Silent atrial fib..

[Swedish]

Hi. a question of silent atrial fibrillation. do you have a sinus rhythm then. ?

or how it feels. ? if it does not feel.

so it's hard to know, right?

[Hidden]

Hi, Swedish! I almost have no symptoms when in AF, apart of some shivering in the chest, which can be detected after putting the hand on the chest. There is sometimes an uneasy feeling in the chest also. Some people have reported to be in permanent AF and to have no symptoms at all. But, despite not having the symptoms, when you are in AF, you are in AF, that's it! All the best!

[Swedish in reply to Hidden]

But on ecg? That will se af ?

[Hidden in reply to Swedish]

Yes! That's the right way!

[Swedish in reply to Hidden]

ok.just a little nervous.

have done two deflation before. (2018,2019)

and worried it will come back. can feel uncomfortable feeling sometimes the side of the chest and shoulder. but I have sinus according to my apple clock..

[Swedish in reply to Swedish]

Ablation. Not deflation(Google translate)

[Jalia in reply to Swedish]

I think that if you are concerned about any sort of chest pain then you should seek proper medical advice. It may just be muscle strain but don't make guesses, you need to be reassured one way or another.

[NannyChickens in reply to Swedish]

Deflation! But I like it better 😂

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Swedish]

AF is very distinctive on ECG. Silent just means asymptomatic. Those people are the lucky ones so long as they have been diagnosed and anticoagulated for stroke prevention as they do not suffer the swings in and out of normal sinus rhythm (NSR) which most people find so distressing.

[saulger in reply to Swedish]

From what I know, on the ECG the "P" wave is missing and there are lots of peaks and troughs before the "QRS" wave complex. The heart beat will not be regular and is usually much faster when I am in AFib. This article explains it better:

healio.com/cardiology/learn...

[Jalia]

You most certainly can have Atrial Fibrillation and be completely unaware of it. You would not be in sinus rhythm then.

There are probably thousands of people , usually elderly , walking around in AF and completely unaware Some of these go on to have an AF related stroke because they are not anticoagulated. This is a big problem which is why everyone should learn to take their own pulse to determine its regularity or otherwise.

[Swedish]

But my puls is slog wene i feel that. 60-70bpm. Maybe a nerv in shulder that give me that feeling wene i lay att left side in bed.

[Jalia in reply to Swedish]

Many people , if they are susceptible, find that they are unable to lie on their left side as it triggers arrhythmia. Try a different position but bear in mind my previous answer to chest pain.

[saulger in reply to Swedish]

I linked to an article in my earlier reply. If your HR is 60-70, then I think you are not in AFib, but you must have it checked by a doctor to be sure,

[Ducky2003 in reply to saulger]

My resting pulse is 73 and I'm in AF. Going in for a cardioversion today. I used to get AF with RVR but since my ablation in April, I get it a lower pulse rates too.

[saulger in reply to Ducky2003]

I stand corrected. When I re-read the article that I linked to, I saw that it is possible to have Atrial Fibrillation with Bradycardia (Slow Ventricular Response).

healio.com/cardiology/learn...

[Ducky2003 in reply to saulger]

I always assumed it came with the high pulse as that's how mine worked so it has been strange to have it with a lower pulse and why I hadn't realised I was dipping back into AF as I've not been as symptomatic.

[saulger in reply to Ducky2003]

My thoughts exactly, associating AFib with high HR (my case).I think that your ablation stopped many rogue signals from activating the ventricle and hence the reversal in HR. All the posts on this site mention a period of unusual activity after an ablation, so fingers crossed. Good luck with your CV today.

[stoneyrosed in reply to Ducky2003]

Good luck for today Ducky 👍

[Ablation7 in reply to Ducky2003]

Good luck!

[Desanthony in reply to saulger]

My resting pulse is in low to mid fifties and even when exercising at the gym doesn't go above 120 but I am still in permanent AF.

[saulger in reply to Desanthony]

Yes, thanks. I today learnt about SVR (slow ventricular response).When I get my AFib episodes, my HR will shoot from a normal (56 BPM for me) to 140 in one second.

I hope that you are managing and wish you best of health.

[Swedish]

.Apple Watch.

Ecg.

[CDreamer in reply to Swedish]

So your photo shows that you are in normal sinus rhythm with a normal heart rate. No AF picked up.

