Define AF

[Luna1824]

Hi sorry I'm getting very confused.im reading here people with HR of 60 -90 and saying it's AF. I thought under 100 was fine, I have my watch set to alert me if its over 100 which it frequently does.Mine was as low as 39 last week when I woke up but got higher obvs once I got up but it cd be 130 when I'm sitting watching tv.Diagnosed AF after PFO closure and know I get extra beats but can someone please explain how it's AF under 100 .My watch tells me the rate but not if it's irregular, is that it??

[mjames1]

Afib is usually with a fast heart rate, but it is very common with a normal heart rate. To simplify, what they have in common is that the heart rate is irregular. That said, there are other arrhythmia's that can mimic afib, including but not limited to a run of ectopic beats --so the only way to really know is by ekg. Is your Watch an Apple Watch with an ekg function? If so, the ekg will tell the story. The Kardia is another excellent home device that can help diagnose afib with an ekg.

Jim

[Luna1824 in reply to mjames1]

Thanks Jim no it just monitors my heart rate not Apple or Kardia, didn't want to be obsessed with AF.But I always just thought it was AF if it was over 100!

My original diagnosis was when my heart monitor was at 280. Even though I was told it was a panic attack.!

[Luna1824 in reply to mjames1]

I'm thinking my dr thinks I'm making stuff up, it was 39 and then 150 when I was just sitting talking to dr, then ecg normal but I know weird stuff is happening but everytime they check my hr is finest I seem like a hypochondriac. I Always have a pain in center of chest , ohh just as I'm typing have pins and needles in my lips starting to spread up eft side of face

[Drone01 in reply to Luna1824]

Pins and needles in lips spreading up face sounds like the aura of a migraine. It too is an electrical disturbance!

[Ppiman in reply to Drone01]

It’s a worrying feeling but it’s also a classic sign of high anxiety caused by over breathing, and brought on by a temporary upset of the blood pH.

Steve

[mjames1 in reply to Luna1824]

not Apple or Kardia, didn't want to be obsessed with AF...My original diagnosis was when my heart monitor was at 280. Even though I was told it was a panic I'm thinking my dr thinks I'm making stuff up,

---

I get it about being obsessed. But if you want a doctor to take what you think may be afib seriously -- They 100% have to see an EKG. They will not diagnose just based on symptoms.

So that's where the Kardia or Apple Watch are so important in cases were a few episodes of sporadic and may not be picked up in the doctors office or even on a Holter.

Jim

[Buzby62]

Hi, AF is an irregular heart beat so almost every beat to beat is different. Depending what you are measuring your rate with you will record highs and lows but AF heart rate should only be measured as an average over a minute by counting the number of beats in a full 60 seconds and can vary considerably from patient to patient. Instantaneous measurements on a heart rate monitor are pretty meaningless while in AF as you may have lows in the 30s and highs in the 180s all in just a few seconds but the average can still be in the normal range 60-100.

Have a read of the AF fact-file on this link api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

Best wishes

[Luna1824 in reply to Buzby62]

Thank you

[jeanjeannie50]

My resting heart rate used to be at a regular beat of 62bpm. Now it can be anywhere from 60-90bpm and my rhythm is irregular. Now it constantly goes up and down when I'm sat still, without any encouragement from me.

I used to get PAF rates up towards 200ish but since my third ablation and changing my diet drastically I'm so much better.

Jean

[Rotsky in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hello Jeanjeannie, please more info on drastic diet change but only if you have the time.

I have AFib and PMR and am constantly rethinking diet.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Rotsky]

I cut out all food/drink that contains artificial additives and cook my own dinners from scratch . Even spend a fortune on vitamins without lots of fillers. I buy Vitabright online but there are also other makes.

I'm certainly not perfect though and do have lapses of eating sweets.

Jean

[Rotsky in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you, will check out Vitabright as also spend a lot on supplements and am never sure which are best. Some are so costly. I try for good cooking but sometimes just give in to a ready meal. Will do better!

[KelliEAnniE]

hi I have permananant AF controlled with medication my heart rate varies between 50 to 130 depending on what I'm doing I am always in AF though no problem as its controlled my fit bit 5 shows me always in AF

[Omniscient1]

AF is two things,the irregular heart beat (slow,slow, quick, quick, slow, quick slow,slow quick or whatever). Second, as your heart is misfiring the shape of your heartbeat, that classic multi-peaked twitch you see on an ECG (or on the hospital soap operas) has changed, and the first part of it (the p-wave) is missing. So it's not that any particular heart rate means AF at all.

