I'm so scared, 64 year old female. The first time I had palpitations was around 30 years ago, went on for hours by the time the doctor arrived (back in the day of the home visits!) it had stopped he checked my heart with the stethescope and said all is fine just palpitations due to anxiety and nothing to worry about.
I've had them on and off ever since but nothing like that length of time and I didn't worry. Fast forward to a few years ago, I started waking up in the night - not very often maybe once every couple of months? with palpitations going on for a couple of hours - but only after having a drink (not a heavy drinker maybe once a week, just one or two drinks).
Had a couple of ocassions last year with various issues requiring paramedics and and doctors visits - ECG was always normal turned out chest pain was reflux which is now under control. I was still getting pain a few weeks back and saw my GP told him I was convinced I was having a heart attack he listened to it and said it was fine and healthy.
So I got an apple watch in February and every day checked out all the vitals including the ECG all fine and normal. Last week I had a bottle (not even a pint) of cider and woke up in the night with the palpitations, no other symptoms, no faintness, dizziness or lightheadness, did not feel ill. I decided to put on the apple watch and it said I was in Atrial Fibrillation! Well I was terrified and it went on for 2 hours or so!. Did lots of research as to how reliable the apple watch is and couldn't find much.
A good friend of mine said she has Atrial Fibrillation and that they haven't offered her any treatment and to not wear the watch as it probably isn't accurate. But I can't stop panicking about it and feel really scared about going back to the doctor with the reading to show him in case it is what I have got in which case I have had it for years and am scared the damage has been done! Help
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DeeElleDee
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A warm welcome to you into the forum, I hope that it holds the answers you seek.
The biggest thing that comes from your post is your fear and how at the moment the medical profession is not helping you find the answers to that.
Bearing in mind that I am not medically trained I can see that this distress is impairing your day to day living and quality of life.
When something happens like this it needs to be addressed because anxiety is a powerful thing that certainly can manifest itself with very real symptoms that can be dangerous { as you may already be experiencing }
It is well know that I am not a lover of the Apple { or any other } watch readings, but if you take the average over 4/6 reading then they can be reasonably accurate .
You must start keeping a diary of when this happens and the readings, there already seems a patten { at night and after a drink } if that pattern continues then try without drink { low to no alcohol you don't have to miss out anything social }
The night time can be difficult because that is when we are most aware of our selfs and our working, the heart can be a loud organ in the peace of the night, maybe some music? or a speaking book/podcast.
Please ring 111 and follow their advice.
Its time for this worry to stop and I really hope we can help as you are not alone.
thank you, I never worried about the palpitations before because 30 years ago I was told they were harmless. I’ve only been worried since last week. The doctor checked me out when I had chest pain which has gone now and said it was fine. I have quite a few health conditions already so naturally I get anxious when symptoms occur and have suffered health anxiety all my life. I think I will phone 111 at least I can hopefully see or someone tomorrow who can look at this reading and hopefully tell me the watch has mistaken a palpitation for an Afib - Tuesday will be a nightmare for getting a GP appointment. I haven’t worn the watch since because it frightened me so much I’d be checking it every five minutes!
Both and make a note of the readings, it will be something that 111 will ask, so take a reading, half hour later another and then another in another half hour, keep that as a group, then leave it for a while and repeat.
A pattern will soon form and your body { mind } will get used to taking the readings so they will become more accurate .
oh I see, but I’m too scared to wear the watch now so I’ll just try and speak to someone. I can’t do it this evening as I’m out so I’ll do it tomorrow 😞
Hello
I totally understand anxiety and I to have health anxiety which is dreadful when you start to have health issues
Palpitations can be harmless as well as common as well as so many people have them when they have had a drink and you seem to have noticed that when you do have a drink you wake up with them so maybe either be prepared the chances of you having them will be when you have a drink or refrain from drinking altogether which may not appeal to you
As for the watch especially when someone has anxiety the best thing to do is not to wear it
I have had 3 heart attacks a triple bypass and other than a blood pressure machine which I take my BP I let the Doctors deal with the rest as I would be like you or even worse
I think until they have done some tests you are not going to settle no matter what anyone says and also it is wise to get it checked out so you are doing the sensible thing by doing so
In the meantime keep reminding yourself today you are fine and most palpitations are harmless and you are going to push till they confirm yours our
As already said it is a good idea to keep a note of when you get them , what you have been doing that day , was your other health problems worse that day were you feeling a bit more anxious or worrying more that day , what had you eaten ?
