changes in a fib

Hello friends,

In the past six months or so the character of my a fib episodes have changed- I always know when a fib starts but after an hour or so my rate is not very irregular at all- I can function quite well except for a bit of fatigue. The issue is that because my pulse seems mostly regular I'm having trouble knowing when I have converted. Last week I went to urgent care for a viral illness and told the doc I was pretty sure I was in a fib- she listened and said she wasn't sure but the ekg revealed rate controlled a fib (rate was 80) - she suggested I go home- take a metoprolol and another aspirin and I went back into nsr within an hour. She also thought the illness was probably the percipating cause of the a fib- not so sure about that but maybe. I had gone nearly 3 months without an episode and then had the one last week and one the week before.
Is there an app or a monitor I can get to assure myself that I have converted.
Thanks for any ideas

Lisa

Easiest way is by checking your pulse, sounds like you have done that, but NSR is always considerably more regular than AFIB. NSR will also feel stronger than an AFIB pulse. My AFIB is also slow and regular, sometimes it takes 10 seconds to feel 2 beats that are closer together, followed by a pause. When I went to the Doctor's, Medical Technicians missed it most of the time, because they only pulse-checked for 6 seconds and multiplied by 10 to measure HR.

There are many other methods, my favorite use to use a Pulse Oxymeter that goes on your finger, that will show the rate, and if it is AFIB, it will bounce around alot more than NSR.

I have never used them, but have heard of I-Phone apps that use 2-3 leads placed on the chest.

There are also various other hand-held devices that can tell you that. I think people here have used a device called an I-Core Heart Monitor.

If you go into any Doctor's office, insist that they do an EKG. That should be definative. Also using a stethiscope can tell you if your in AFIB, as their is no P-Wave, that produces the first Heart Pumping sound (as in dub,lub...dub,lub...dub,lub)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2014 06:33AM by The Anti-Fib.

Lisa, go to your local drugstore and buy a stethoscope. They cost around $20 and no prescription is needed. You can hear anything your doctor can hear. Listen to somebody who is not in afib to make sure you know what NSR sounds like.

Let us know how this works out, please?

PeggyM

Lisa,

It can be hard, sometimes as you noted your doc wasn't sure either. So a stethoscope is good to try, but the interpretation may still be unclear.

If you have an iPhone, you can get the AliveCor device. The older 4/4s model is on sale <[store.alivecor.com] It will work with a later model, just won't attach to it. However attachment is not needed. Here is a search on AliveCor for this site: <[www.afibbers.org] You'd be looking for the absence of a "p wave" and also the "r to r" distance irregularities on the ECG waveform. On the AliveCor, a Lead II presentation (contacts on right hand and left knee) gives a more distinct p wave than a Lead I (left and right hands). You'll want to record several when you are in NSR to compare.

Here is what I wrote about an iPhone app, Stress Doctor, <[www.afibbers.org] With your slow rate, afib may be hard to see.

Lastly, I use a Polar H7 Bluetooth chest transmitter strap with the iPhone and an app called HRV Logger <[www.afibbers.org] You can see beat rate irregularities (same as the r to r in the ECG as above). The ideas for this are expressed in CR52 and 52a <[www.afibbers.org] <[www.afibbers.org]

George

My advice would be to get a decent heart rate monitor used for exercise e.g. Polar and use it a lot. You will get used to how your heart beats and reacts with a digital number to see. When you walk up and down stairs e.g what rate change do you get and how long does it take to recover etc?
Then when you are out of NSR you will have a much better feel for what is happening.
To me this is by far the best way to tell.
E.g. if I was to imagine I was in asymptomatic a.fib it would take me about three seconds with my Polar monitor to realise I was in a.fib.
I have the Alivecor and its great for what it is but just to find out wether or not you are in a.fib I would say is an unnecessary hassle looking for P waves etc.
If you can spend the money to get a heart rate monitor the gives rr results thats has advantages if you have any flutter elements to your arrhythmia which if your pulse is as regular as you feel it is, it may be necessary.
As George said if it is that regular would a stethoscope help? I No for sure my GP has listened to me in flutter and said I was fine. My answer would be since it sounds exactly the same as NSR how could you know!!
No idea about this blue tooth thing George mentions but since he has taught me all I know then its probably a good bet.
But just getting a cheap heart monitor from a local store may possible just do the trick.

Mark

Mark,

I've found that most heart rate monitors average the beat rates for presentation. The (now ancient) Polar S810 and newer Polar RS800CX will report and record beat to beat. This is important, as averaging masks what you are looking for (so does filtering - it must be turned off) - the ectopic beats or afib. The Polar H7 with the HRV Logger app (assuming you have an iPhone) accomplishes the same thing. The app allows you to download your data to a PC in an CSV text format that I convert to load into the old Polar software for display. This isn't needed as you can look at the data in detail on the phone.

Thanks for the clarification George.


Mark

Hi Mark,

A clarification, I said "... will report and record beat to beat. " It should say " will report averages and record beat to beat."

You need to make a recording, download the data and then look at it to see the beat to beat info. What is displayed on the screen is averaged. However it is the beat to beat you want to see.

George