Pulse rate in neck very frightening in the evening

[HelenClare]

Every evening my pulse in my neck goes a bit wild! Bumping and throbbing, impossible to try and count beats during 60 seconds. I feel fine and try to take my pulse on my wrist and all seems normal! I feel fine just very conscious of this disco beat in my neck. I’m a newbie to PAF-Fb. I’m on Apixiban, Lipitor,Sotalol ( 40g once a day) and Letrozole. A very stupid question - can pulses differ in different parts of your body?

[BobD Volunteer]

Pulse should = heart pumping rate. I can never get a decent reading in my neck ever so always rely on wrist. Left actually since my right radial artery is damaged and scarred making pulse check impossible there.

[HelenClare in reply to BobD]

Any thanks for your reply, all settled down at the moment- I’ve gone onto a double dose of Sotalol, still only 40g twice a day. I was ok on once a day but Doctor said its better to keep heart calm. Well I think that’s what he said - so difficult with masks on. Maybe i wont watch Strictly Come Dancing this week, that’s honestly, when my neck started going bonkers but my App on phone said 65HR

[BobD Volunteer in reply to HelenClare]

Johannas does that to my wife too. lol 😁

[S11m]

I have an Apple Watch... so I can always get my pulse rate - or history of it.

...but I often get palpitations - so I could count my pulse rate without having to look for it.

Now that I have lost 70lb, I can find my pulse almost anywhere on my aorta or iliac arteries - these larger arteries are easier to find (if you are slim!).

[HelenClare in reply to S11m]

What an amazing weight loss story. I am on Letrozole to stop my Breast Cancer returning and actively puts on weight which is a fabulous little side effect of this nasty little drug. have to take it for 5 years - 3 years in and they’ve just increased it to 10. Apple Watch on my Christmas list, but I love love my Longines - can I wear both???? Thanks for your reply. Really enjoy this forum.

[S11m in reply to HelenClare]

My twin brother has recently started a five-year course of treatment for bone marrow cancer.

[Octaviascout]

I wear a Fitbit 24/7 which gives you a pretty close result. I’ve checked a number of times manually for comparison taking my pulse at the wrist ... the Fitbit is always very close. I was diagnosed 16 months ago after a heart rate of 190 in bed at 3 in the morning, so always wear it to bed. The key is not to develop paranoia .. the Fitbit is a great tool for giving you an overall picture of your heart rate, it will not detect arrhythmia, I have a Cardia to check that occasionally as I’ve been in permanent AF since diagnosis despite two DC Cardioversions in the earlier days. To answer your question my GP told me it’s always better to take your pulse at the wrist, she showed me how to do this correctly.

[HelenClare]

Many thanks for your reply. I have an App on my phone _ Fibricheck and get very hung up on checking. However, I think these watches, fit bits, Apps etc do have a place for helping, as long, as you say one doesn’t get paranoid. Ive had a good old talk to myself and realise how lucky I am to have this condition found and put on the appropriate medicine. When Breast Cancer was diagnosed 20 years ago ( after a doctor said it was nothing!) Ive always been very positive and my Mantra is - ‘At least i know what’s wrong with me!’ Bit blindsided when I got it again 3 years ago!!!! Now my heart is No.1 on my worry list and not Cancer - who would have thought!