Starting a daily dairy with all these things in it may show a pattern that something causes them regarding how you have been feeling and it all helps the Doctors to especially when sometimes you can be put on the spot been asked these kinds of things trying to think as that is always difficult to do
so sorry I thought I had replied! Thank you, yes I’m certain it’s drink that causes them I only drink occasionally but happy to give it up to avoid further incidences. 👍
thank you that’s reassuring. Well I had a haemorrhagic stroke 20 years ago so I’ve been there 😞 I guess I wouldn’t be allowed to have blood thinners. I’m scared to take meds as I’m already on a bucket load for epilepsy caused by the haemorrhage 😞 I will see the doctor though
Persist in getting an appointment and go through it all with your GP. I would show them the Apple Watch trace showing possible AF if you have kept it (assuming it’s an option) but don’t worry if not, as I agree using it regularly can be counterproductive. It may be you could benefit from a 24hr or 7 day Holter monitor.
If at any point you need to know more about AF visit the AF Association forum on HUL (you may already be aware of it). I to suffer from health anxiety, but I’ve actually got much better at managing this over the years, after some counselling and also after finally realising from personal experience how much it can give you real physical symptoms without there being any other underlying cause.
Somewhat ironically, after having a heart attack and spell of persistent AF last year, I am now better at not overthinking things. I do hope it all works out for you.
thank you -😊 the word possible is reassuring. I’m no stranger to poor health after a haemorrhagic stroke 20 years ago and consequent seizure disorder the brain damage left me with, (bucket load of meds to control it every day, scared of taking more on top!) along with many other illnesses and disabilities that I’ve survived I just don’t want another one! Health anxiety sucks urghh 😏
I would definitely show your doctor the report from your Apple Watch, I have an Apple Watch and was told by my cardiologist that the readings are very accurate. Every time I’ve been in hospital my watch has matched the heart monitor I’ve been attached to and my cardiologist even asks me to send him the PDF reports from the watch, so they shouldn’t be dismissed 😊
Hi, I can relate to you and your worry, I am 56, HA in 2019 with 1 stent and now, fingers crossed living fitter and am fitter. Anyway, I had a similar episode last night, I have a check up at my expense each year as I had a lot of anxiety after the HA, you never get it out of your mind really. I was noticing at night palpitations, or harder beating heart and a bit faster than usual, it use to scare me so much so I got an little Kardia machine to settle my mind, couplenif times it came up with Afib but mostly normal readings and all I used it for was to ease my mind at night when it happened. I norlticed like you it happened when I had a drink, even one and specifically red wine, I don't drink much these days but enjoy it when I do, 1 glass maybe to 2 with a dinner. I spoke to my cardiologist about it explaining how much it scares me and other than the simple answer of don't drink, he said I am at no risk and that the alcohol relaxes the blood vessels and at night when your resting and your concise of it, your heart beats harder and faster to deal with the relaxed vessels. I worry less now although still don't like it, but 4 years post HA, had it checked out a few times at A&E in the moment anything feels different, all is fine and now I have the explanation, I sleep better. I can't say its the same for all but alcohol does affect how your heart beats, it works harder even with small quantities.
Two years back changes in my asthma medication gave me terrible heart reactions to the extent I was taken to hospital with the resuscitation pads on me and alsorts happening and I thought it was my end …..needless to stay I’m still here
I had many test on my heart and have extra beats now and again and sometimes palpitations which I’ve had explained to me as relatively harmless as apart from a slight leak in a valve which is pretty normal at 70 my heart seems healthy.
I also wear a watch and although they are good for tracking walking , oxygen levels etc I do find that you can be scared to death by some of the heart readings and to sometimes think of a grounding process that suits you
If my heart readings are high on the watch I stop and think hang on , you are ok …..you don’t have chest pain or other symptoms, …. Watches are sensitive to all the extra movements we make and naturally your heart is slower on relaxation, higher with activity and although the beats might show 120 for instance it was probably for only a few seconds while you did something strenuous and went back to normal very quickly
I try to only look at the heart bit of my watch maybe once or twice a day as at one time the blooming thing turned me into a right nutcase 🤷🏻♀️ and it adds to stress that in turn makes you feel even worse you are wearing it not it controlling you .
