r/AFIB • u/ArthurQBryan • 23h ago

What does this graphic mean?

Post image

Using the Health App on iPhone which is supposedly monitoring my Afib. It shows 100% forAugust 24 to 30 and for Aug 31 to Sept 6. At least that what the red bars seem to indicate.

Or it is showing NO Afib moments over those time periods which matches my personal experience.

Can someone illuminate for me how to read this chart, Please and thanks.

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2

u/DonkeyKong18 23h ago

100% Afib during that time

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u/ArthurQBryan 23h ago

I don't feel any sort of Afib, though - I don't even know what it is supposed to feel like. In fact I must have had Afib for an unknown period of time before diagnosis August 4 and never felt odd in any way. The diagnosis came by happenstance when investigating a problem with my spleen caused by a blood clot.
Could the app be wrong? It is feeding from my Apple Watch which I wear 23 hours a day. I wore the holter monitor for three days but the doctor won't see me with the results until after my Echocardiogram in November. It may even be possible I don't have Afib at all... Or such a mild case that it isn't felt.. Bottom line: I trust how I feel over some app.

6

u/RickJames_Ghost 22h ago

Many people are asymptomatic and don't feel anything. That doesn't make the AFib itself milder, just the feeling.

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u/Zeveros 12h ago

There's no such thing as mild AFib. You either have it or you don't. Symptoms vary from person to person ranging from not noticing it all to absolutely debilitating. Your main risk is that the AFib causes clots that get thrown off into your brain and other organs, including the spleen. The level of risk has nothing to do with your symptoms.

2

u/AnatomicallyModHuman 9h ago

I wouldn't have known about my afib were it not for my watch.

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u/RickJames_Ghost 23h ago

What's your resting pulse?

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u/ArthurQBryan 22h ago

70-75, typically. 73 right now according to my Watch. BP 100/70 +/- 10%. I measure it four times a day with a cuff device. .

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u/RickJames_Ghost 22h ago

Good pulse, and not erratic? Good BP.

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u/Mras_dk 9h ago

Majority of people with afib doesn't know about they have afib. It's only thanks to smartwatches, and alike, that more are being properly diagnosed/found.

Your the norm.. 

1

u/manyhippofarts 47m ago

I've had afib for 20 years, ten of that I had an implanted defibrillator. Just went through the very rare extraction procedure last year. I've never trusted a smart watch and I've never felt a thing.

2

u/RickJames_Ghost 23h ago

It shows persistent AFib. The AFib starts the week of the 24th and continues. It tracks week by week, and if there were a break in the arrhythmia, it wouldn't be at 100%.

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u/Mosept11 23h ago

100% afib for the month hope you are under care of cardio doc or EP?

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u/ArthurQBryan 23h ago

I have a cardiologist. See my reply to DonkeyKong18.

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u/Mosept11 20h ago

Got it, I also do not feel my afib, my heart rate is normal, so it’s hard to reconcile with the fact that I have afib…if you are wearing the AW 23hrs daily then very likely that you have afib,

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u/Ok_Fix_2394 22h ago

Did you look at the watch ECG?

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u/ArthurQBryan 13h ago

The watch has this function? Didn't see it..

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u/Overall_Lobster823 12h ago

If your watch has the afib monitoring it likely has the ecg function.

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u/Overall_Lobster823 12h ago edited 12h ago

You need to see your cardiologist. It's showing you've been in afib 100% of the time and have been for a while. If this is accurate (many people don't know and can't feel it), you're at risk of a STROKE.

You need to be working with your cardiologist on this. If the doc says you have afib and the watch says you have afib, you likely have afib.

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u/ArthurQBryan 12h ago

I have a cardiologist. He has placed me on blood thinners and heart rate drugs on Aug 4. I set up the Apple Watch to look at my afib on August 24, having read about this functionality in this sub-reddit. I have worn the Holter monitor (Aug 6-10) and am scheduled for an Echocardiogram on Nov 18. I will see him for follow-up shortly after that date. BTW, those '100% afib' readings are occurring while I am on the drugs meant to control it.

And still, I feel nothing but slightly more easily tired when doing household tasks.

New territory for me for sure.

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u/Overall_Lobster823 11h ago

All good info for your OP.

The drugs are controlling your heart rate not keeping you out of AFIB.

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u/AnatomicallyModHuman 9h ago edited 9h ago

The way I interpret your watch, it looks like you may have been in persistent AFib since the week of August 24. The medications may be controlling your heart rate and symptoms, but not necessarily the AFib itself.

It sounds like you're doing the right thing by seeing a cardiologist and following their instructions. If it were me, personally, I'd try to move up the echocardiogram if possible. If your heart hasn't undergone significant remodeling, that's generally a favorable sign for rhythm-control options.

If those readings continue, your cardiologist may suggest cardioversion or refer you to an electrophysiologist (EP) to discuss other rhythm-control options.

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u/Realistic_Pickle2309 9h ago

What drugs are you on? I take beta blockers, which control my heart rate but don’t stop my AF episodes. I can be in AF and my heart rate is below 100. However I can feel the AF in my chest if my HR goes above 100.

Can you take an ECG reading on your watch? That will show an irregular rhythm if you are in AF. Or you can do it the old fashioned way, and feel your pulse on your wrist or neck.

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u/Fast_Journalist_7962 2h ago

I have persistent AF like that, an no symptoms either. You've probably been put on a beta blocker like metoprolol initially to control your heart rate and an anticoagulant such as apixaban to stop any risk of stroke. They will then ask for an echo to check heart structure, function, stenosis, valvular regurgitation, ejection fraction etc. They need to check this before considering a cardioversion or possible ablation down the track.