the Kardia doesn’t want to give me a reading but when I read on this forum that dampening your fingers helps it has been easier to get readings. These appear to suggest I am now in persistent AF. I have only ever had one normal reading some time ago and a handful of unclassified ones. I have also just purchased a smart watch from a website called Smartuply for £40 which is supposed to have the following features:

Blood Pressure Monitor

Heart Rate Monitor

Blood Oxygen Monitor

Sleep Monitor

Pedometer

Distance

Calories

Sedentary Reminder

Alarm Clock

Sport Mode

Changeable Clock Faces

Call Reminder

Show Messages

15 Day Battery Life

1.5 Hour Charge Time

It only arrived a few days’ ago so a bit early to tell whether it is any good and I may not yet have set the app up properly as the data does not seem to be transferring to my phone. However, I have checked some things against other equipment (see below) and it does seem to be reasonably accurate.

I have also been a participant in something called the

Lancashire and Cumbria Innovation Alliance NHS Test Bed which followed from a research project I was not involved in to assess whether it would be a useful service for patients with heart conditions or COPD to be able to have regular monitoring. The project I have been on is to gather more information to convince the local fundholders to fund it. I was issued with a set of talking weighing scales, a finger oxygen meter and a blood pressure monitor plus a tablet to input my readings to two senior nurse practitioners who look at the data. I think some people have been sending data daily but I have only done it 3x weekly. The nurses have contacted me on a couple of occasions due to concern about my data. I tend to retain a lot of fluid due to LV failure which affects my breathing so my weight can increase suddenly which might mean my meds need adjusting. However, this project ended today. Not sure what, if any, follow up there will be and the equipment will have to be returned. If anyone is interested in this, there is more information at england.nhs.uk/our work/innovation/test beds/

Apologies for the long post!

[NJ47 in reply to Crystalbowl]

Please don’t appolise, Crystalbowl. I know all about persistent AF having recently come out of a nine month episode. I really feel for anyone who’s been there.

Yes, good technology is so helpful. Good luck with it all. I hope it does everything you want/ need it too.

All the best

NJ