I was diagnosed with AF by paramedics following an accident. They put a heart monititor on me and said, Did l know l had AF. I said no.
Following an appointment with a Heart specialist ,he assured me that l did not have AF.
Leaving the community now.
At that time. Good luck and you will be welcome back when you wish.
I assume that the paramedics did an ecg.If there was no P wave at the time then you were indeed in afib. You may have been in NSR when you saw the consultant. Lots of people have undiagnosed intermittent Afib for many years, this was my experience. I think I had it for 10 years. After a fainting incident, attended ED and only then was I given the diagnosis. Prior to this I had light headedness and presyncope. The GP suggested that I was fine.Hopefully the paramedics were wrong and your consultant is right.
You may have been in AF when checked by the paramedics, but not when checked by your cardiologist. It can come and go.
Good result, best of luck.
That’s Paroxysmal AF for you, can take years to catch it on an official ECG. Mine was only recorded once in 3 years but I know I had 40+ episodes in that time. My GP told me some lucky people can have one episode and it doesn’t return but it can progress to more episodes and then persistent.
Link to AF Fact File api.heartrhythmalliance.org...
Best wishes
I had “events” on and off for years and when given Holter monitors / ECGs nothing found so given anti anxiety medication and told to avoid stress ( 😂) . Eventually 3 serious events and I was diagnosed with PAF. Only took 20 years but I don’t blame anyone it’s just difficult to nail down with some of us. Happily it’s now subsided into the background again and I just take a blood thinner and keep fit.
Good luck with whatever it was that was ailing you.
Paramedics are rarely wrong. You may have been in AF then, not when seen by cardiologist. My husband had one episode in 1999 for over 24 hours then reverted to sinus.Next time was 2012 and has been in AF ever since, with few symptoms.
Well I'd say au revoir not goodbye. If you were in AF,there will be the strong possibility of a return visit.
Sounds like it was a one-off but for the future get checked if you have any unusual 'turns'. I felt v odd during a number of episodes before I realised it could be AF and then more time elapsed before my GP accepted the situation as it was finally caught with an ECG.
Didnt you post about having afib 8 months ago or am I mixing you up with someone else ?
I was seeing a Cardiologist for many years complaining about feeling weird in the chest and the occasional racing heart, before it was pickup in the ECG.
Can you explain feeling "weird in the chest?"
For the past 10 years or so, I've had very intermittent and short-lived episodes of minor chest pain/discomfort. Always at rest (usually when sitting up) rest, never when exercising. I had two normal stress ECGs.
I was diagnosed with AF in early June, put on metoprolol + apixaban for rate control, and had a successful cardioversion a month ago.
I wonder if those episodes were in fact paroxysmal AF episodes.
Hi there,my weird feelings in the chest, I think now that it may have been the irregular heart beats.it felt like a “sinking feeling “ like I had to drop to the floor then, the palpitations started.,that’s when I first went to see the Cardiologist . He told me what I was getting was harmless.ECG was fine.I had no chest pain just fluttering and palpitations, and a feeling of doom. It was many years later that Afib showed up on the ecg. I ‘ve had it for 4 years now. I think maybe your episodes were Paroxysmal Afib. Hope you get sorted out, remember to relax and don’t stress it feels worse when you’re stressed. Good luck
Hi again.
Thanks for that. Your description of "fluttering and palpitations, and a feeling of doom" are what I experienced several times during the week before I was diagnosed.
The minor chest pain episodes, although intermittent, mostly occurred at times of increased emotional stress, so that may be further support for paroxysmal episodes.
I'm hoping the cardioversion results "stick, even though it was done without amiodarone (due to a potential drug interaction). So far so good after a month, while still on metoprolol + apixaban.
Cheers. Take care.
You'd think the Cardiologist would've explained the word 'paroxysmal' to the patient!
So many of us had similar experiences pre-diagnosis, being repeatedly told there's nothing of concern on the trace after brief ECGs yet knowing something wasn't right.
In this case it has happened post-diagnosis!
ive had various ECGs…and a 7 day monitor and of course nothing happens. When it happened again I took myself to hospital as advised to go straight on ECG to catch it. The elusive AF
As mentioned by others that you may have possibly been in AF when checked by the paramedics but had returned to NSR before your cardiologist appointment.
