Pulse rate?

Anyone get a high pulse rate just from walking? ( Especially in the current heat in Florida ) .... On vacation, just walking to dinner....1/2 mile, maybe 3/4 of a mile,
I got back to the hotel room, pulse was 122. Didn't feel like Afib though....I don't know if I'm just getting used to the Afib, or that is just a high pulse rate from walking in the heat.
Sitting down in air conditioning; after removing a sweat soaked shirt; pulse took about 25-30 minutes to get down to the high 90's My pulse in the am when I wake up last 2 weeks: has been 60-66...Daytime pulse sitting watching TV has been 68-72 last few weeks (that's in an air conditioned house about 70-72 degree F. room temp) ( Taking my Diltiazem an hour earlier than usual to help get it down )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2017 04:04PM by George77.

Yes, when I am in afib. I recall my first ever episode. Put on an exercise heart rate monitor, walked up and down the stairs to the basement in my house. Heart rate was 145. Was very fit and had been training for a race that started at 6300' and terminated at 14,100' with a length of 13 miles. I would have expected a heart rate around 90. I took my blood pressure with a manual cuff. It was normal, but my heart sounded very unusual. Both of these were clues something wasn't right. Thus started my afib journey 13 years ago.

If you can afford it, the AliveCor Kardia device is the absolute best option for detecting AF. There won't be any mystery as to what may or may not be going on after just a short, 30-second reading. It attaches to any smartphone or mobile device.

@George77... the experience you recounted does sound like afib.

Good luck!

\L

Thanks, yes I've considered the Kardia device, but I see many, many bad reviews about the questionable results it gives, and subpar customer service, left on Amazon.com.
I'm out of condition, I used to train an hour very hard training...every day until a few years ago, I injured my foot and had to have a bone fused with a steel rod. So not used to walking allot, especially not in 90-95 degree heat...my pulse settled back down to 75 within about an hour to 90 minutes, I had no feeling of "fluttering" like I usually got with the afib. I think I'm getting overly concerned about it....most of the day for the last few weeks, I am not aware of my pulse, ( which is how it's been since my Ablation in 2000, until an episode on July 11)....I've only been checking it out of curiosity. When I got back to my hotel room, I didn't feel any abnormality to my pulse, except I was extremely hot, fairly sweaty, and decided to check it, I was expecting 90-95, and was surprised to see it on the pulsemeter 120-122. ( I also had just finished eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant where I had them prepare it with no added sauce or chemicals, but I'm always suspicious of what is really in restaurant food) Within about 2-3 minutes of getting back it was down to 99-100, then slowly dropped back to normal within the next 90 minutes.... I wish I had checked my pulse rate after walking up and down low hills in high heat ( over 90+ F.) , before my foot surgery-injury & before the last Afib occurance..., then I'd have a better way to judge if that was a much higher than normal pulse for me...

I've had an AliveCor/Kardia for 3-4 years. It agrees with my own assessment, though I've only had 3 afib episodes during that time. Their software analysis is a more recent addition. You used to have to analyze it yourself, send to your doc, or send it to them and pay to have it analyzed. I've always just done it myself. Irregular r-r peak times are a hallmark of afib as is the lack of a "p" wave. I've used the r-r irregularity to diagnose afib using Polar r-r monitors, iPhone pulse apps using the camera & light as a pulse monitor as well as my finger on my radial pulse.

The standard way to use an AlveCor is one thumb on each hand on an electrode. This gives a "Lead I" presentation. The p wave is not too distinct in this. To get a "Lead II' presentation, you can put the left thumb on a lead and put the other lead on your left ankle, knee or near the hip (which is what I do). This presentation brings out the p wave much more.

Even though afib is rare in me, I take an AlveCor reading daily in the morning. This is in case I ever need an electro-cardioversion. I can document I was in NSR recently, since I don't take any anti-coagulation meds (or any meds for that matter).

Heat is one of my worst triggers.

Quote
Fibrillator
Heat is one of my worst triggers.

More likely dehydration is one of your worst triggers. I've spent years trying to identify triggers and have dismissed almost all of them as false leads. One of the few I confirmed was dehydration, and that was despite thinking I was hydrating adequately. I thought I was but I wasn't. Whatever you think is enough water per day, double it.

I still get occasional PACs and other "weirdness". It all correlates with dehydration - 100%. A Gatorade and a few waters later and it's all in the rear-view mirror.

I drink a load of water, almost constantly. Probably double the recommended daily or more.

Well, you can drink too much water also, washing out your electrolytes.

Liz

I know, I get tested (also aware of cellular vs. serum) and I supplement. I wish it was that simple for me or many others.

Fibrillator - Liz offers good advice. It's often found that those who drink too much water are very deficient in critical electrolytes...so try cutting back significantly with the water intake.

Jackie

I understand, my only comment was to say we should not assume someone is dehydrated just because heat is a trigger for them. I have to be careful as my PLSVC makes me a bit unique so what works or does not work for some may not apply. I guess that is AFIB in a nutshell I just have an additional variable. This forum has better information and dialogue than I have had in three years of talking to doctors!

Quote
Fibrillator
I understand, my only comment was to say we should not assume someone is dehydrated just because heat is a trigger for them.

