Kardia

[Maisiemay13]

Hi quick question i was diagnosed with AF in June this year still waiting to see a cardiologist and have now tried two beta blockers neither agreed made my HR low and BP low is it worth getting a Kardia to monitor my AF as feeling pretty grotty with tiredness at the moment!

[SpritzerAce]

Hi there ! Hope you are keeping well. I have a Kardia and so far I have found it to be really useful. Although it is a single lead device, the reading is acceptable by most cardiologist and serves as a good indication if you are in AF or back in normal rhythm. Personally i would recommend it.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to SpritzerAce]

Thank you for your reply will get one

[Hidden]

You can be treated without beta blockers. I am asthmatic so they don’t give me beta blockers. Ask your doctors to try something different. I can’t comnen on the Kardia as I haven’t used one (although I have thought about it). Hope they find the right drug for you.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you I my doctor did say something about a channel blocker

[KMRobbo in reply to Maisiemay13]

Calcium channel blocker. CCB. Verspamil or Diltiazem.had both as I don't tolerate the beta blockers I tried. I had undsirable side effects with diltiazem. None with verapamil but the cardiologist seem to favour diltiazem.

[Hidden]

Agree totally with SpritzerAce. My EP has been happy to see the readings from mine and they prompted a second ablation. They are particularly useful for capturing episodes which rarely happens when you have an ECG.

The only word of caution is try not to get obsessive and try a limit use to times when you suspect something is awry......

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Hidden]

I am going to get one and will make sure I only use it when I am feeling unwell thank you for your reply

[CDreamer]

It can be really helpful for your own information and for your doctors as long as you have a cardiologist who finds them of interest. All the doctors I have had who can read an ECG found it incredibly useful but be aware that some people find it does increase their anxieties. I love learning so I just get really interested but some people worry and that can only increase the AF burden as anxiety = AF = anxiety and you can get into a vicious spiral.

I think they are most useful for those people seeking a diagnosis and have PAF = AF that comes and goes as this is always notoriously difficult to capture on an ECG at the clinic as inevitably you self convert as soon as you are hooked up.

I don’t take any medications to stop AF or control Heart Rate as I can’t tolerate any of them, especially beta-blockers and many people find they cannot tolerate beta blockers.. It is worth talking through with your doctor as there are other possibilities and if your resting HR doesn’t exceed 120 my understanding is that you may not need them, that is my EP’s view.

Unfortunately it seems as though we are in the middle of an AF epidemic and the waiting times are very long everywhere now. Many people consider going for a first consultation privately as this can

Best wishes CD

[Maisiemay13 in reply to CDreamer]

Hi I think I have PAF,I have had an echo and 24hr monitor and was thinking about going for a private consultation as still have no date for cardiologist appointment,I think I will get one so I at least know what’s going ! Thank you for your reply

[Bambi65]

I was told I had afib, just 2 years ago. they gave me 2 meds for it. One was to control the rate. Mine was 140+ at the time. The other med, I believe they said was to control the frequency. Within a week, all I did was sleep, 18-20 hours a day. I had no energy, but was worse was I had no desire for anything. I could care less about things I once loved doing; sewing, building a deck, cooking, entertaining, yard work, talking with friends, bike riding etc. I told my husband, (a physician) I’m not depressed, I really just dont give a damn about doing anything. I’m not sad and I’m not happy, I’m just,... Just. He said its probably the Beta blockers, it will take a while to adjust to it.

Well, with that said, I stopped the meds immediately. (he wasnt happy about that at all) Three days later, I was awake during the day, I was able to laugh and talk to friends again. I was back to my optimistic, old self again. For me, it’s always been about the quality of my life.

It was going to be a trade off.

I do have a kardia, and I used it when I think I’m in going into afib and then verifing Im out of if, so I have "duration". Then, each recording, I will email to myself so I have a permanent record not relying on my memory. Each “event” and “total time in” (ex. A-11hrs.) is noted in my appt. book, which I will circle with a yellow highlighter. When I see my doc I can show him exactly of the frequency and duration in any given month. I know it may seem anal, but it reminds me how many days I’m not in the clutches of the beast. Afib does not control my life, its kinda like the relative ya don’t like, but shows up uninvited anyway. I tolerate it, knowing its gonna be gone in a few hours (4-26hrs). At this time, its an inconvenience, to me. Currently about 2-3x a week, sometimes less and HR runs in the 140-190's. Im also trying alternatives to conventional meds and seeing what works and what dosent.

The only meds Im taking at this time are the blood thinners.

Each of us have different perspectives, treatments, options, and ideas. That’s what is so great about this forum. New ideas are always popping up and being shared without criticism.

So, Hang in there, ask any questions. There are people in here with many years of experience. They are, and have been a tremendous resource for me. Welcome to our living room, where you can sit and relax among new friends!