Apart from that I’d contact the doctor and ask for a recheck to set your mind at rest don’t self analyse because you need expert help ,
I hope you feel better soon and there’s lots of knowledge on this site , you can also ring the heart foundation direct and they can advise you , try and have a good day x
Insist to the doctor you want a referral to a specialist, and the minute they start again get to A and E so they can get a reading to show how serious it is
Just got back from A&E (of course the wait was hours ) - 111 GP told me to go and get an ECG - which as usual was normal but the doctor will write to my GP to refer me for further investigations. Both the nurse in triage and the nurse who did the ECG rubbished the reliability of the watch, but they were concerned about the palpitations. The Doctor said if I have Afib I’d probably be put on Beta Blockers. So just got to wait for referral now but I feel a little less stressed about it as the ball is now rolling.
I am. 66 years old, have no husband or significant other, and my 84 year old mother lives with me. I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and I pretty much worry about anything and everything. I sometimes have panic attacks, but I also did have a real HA in March 2022. I still sometimes have palpitations and some chest pains and shortness of breath—which all scare me to death. And, truthfully, I actually ask myself if my shortness of breath at the time is related to my heart directly or whether I might be having anxiety or panic. So, there we are.
I am writing to you about the Apple Watch issue. I bought my watch a few months before my HA. I had planned on getting into better health habits/practices, getting healthier through more exercise, and taking part in a heart research study involving the smart watch. I think that like most people getting one of these new watches ( I got a series 7), I looked at my heart rate, oxygen level, and took ECGs quite frequently. Also, these habits were part of the heart study.
On the night of my HA, the watch was really the first indicator that I was having a problem. I had had a normal day—done laundry, worked in my front yard some, washed dishes, emptied my trash—just normal things. Later, I had stretched out on the couch and watched some television to relax. Around 11 pm, I sat up to put my doggies out before bed. I felt a little funny, checked my watch for my heart bpm. My heart rate was high for having been resting.
Long story short, the watch allowed me to see my heart rate continue to go higher and higher. I began to panic which probably made everything even worse. I talked with my Mom, and I had her call the Emergency Squad to come to my house. They took my BP, which was extremely high—so then I began to panic about a possible stroke as well as a heart attack. They checked blood sugar and said that was normal, but everything else was bad. I decided then to go to the hospital.
While at the hospital(and I’m condensing much), I had multiple tests—chest x-ray, COVID test, CT scan, ECG, and multiple blood tests—but I also had time to look at the bpm on my watch and on the hospital monitor, and they matched. So, it would appear that the watch was accurate. The doctors and nurses kept suggesting that I take off my watch, but I insisted on keeping it on.
The truth is that the numbers had scared me to death, but the watch also caused me to go to the hospital sooner and seek help. I hate going to the doctor’s office or hospital, but being scared by my watch also made me get help sooner. After the HA and how bad I felt (still having symptoms), I probably still checked my watch too much. I recall both my Mom and my new cardiologist telling me that I was likely just having symptoms due to anxiety, and that I should get rid of my watch.
I do have a great deal of anxiety, but I also knew that I was having real symptoms of something. At that visit, I got changes in my medications and over time, I did start to improve. I also kept my watch on.
A year on from my HA, here is where I am with the watch. I wear it everyday (except when charging). I have made a resolve to check my vitals only 2-3 times per day unless I am having a problem. I also use my watch in helpful ways. For example, each night before bed, I use the “mindfulness” app to do breathing exercises for relaxation and focusing activities. I am to 2 minutes for both activities so 4 minutes total. I plan on beginning to use these relaxation techniques more than once per day and my watch will help me track this.
I also use my watch to time both indoor and outdoor walks. It tracks my time walked, my walking pace, heart rate during the walk, calories burned, distance, and even the humidity level. It gives me tons of useful information during exercise.
I guess that I am trying to say that a smartwatch can sometimes tell us scary information that we don’t really want to hear or face. That is how I am—BUT I also know that I sometimes need to know about things like heart bpm. Plus, the watch can help us to reach important health goals such as increasing relaxation practices or even remembering to stand up and move around every hour. Like all technology, the watch has benefits and possible negatives. It is a tool that we can use to help ourselves to improve our health.
Anyway, please forgive the lengthy post, and I wish you the best in finding out what is going on with your health.
Brilliant news that you don't have any other symptoms other than palpitations. Although the palpitations could be a sign of something more serious, it is very reassuring that you dont have other symptoms that go with them
Hallo and welcome to the `club`. Decaff coffee/tea helps to cut the AFs. Get a referral to a cardiologist and have it resolved. Go swimming....RELAX.
My first (heart) attack was 37 years ago and "I`m still standing" (sorry) at 73. Just had a call from my cardiac people saying my heart was fine....see you in `24. Yawn.
Find out what the cardiologist has to say, then.......RELAX.
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