Maybe you should consider buying and wearing an Apple Watch as they regularly checks for AF and alert you if you are, at least for peace of mind.
The paramedics will have kept the ECG trace on your records. The stress of an accident will have caused tachycardia and that can set off AF. I am assuming that the specialist saw that trace before pronouncing you not to have AF? If not, this doesn't really make sense.
Steve
Obviously you don't understand the condition. I probably had 3 or 4 cardiologist visits with NSR. Good luck but be aware in the future
AF can come and go catching it can be a problem. It may well reocurr at some point
Best wishes .
that is reassuring to hear that snd very pleased for you, but without being pessimistic if you have Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation it does not always show up on tests. As this is something that comes and goes. Hopefully all will be well for you.
I may be completely wrong but I think a paramedic would know what AFIB looks like on a ECG. you could try wearing a watch type device to monitor your heart rate just in case.? 👍
The paramedics who diagnosed me were correct! Bye!
This is why the medics like us to have a 24 or 48 hr monitor on… because AF comes and goes. Mine was picked up as the monitor showed very clearly that I was in AF ,and this was while I was asleep!! On routine visits to the hospital it hadn’t been diagnosed but was suspected and so the monitor was fitted. Later I was given an ablation which worked so well. Sometimes I have a blip but I don’t worry as it quickly gets back to normal. Good luck as you go ahead ,you can always rejoin the group.
My AFib was only 'picked up' when they were administering Adenosine when my heart rate was 179bpm so it really is very sneaky at times. That was around 3 years ago. I still have it and it's definitely not going away, infact it's getting worse. I to have had quite a few ECG's that showed no AFib but it is definitely present in everday life. Take care and know that you can always come back at any time.
This makes me very sad and concerned. That someone should take the word of one medic over another who wasn't even present at the time.Paroxysmal AF is elusive, but dangerous.
AF undiagnosed and untreated can cause stroke and early onset dementia.
I understand that it is so tempting to just carry on as normal, but it could be a very costly error of judgement not to follow up on this to be absolutely sure.
Hi .. I had AF for a few years and had meds for it. However since Feb 2023 I have not had any signs and my meds have been slowly reduced. I had a hernia op a few months ago and the team said there was no evidence of AF . I appreciate there are different kinds of AF but thinking after 12 months I am clear? .. appreciate a ah ny comments back 😀
Suggestion: Your comment implies that the paramedics did not read your ecg correctly, certainly possible, but it is a common rhythm and they see it often! Paramedics I worked with in the Fire Service were required to submit a short copy of ecg in their "patient care report" (PCR). You should be able to get this easily and submit it to your heart specialist for evaluation and know for certain. Paroxysmal AF has risks and it would be wise to confirm you did not have that rhythm on the day of the accident. Good luck, and best wishes. Hope you never get iT!
So many of the same stories that I can relate. I also had issues many years before it was finally diagnosed and the same as many of you, had to have a severe episode that landed me in the hospital on a monitor for hours and even with medication I wan't converting. The nurse seemed more worried than me. I was young when that happened. I had been going in and out of AF for years but didn't know it. I am one of those that can feel my heart beating even when in sinus rhythm. I had one dr tell me that meant I was stressed, but that is not true. I seem to be very intune. Anyway, having a community of people is so helpful, because who better to learn from than others that have the same issues or a DR that has no idea, how it is. One quick story of a dr relating is my eye dr. I have put up with floaters for years. My last check up he said to me, you know, I never knew how irritating floaters were until I got them myself. I thought to myself, yep! Same is true of all health issues.
Why don’t you buy a portable ECG device, then you can take a tracing of your heart yourself, if you get a strange heartbeat. I have an EMay device and can put the ecg’s on my phone or print them and show them to the Doctor. They are very useful.
Even better is the wellue 24 hour monitor you get a complete printout of every ecg it takes telling you the percentage of time your in afib and all the other rhythms plus all the ecg traces and a round up of what the heart does in that 24 hours. My cardiologist said it was very clear for him to read and is useful while waiting for a hospital holter which can be a long wait where I live.
Worth checking it out!
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