[Rup88]

Hi Swedish, Silent AF is what I have. In 2010 I picked up a bug on an air flight and ended up in hospital with pneumonia. I recovered and noticed I was out of breath (only signal) when cycling to work so had an ECG and bingo it was AF. I now use the Alivecor Kardiamobile and have recently upgraded to the 6L version which I use whenever I feel possible AF coming on. I have become far more aware and perhaps more sensitive to the signals of a pending AF condition and take a reading which I can then send to my EP at Barts for analysis.

[Morzine]

I get it at night apparently sometimes tiny little spurts of it, but dont know if I’m getting it now after ablation.

[Singwell]

You say you do not feel right. Do you have pain? In your chest, arm, shoulder? You write about a nerve in the shoulder. That would be your phrenic nerve is so. If pain in your neck and behind the shoulder sometimes that can be the vagus. I spoke to my nurse 2 days ago about pain behind my breast. She asked me:Does it get worse when you breathe?

Does it get worse when you move around?

Do you have AF - no.

Then most likely it is not the heart.

It could be:

Digestive

Muscular skeletal

Irritation of a nerve

Something wrong in the breast(I am female)

Keep notes on the pain if you have it - check it out with your doctor.

Hope this helps. my pain was muscular!

[Jacnc]

I don't know when I'm in afib , I just get tired...

[Spinners]

Hello purpleswimmer. I too took bisoprolol and digoxin amongst other medications at one point. My stomach problems once I started digoxin were so bad that I had tests for bowel cancer. Fortunately all was OK and the dioxin was stopped and my digestive system returned to normal. The bisoprolol made me tearful and depressed, so now on verapamil instead. Head feels much clearer and better control of my pulse. My ankles swell more and I have a very sluggish digestive system with it, which can cause embarrassing side effects and a feeling that my stomach is overfull. Not the pain of the digoxin though. I still get breathless and have low energy, but that could be the fact that I carry too much weight. The question is always, is it my permanent AF, my medication, or my weight which is causing the problem. At the end of the day I have to accept that there is no perfect solution. But if your medication is making you feel as wretched as you you do, it is time for a change. Hope you get it sorted soon and feel better.

[NooNoo14]

I have been in Permanent AFib for 3+ years (never heard it called ‘silent’). My heart spikes at all times (including when I sleep) but am not aware - the only time I can feel anything is if I lie on my left side - so I don’t. I have a FitBit which is not accurate but does indicate trends. Some nights it looks like I have been running a marathon (which I definitely haven’t 😀) but don’t feel anything.

I take 25mg Atenolol as a beta blocker and 5mg Apixaban as an anticoagulant.

[mav7 in reply to NooNoo14]

May I ask what is your heart rate, resting and when in AF ? And are you taking any medication for rate control.

Just want to compare with mine which is 70-84 resting and may peak to as much as 160 for short period with AF. But like you, I don't feel it.

[NooNoo14 in reply to mav7]

Sorry for the late response mav7 - busy day so far!

I no longer take medication for rate control just the beta blocker and anticoagulant. My treatment is affected by my having a form of Leukaemia that is treatable but not curable. I am on a drug trial and that stops me taking quite a few of the heart meds but the cancer drug is what caused my AFib to change to permanent 3 years ago when I started it.

My resting heart rate can be anything from 58 to 80ish but will go higher when doing anything strenuous. I have been told that if it goes higher than 100 on a regular basis, I should double the amount of Atenolol I take - not yet succumbed!!

[mav7 in reply to NooNoo14]

Appreciate your reply !

[mav7 in reply to NooNoo14]

Good luck in the future !

[tnohnsons]

I have A- Fib they found it at the hospital when I was in. I had 100 lbs of fluid around my heart and lungs. Which I have lost. I have no swelling now or fluid retention at all And in 2 years and 9 ECG they have never picked it up again. I am still on Eliquis 5mg twice daily because we do not want a oops as my Dr. Said

[francesturpin in reply to tnohnsons]

I tend to retain water which doesn't help with weight. How did they rid your body of all that fluid??

[JaneFreya in reply to tnohnsons]

100lbs! That is a hell of a lot!

[Elfiejean]

I found out about my AF by accident. Checking my oxygen level and took my pulse. So irregular but felt fine. Got scared and went to ER next morning and they agreed and started amioderone and xarelto. Home that day. I was in disbelief and have been coping ever sense.

[mav7]

I would recommend you ask your doctor about wearing a heart monitor for 14 days.

Answers all questions about the severity of your case and doctor can recommend control procedures.