Hi all, I was diagnosed with PAF in October, I met with a group of friends yesterday and spent a couple of hours chatting, feeling absolutely fine, but when I looked at my FitBit later it recorded my heart rate at between 95 and 120 for 50 minutes. It doesn’t even do this when I’m out walking. The only thing I did different was drinking a latte, I normally only drink tea.
Does that reading mean I had A fib, I’m confused.
Fast heart alone doth not make AF. Learn to take and feel your pulse (it will be irregular if AF ) or buy a Kardia but beware it is easy to become fixated on such things. Coffee can do that anyway.
Thank you, I think I’m a bit confused really about AFib and how you know when you have it or not. I have considered a Kardia but I can be slightly obsessive so I’m not sure.
Could be the coffee. I get runs of regular fast heart rate sometimes irregular, sometimes not. They settle in minutes if I lie down and slow my breathing, if I'm out,can continue till I'm home but the irregular (AF bits) are short lived. Only every couple of months long enough to notice, my cardiologist happy with status quo so I am too.No clever tech for me, very unsettling for a slightly obsessional dude.
Yes I’m slightly obsessional too, it I hadn’t looked at my Fitbit I would have assumed a normal session with friends. I think I’m just scared I’ll miss something important if I didn’t wear it.
This may provoke cries of shock, horror, but I'm pretty sure if it's important you wouldn't miss it, with or without fitbit. I am of an age (79) and generation when we tend to just ' keep *uggering on (KBO)" My parents were worse, my Dad had a stroke one Sunday and in his words "thought he was a goner" but they didn't contact GP as it was a Sunday!! He lived for about 10 yrs enduring several more strokes but with help of my Mum overcame them all anddied of renal failure in '89
Caffeine in the coffee could do that. It doesn’t mean you have AF if your pulse is fast, although in some of us it can spark off AF. Actually, that’s not a high number for a short time. You need to get a proper monitor. My blood pressure monitor tells me when l am im AF. (I can feel my heart doing a disco anyway). The beat is irregular.
Yes I’m leaning towards the coffee, I do monitor my blood pressure occasionally but don’t want to get obsessive.
My heart didn't like coffee. It got on okay with caffeine, but reacted badly to coffee.
I’m not saying this is the case here but wearables like fitbit and Apple Watch are known to give false high readings at times. It happened to me recently and I was able to match the time up with leaving a supermarket, my wife was pushing the trolley and I had my hand on it guiding it over the bumps on the way to the car. It can also happen if the device is on loosely or any other reason the optical sensor cannot see the blood movement under the skin. The optical sensor is more susceptible to errors than the electrical sensors used when taking an ECG. Maybe do an internet search on false high readings for your device. If you didn’t feel anything then I would be inclined to right it off to false readings.
Just my thoughts and opinion, hope it helps.
Thank you Buzby, it was strange that I never felt anything as I’m usually on high alert to any changes. I’m wondering if because I was talking I was moving my hands about a lot.
Afib can only be diagnosed by ekg. Not by rate and not conclusively by feeling your pulse, although with practice and experience it will give an indication.
If you can feel the episodes, then get the Kardia 6L which will generate a 30 second ekg any time you want.
However, if you're not feeling the episodes, you're better asking your doctor for a 2-4 week ekg patch which will run 24/7, which the Kardia will not. Apple Watch is sort of an inbetween solution. It might pick up the afib episodes, but since it doesn't monitor 24/7, it might not.
Jim
Try decaf ta and coffee.
Was that a caffeinated latte? If it was it may be that caffeine is a trigger for your AF - if indeed it was AF. You were chatting animatedly with friends and having a hot drink - this alone would make your heart rate a little higher - if the drink was caffeinated that might take it a little higher again - that's what caffeine does. So, if you haven't already you may want to try decaff coffee and tea - for home use we use Kenco decaff coffee and Yorkshire decaff tea as they taste good.
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