Heart flutter/quiver with normal BP & Pulse

• By cajngrl
• Reply 3375855
• September 14, 2012 at 6:27 pm
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I don't have any answers for you but I can tell you that many patients living with heart disease are hyper sensitive to what their hearts are doing at all times. I know I am. I have all kinds of weird feelings regarding how my heart beats, how hard it beats, how soft it beats, quivering feelings, tickly feelings, skipped beats, fast beats, and the list goes on and on and on. I spoke to many other survivors who have shared the same thing. I even wore a halter monitor to try and determine is there was anything unusual going on and all of my tests continue to come out negative and I am constantly being told that I am doing fine. I have come to the conclusion that I am just super hyper sensitive to what my heart is doing and how it is doing it at ALL times.

• By south127
• Reply 3376851
• September 15, 2012 at 7:38 am
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After some research I have found you can have Afib with normal BP and pulse; but some times I think (know) you're exactly right...I know I get so sensitized to each little beat, I just don't know when to ignore it and when to make another painful trip to the ER.

• By lilacsback (Inactive)
• Reply 3377040
• September 15, 2012 at 9:05 am
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Hi South, I have A-fib and sometimes my heart races but other times it just seems to be flip flopping without racing. Either way if you're getting fatigued dizzy or in pain, you really should seek a medical opinion.

My husband is waiting for an Ablation and we have had a few runs to the emergency room of late. He was found to be suffering with permanent A-flutter. At the moment his heart racing is somewhat controlled with Atenenol although that doesn't stop the flutter. I asked the A&E nurse how do we know when he really should come back to them and she mentioned if the symptoms are accompanied with fatigue, dizziness, pain, shortness of breath- then don't hang around. ….Incidentally when the Dr was examining my husband he used a stethoscope on the chest to listen and count his beats as he said he didn't think the machine was picking up some of the them... sure enough his count was much higher than what had showed on the machines or even at his wrist….. So I took from that, maybe we cant always rely on taking our own pulse even with these home devices???
Why don't you just brave the ER one more time South. I know its a pain but best be safe xxx

• By bojo0730
• Reply 3380258
• September 16, 2012 at 2:57 pm
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You can have a-fib and "normal" blood pressures. They have tried a cardioversion on me 6 or 7 times now and the last time it lasted till the doctor turned his back on me to leave the room. There is something new, but i am not a good candidate, so i just do A-fib all the time till something else comes along or I just croak off. Cardiologist visits are yearly, so it is not something they are highly concerned about (I keep telling myself that). I was in A-fib when I did the first open heart surgery in 1998 and am still in A-fib. I cannot take beta blockers and do ACE inhibitors and Chanel calcium blockers, so I consider myself lucky.

• By south127
• Reply 3380341 · In reply to 3380258 by bojo0730
• September 16, 2012 at 3:35 pm
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Do you recall if your heart beat was normal, also? It is seems that most Afib or flutter have rapid pulse, and mine is normal. Thanks for your response. I like your approach to living with heart disease

• By south127
• Reply 3380348 · In reply to 3377040 by lilacsback
• September 16, 2012 at 3:37 pm
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Thanks for the advice, but since it hasn't got worse, I'm hanging in until Monday and then I'll call the cardiologist. Hate the ER!! especially on the weekends.

Sue

• By bojo0730
• Reply 3380598 · In reply to 3380341 by south127
• September 16, 2012 at 5:42 pm
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A-fib is NOT a normal pulse or heartbeat. Mine is a "normal" rate on the bottom side and between 300 and 400 on the upper side. You get a normal reading because the higher numbers are not felt or recorded. It takes a manual reading to get mine, which most nurses do not do unless you make them aware. Your regular blood pressure / pulse unit picks up the stronger, slower beats. The faster beats do not move the blood like they are supposed to and that's why you get put on warfarin / coumadin.

• By south127
• Reply 3380692 · In reply to 3380598 by bojo0730
• September 16, 2012 at 6:22 pm
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thanks...great to know :-)

• By bojo0730
• Reply 3381674 · In reply to 3380692 by south127
• September 17, 2012 at 2:15 am
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Sue, I hope you are able to get that cardiologist appointment you need. Another drug that they prescribed to me back in 1999 was amiodarone. I took it for a while and it caused permanent lung damage. They prescribed it to my husband last month and it ran cold chills up and down my spine. The paper the pharmacy prints out in little writing was a full two pages long with all the side effects. He did a second opinion and decided to take it, but is having dizzy spells almost daily. You might have found my comments about the drug previously, and i stand by that opinion to this day. Not good, don't recommend. Forgot to say something about that earlier.
I hope you can get in soon, but with the sorry state of medicine now, and considering our ages and gender you might end up having to go through the ER. Good Luck. Please stay in contact.
Bobbie

• By south127
• Reply 3382726 · In reply to 3381674 by bojo0730
• September 17, 2012 at 12:17 pm
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Those anti-arrhythmic drugs scare the crap out of me. I have HAD one unsuccessful heart ablation and the metoprolol keeps it in controls most of the time. Waiting to hear back from the cardiologist (fingers crossed).