[Maisiemay13]

Thank you I am only on blood thinners as like you I was unable to live when taking blockers and I have three dogs one being 8 months who couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to play ! I have ordered my kardia this morning and will take on board how you record your episodes

I am very thankful for being part of this wonderful group

[IsobelBrown54]

Hi there,

I recently found d that I’d been in Afib whilst having an echo sound heart scan, which I was totally unaware of. Up until then I believed I knew when I had an episode of Afib as I felt so unwell. I bought a Kardia so I could regularly check to see if I was in Afib. Although it tells me I every time that I am not in Afib it says my reading is unclassified and not “normal”. Thus has caused me some concern, not to mention frustration. I wondered if this might be a ruse by the company to get me to pay €6 for analysis. I was abroad last week, but I tend to see my GP next week to see what he thinks of my unclassified traces!

[Maisiemay13 in reply to IsobelBrown54]

Hope you get an answer at your GP

[Hidden]

Try this:

-----------------------------------------

After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

PS – there is a new study out backing up the above observations. You can see it at

cardiab.biomedcentral.com/a...

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Hidden]

I do eat a lot of fruit not really any processed I am a vegetarian but will have a look at this tank you

[SpritzerAce in reply to Hidden]

Hi there! Sounds like what i am experiencing. It may be a coincidence I really don’t know but I am now off milk and dairy products. So far so good no AF. And certain spices. It is like a trial and error for me. Why did I resort to this? After I realised that lately I always get my AF episodes after breakfast - when I had had a cup of iced chocolates the nite before or ‘satay’ (spiced beef or chicken eaten with peanuts sauce). Then I decided to go cold turkey on these stuff. So far so good. To test my theory I once took a bar of Cadbury after lunch. And not an hour passed I started to palpitate and went into AF albeit for a short while. Same goes with the spices that I suspect I can’t tolerate. So now I avoid them at all cost. Wishing everyone an AF-free day ahead for many many many many many more days. 😀

[Hidden in reply to SpritzerAce]

I suspect it's anything that contains sugar, including apples, etc. So no use giving up other stuff you like - try just cutting back on anything with sugar - that should do it. Also don't forget to stay hydrated. Good luck.

Did you read the new study on sugars and afib?? Here it is again in case you didn't. If you know of a way to get this study out to everyone do it. I don't know how.

- Rick Hyer.

cardiab.biomedcentral.com/a...

[SpritzerAce in reply to Hidden]

Hi! I have just posted link to the article that you shared. I hope it’s the right one and everyone can access it.

[7164 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you fit the great post

I am new to Afib (one year) and heat and dehydration sets me off

I hate the Bisoprolol which is exhausting and I too lose interest in everything

I am trying to diet and exercise it away. Is that possible?

[Jjda]

I had the KardiaMobile 1 lead and recently upgraded to the 6 lead. It's a little difficult to use at first, but gives a better, more accurate reading. I would recommend one if it won't increase your anxiety. I recently had a loop recorder inserted and now, if I have an episode of AFib, the doctors office will call me the next day. So far, I haven't had any. Fingers crossed. Also, I was on Metoprolol after my ablation a year ago, but they took my off it in June of this year.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Jjda]

Hi it’s arrived how do I save ECG to my email please ?

[HiloHairy]

I only take meds when I have an afib event because I simply can't live with taking them everyday. Similar to what is mentioned above they make me feel like a zombie or a low energy robot.

I use my Kardia to monitor my heart rate during an event. It helps guide me in when I need to take another dose of metoprolol or diltiazem to minimize the rise in heart rate created by the AFib.

[Goldfish7]

I've got one and its been really good at monitoring Afib - its very easy to use so I would consider getting one if I were you. You can also send your ECG's from it straight to your Dr if they are interested in seeing them.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Goldfish7]

Arriving today good old amazon

[Goldfish7 in reply to Maisiemay13]

Hope you 'enjoy' it - useful little device

[Maisiemay13]

Hi I have soya or almond milk have done for years but do love spicy food so will see what happens!

[lms0006]

Hope your cardiologist is also an EP

[Maisiemay13 in reply to lms0006]

Have no idea as still waiting for appointment but will bare that in mind

[MtLSteven]

Here in the NHS UK reducing sugar is recommended as part of a balanced diet. It is a universal recommendation to limit the damage by highly processed Western diets.

I have permanent AF. Perhaps I'm missing something in others posts. Carvedilol is my Beta blocker. By incrementally decreasing the dose by 3.125 mgs and monitoring my response I have reached an individual dose that seems to work for me. 21.875 mgs in the morning and 15.625 mgs at night. I did this to reduce the sedative effects of the beta-blocker. It is not perfect. Like you I have benefits and side effects.

The Kardia monitor will give you lots information that you are expecting a time limited Cardiologist to go through. Will it change the outcome? The AFA are campaigning "Know your Pulse. Know your Rhythm". Saves the cost of a Kardia monitor.

My approach is " I have Atrial Fibrillation. Atrial Fibrillation does not have me" (Courtsey of Sophie Sabbage, the Cancer Whisperer). This empowers me, lessens my anxiety and gives me perspective.

[Maisiemay13]

I could not agree more I am not letting AF rule my life I just want more information as feel my appointment to see a specialist is a way off yet