PAC vs afib

[alfrae13]

I thought I had had afib but when I showds the ekg to my cardiologist he said I dony have afib what I see are PACs. How do you know what you have

[Popepaul]

There is no P wave on an ECG if you are in afib.

[DawnTX in reply to Popepaul]

If you are not having it at the time, it won’t show in your ECG I have been told. My a fib kept playing games my EP planted a monitor. It’s not very invasive and within two weeks they had all the information they needed. Otherwise it could’ve continued hit or miss.. a year and a half ago I received a pacemaker and the monitor was removed. Same exact spot it went in just a tiny dot where it used to be. They are good for about five years if necessary. My pacemaker does it all I am monitored 24 seven by it and my doctor will know before I do if anything is happening.

It is up to the doctor. If you’re not satisfied, I would suggest you look for another and get a second opinion if you can. We are not doctors any of us, but I think a fib is a nasty tricky problem that we can get and not all doctors have the same. My first EP was wonderful my second was a nightmare. and then I found the most amazing incredible EP ever who has given me quality of life. Sometimes you need to think outside the box and if you find you have a Doctor Who just wants to repeat the same procedures again and again personally I would question knowing what I know now. Every case is so different we can understand what you’re saying we know the same feeling, but our wiring is different in every case and a fib is complex. One of the first things my amazing EP told me to do was stop checking my numbers. I think they are finding more often than not. The devices for the. layman are going to make you crazy. They are only meant to be a just like the new diabetes device that I see people checking every two minutes. what you’re doing your keep changing. I can have 60 and set up and have 70 or 90 if I walk to the kitchen when I first get going in the morning. I can have my coffee and see a change. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong. Even people without a fib have the same thing happen.

Too many of us suddenly want to learn what it took years for our to and my EP told me it is a never-ending process of learning. He is a teacher. He has an IT degree look at those things they have to use for us. One of the hardest things about a fib is patience and learning yourself learning your triggers and doing what you’re told by your doctor. When you feel strongly about it as I said, get a second opinion, if you can, I realize it’s not that easy for many of you. I am blessed I could pick up the phone and get into my this afternoon if I needed to. Knowledge is power. We are never going to have all the answers, but you will be able to sort things out better in time but it’s going to take time. The first thing my first EP did was put me on an anticoagulant to prevent stroke as well as something to help the heart rate with a beta blocker and something for the pain which I have not taken for about two years. Unfortunately, all of us with afib have learned our lives are changed forever. that doesn’t mean your life is over unless you let a fib run your life. Bob and the administrator etc. will tell you people don’t usually die of a fib. Not sure if those are the exact words but it shouldn’t kill you the way I look at odds of getting run better when I leave the house especially the way they drive here lol

we all have questions we all get scared you can’t hurry time and learning it is what it is my favorite saying now is telling someone to get their head. Anxiety is my biggest enemy when it comes to getting . The good thing about a pacemaker is, I can it, but it can’t hurt me and my heart failure has reversed. Take a deep breath love yourself.

[John3333333]

My Kardia device regularly reports atrial couplets and atrial bigeminy as 'possible AF'.

[Ilovedogs12 in reply to John3333333]

Mine too, but I emailed a few readings headed 'possible AF' to my cardiologist and he said it wasn't.I found my Kardia a bit useless tbh, and I only use it to make a record every three hours for two days before appointments now to give him a recent picture of how I'm doing.

[AKatieD]

There are lots of medical heart education websites out there which will describe the difference and show you images of different types of ECG to explain. Just google PAC vs Afib and look for a reputable website.Unless you have a watch with an ECG it might not be obvious from how you feel.

[Buzby62]

I’ve read that even the hospital ECGs can get the automated determination of the trace wrong for some patients, but the trace itself is accurate for an EP to make the correct determination. I believe this is the same for Kardia and Apple Watch ECGs. It’s the irregularity and lack of P wave that usually determines AF but not always easy to be sure to the untrained eye or digital algorithm of the ECG device.

Best wishes

[Sixtyslidogirl]

here is a PAC I had recently, surrounded by normal rhythm.

PAC

[Sixtyslidogirl]

and here is some Afib - all over the place. No p wave, just wiggles. The big spikes, the ventricular polarisationa are not evenly spaced. It is possible to understand the basics of you want to know what’s going on, and loads of resources out there.

Afib

[Tellingfibs in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

They look pretty much the same to me ! That’s why I can’t ‘translate’ my Kardia ecgs ! 😄

[Sixtyslidogirl]

You do have to look at a few but eventually you will get your eye in.

Nsr

[ozziebob in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

What does it indicate that your QRS interval in both ecgs shows as a "cramped" vertical line?

[Sixtyslidogirl in reply to ozziebob]

Hi Ozziebob,

It’s not actually ‘cramped’. It’s just the scale of the pic. If I stretch it out, it looks like this.

Qrs

[ozziebob in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

Great! I was a bit worried for you, as was the other Member who "liked" my query. Keep up your recovery.

[Madscientist16]

For me A-Fib felt like a frog flipping around in my chest. It was fast and felt strong. I also felt weak and broke out in a sweat. I would need to urinate very frequently. With ectopics; small feelings that the heart missed a beat, or had an extra one; they were not continuous nor cause the other symptoms I mentioned above. Once we are diagnosed with A-Fib it seems that we are always hyper-aware of what our heart is doing, but it is usually benign and part of your new normal. I hardly notice my ectopics anymore. If concerned, see your medical professional.