I wasn't assuming it so much as just suggesting it. I was surprised to find how sensitive my afib is to even mild dehydration, and my EP confirmed that it's a very common trigger for others as well. Mild dehydration is an easy thing to achieve in hot weather, so it's a natural thing to suspect when someone says hot weather triggers their afib. I'm a fairly avid cyclist and I know I completely overestimated how well I was hydrating during rides. I thought I was drinking enough but I was wrong. When I doubled my water intake during long rides, the afib episodes I tended to experience afterward were reduced significantly.

And it takes a huge amount of water to make yourself deficient in electrolytes. If you're eating a reasonable diet, not using diuretics, and not suffering from diarrhea or protracted vomiting, it's extremely unlikely that you'll do that with any reasonable amount of water.

Yes, of course, exhaustive exercise in heat is a qualifier for hydration requirements.

But, it's also definitely true that too much water that doesn't have electrolytes added can cause mineral depletion problems.... and so you obviously have to assess activity, duration, temperature, etc.

There are packets of electrolytes that can be easily add to water that help. Made by EmerGenC .[www.iherb.com] or just adding sodium chloride (sea salt) helps as well....unless, of course, one has hypertension.

Jackie

Quote
Jackie
There are packets of electrolytes that can be easily add to water that help.
Jackie

Or save your money and just have one of those small bags of potato chips sold in convenience stores. Yeah, I know, all the health fanatics just had a stroke, but consider that it has salt, potassium, and simple carbs in one package. For prolonged exercise it's quite possibly the perfect food.

PS- I have yet to see any evidence that sea salt is chemically different in any way from salt dug out of the ground (not counting being far more expensive). Sodium chloride is sodium chloride.

Casey, are you having a joke with us about no difference between sea salt and sodium chloride? A simple google search will show you that in addition to sodium and chloride sea salt also contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, bromine, iron, manganise, sulpher, silicon etc.

Carey - While a bag of chips might do in a 'pinch' --- there are many reasons why that wouldn't be a great health choice on a regular basis.

My comment was also directed at correcting an imbalance of sodium v. potassium ratio... as that typically is very common with many afibbers who have too much sodium and not enough potassium intake.... compounded by the low intracellular magnesium factor that's critical.

As Sam points out.... sea salt retains nutrients because it is evaporated rather than milled or processed as is done with commercial salt - the refining removes the source of color variations to make it 'pure' white and thus removes the natural minerals.

In any event, the problem is not typically, adding sodium, but rather having too much which overpowers the potassium.

Jackie

I knew the bag of chips comment would draw a reaction. :-) I guess I wasn't clear that I was speaking only of a quick source of sodium, potassium and carbs for runners, cyclists, etc, who might find themselves away from home needing such things. I really wasn't proposing that folks eat bags of convenience store chips on a daily basis.

Jackie- We're in complete agreement regarding electrolyte balances as you posted above. I spent the last couple years of my life about as deeply engrossed in that subject as one can get. My ability to stay out of and cardiovert flutter at 230+ rates depended on it. So you'll get no disagreement from me about the modern diet containing way too much sodium and way too little potassium. Long subject we can perhaps pursue in another thread sometime. :-)

But sorry, I think sea salt is a waste of money. All salt is sea salt, but yes, the stuff sold as table salt has been milled and that removes the trace elements. Trouble is, those trace elements are present in such minute quantities that they're irrelevant. Any halfway decent diet provides more than enough of them, and if you're depending on added salt to get trace elements, your diet is in bigger trouble than you think. If anyone can find credible science that says sea salt has any actual health benefits, I'd love to see it. Until then, I'm in the NaCl = NaCl camp.

Hi Carey - A bag of potato chips would also be useful for quick help with a case of hypoglycemia so being inventive has benefits. ; )

I'm glad you have good knowledge about the Na:K balance issues but sorry you have had such a struggle with the AF.
I remember my long bouts with high HR a-flutter and it's definitely not fun.

The issue of sea salt versus regular salt is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things...as long as the focus remains on why balancing the Na:K ratios is important for overall health and prevention not only of arrhythmia but also hypertension without drug management. This is covered in the book by biophysicist, by Richard Moore MD PhD in The High Blood Pressure Solution. Dr. Moore recommends getting rid of sodium chloride in the kitchen. Period.

From page 163 - " Avoid foods that contain more than 100 mg of sodium per serving."
"You do not need table salt (sodium chloride). It just doesn't belong on your table or in your cooking. Food in its natural state has plenty of sodium -- all you need. So don't buy table salt and get rid of the supply you already have at home."

I find that I need some added sodium to help support adrenal function and use a commercial preparation of both sodium and potassium chloride... called Lite Salt by Morton's... but I never add sodium when I cook. I also have sea salt.

Wish you the very best outcome in your upcoming ablation procedure.

Jackie

The High Blood Pressure Solution
....A Scientifically Proven Program for Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease
Richard D. Moore, MD, PhD. (C) 2001

Potassium/Sodium Ratio in Atrial Fibrillation
[www.afibbers.org]

Carey - I just added to the thread on Iodine and the facts presented there are relevant to your comments on the difference between sea salt and commercial salt... important to know. I had an iodine deficiency which led to thyroid tissue enlargement and nodules (goiteroid tissue)... which resolved when I added supplemental iodine and switched from commercial salt to sea salt. Not sure how it affected my arrhythmia and I didn't make the connection until later on and by then, I had had the successful ablation #1.

[www.afibbers.org]

Jackie