Fluttering, skipping, or rapid heartbeat...all AFib?

I realize that there are a variety of sensations we Afibbers can feel when our hearts are out of whack, and many medically dense cardio terms can be applied to these events. I am wearing a monitor that reports abnormal heart events when I feel them. However, I'm not sure what I'm feeling. I'm assuming "fluttering," "skipping," and "rapid" heartbeats are all types of Afib. But how do I know which button to push on the monitor? All these things seem to feel the same to me.

There are multiple buttons on your monitor? I'm not familiar with a monitor like that. Every monitor I'm familiar with just has one button to indicate you felt some sort of symptom. What is the name of this monitor?

Ultimately I think they want to know what you think you are feeling. Maybe check some definitions online to see if the terms match what you are feeling??

For example, runs of PAC's or PVC's could "feel" like afib (without looking at the ECG), but would not be afib.

I wouldn't get too locked up about it. They will diagnose based on the ECG. For your benefit, I'd try to be consistent, then when you get results you may be able to correlate what you felt with what was seen on the ECG.

I was once in A&E and after an ECG the non-heart-specialist doctors said it was Afib. However when the EP looked at it a few days later he said it wasn’t Afib, just runs of ectopics.

So it isn’t easy to tell if it’s Afib or not. I would just press the button whenever you felt something abnormal, then let the EP decide what is happening.

Ms Gill