My resting heart rate is 'normal'this morning - 72 while I type this,but I am in AF

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi

We were diagnosed with AF first. Still have AF but meds bring me down to 60s.

AF is an irregular heart beat out of regular when the chambers of the heart are not corresponding regularly to make the blood flow regularly.

So some without med first could be Slow AF or Rapid AF, Persistant or have episodes of AF.

cheri JOY. 75. (NZ)

No operations unless life threatening (my thyrodectomy) for patients over 100 at rest.

[Ppiman]

You say you don't want to get a home ECG as it will take you "obsess". Well - I know the feeling and, given what you say, I suspect that anxiety might well exacerbate your symptoms and heart rate especially.

AF is a condition at the top of the heart, not the bottom, so the ventricles aren’t directly involved and can continue to pump well, despite the chaos up above. They often do react by beating too quickly, but slow, normal or high rates can happen, too. With AF happening in the top chambers, however, the ventricles will always beat somewhat erratically which can feel like palpitations.

The very high rate you mention of over 200bpm seems much more unusual and I have never read of that before (except in medical emergencies with atrial flutter, for example). Could it be that this was a blip or error on your monitor?

Given what you have written, you might perhaps consider getting a Wellue AI ECG as this uniquely allows ECG measurement of the heart's electrical activity over much longer periods, and it will much more easily catch anything out of the ordinary happening than a device that runs only for a brief time. It also uses adhesive electrodes which allow a much cleaner signal to be produced. The free to use AI function also gives a wide ranging summary of what it finds (not that this should ever be relied upon at all - just taken as a possibility, as with all such home devices). You can then show the results to your doctor or pay for a private cardiology consultation to delve further.

Steve

[Drone01 in reply to Ppiman]

My 30-40 minute bouts of PAF are always c. 200bpm. It’s not a worry - I just wait for it to revert.

[Ppiman in reply to Drone01]

My AF makes the rate very but I’ve only ever had one really fast occurrence. I wouldn’t want that again although I suspect anxiety played a big part, too. These days my rate is much slower for some reason but since the first one, I’ve never had an average of more than 160.

What do you feel like at 200bpm? It sounds very uncomfortable. I hope it doesn’t last too long. The things we have to put up with!

Steve

[Drone01 in reply to Ppiman]

It’s not so uncomfortable. I’m aware of it, and somewhat breathless, but no pain. Bisoprolol reduced it to 180bpm, but put a brake on my cardio exercise regime, so I prefer to have occasional AF episodes @ 200bpm! Now I’m more accustomed to my usual AF trigger (sprinting too fast), I make sure I don’t exceed my target heart rate during exercise.

[Ppiman in reply to Drone01]

Those are similar to my symptoms and I also get a sensation in my throat - a kind of hotness but not like acid, along with a mild headache. I can also get a mild chest “ache” as I call it.

It must be good to know what triggers your AF. I have no idea what starts mine except when my heart is palpitating badly, any kind of extra effort can sometimes set off AF.

Steve

[Dollcollector in reply to Ppiman]

I have had rates between 150 to 250 b.p.m.

[Fishingqueen]

I use a Kardia monitor to check my rhythm. I have had ectopic beats, afib, aflutter off and on for over 25 years so I can feel what rhythm I'm in before I check it. I have had 4 ablations. I take diltiazem and prn atenolol. My spells of fib and flutter always used to be 200 or above. The last 4 months it went in aflutter at 120-140 and it took 12 weeks to get cardioverted. They increased my meds. Now since I have been cardioverted 6-12 I have little runs of afib in the 70's to 90's. I can monitor my HR on my watch but I feel it go out of rhythm.

[ozziebob]

Could you not simply check your wrist pulse occasionally to ascertain whether you are in the irregular rhythm that might be AF (whatever the rate).

[tunybgur]

Afib can take many forms with generally an irregular pulse rate, but as far as I know the one common factor is the absence of a 'P' wave in the sinus rhythm. Check normal SR on images to see where this is.....it's the little bump at the beginning before the big spike, this is absent during AF.

I have a Heal Force PC-80B monitor which I hold against my chest and in 30s it gives me an excellent rhythm trace, I can clearly see if the 'P' wave is absent or not.

That works for me but I'm sure others have similar ways of checking their HR.