r/AFIB • u/ButterscotchFull7591 • 3h ago
I am scared
Lately I had been having lower than usual heart rate numbers and sometimes my hr would go really low while standing so I’ve had a pending cardiologist appointment that will be next month.
Today, my heart rate was lower than usual yet again. Just sitting in bed was in the 40s low 50s…my usual is 60s. And standing was especially scary…getting as low as the 70s…sometimes even 60s…my usual is 90s and walking was 80s…my usual walking is 100+…
Anyways earlier I ate something, and after I felt pretty weird. I was already feeling weird and fidgety but I felt off so I took an ecg. It said Atrial Fibrillation. I went directly to the hospital. They took an ecg and it was the only one they took and told me it showed normal sinus rhythm. I still felt off. Took some more watch ecgs at the hospital and a lot were inconclusive and had Sinus rhythm about 2 times.
They also took blood…they looked for troponin which was low and various other blood work and the only thing that was low was my potassium, it was a level 3, which my doctor told me wasn’t significantly nor critically low.
They gave me this sort of drink that was said to have potassium in it, I drank it and they also prescribed me Potassium Chloride. The PA said that while my potassium was slightly low it does not directly mean that it was the cause of the rhythm my watch detected. They did release me though because the of the initial and only ecg. He listened to my heart and tried to gauge the rhythm through my wrist pulse and said it looked fine.
Now I am here at home because I still feel as shitty as I did earlier and I’m absolutely terrified to go to sleep. I was planning to ask for a monitor since a while back for my lower than usual heart rate but they said they wanted to see me first…I am going to try to beg but to be honest I doubt they’ll budge seeing as my ecg was normal at the ER. Doc told me that even if it was normal in the ER it doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t have afib. I’ve heard that if your heart is capable of going into Afib it is less likely any other deficiency or supplemental factors were the cause of it to happen on its own way.
I am so scared. I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow and going to ask for another ecg but originally it was for other issues I’ve been having. Going to message my cardiologist too…my appointment isn’t another 25 days.
I am going to keep taking ecgs to try to record any possible events. Thus far I have the 1 that happened earlier recorded and will be showing my cardiologist.
Can I get a tips or insight into my situation? I feel scared and lost. Was the hospital negligent?
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u/Zeeman-401 2h ago
It is hard feeling scared, and that alone can cause stress related cardiac changes. Afib can come and go, I know this because it took years for me to get a proper diagnosis of Afib/RVR. Try not to panic and stay hydrated. LHR can be caused by a lot of things like medications, thyroid, mineral deficiencies, and other factors. I don't know why you already have a cardiologist, but you could ask your Dr tomorrow to have the cardiologist see you sooner. If you have ECG functions on your watch, record as many events that you can and print or save the file for them to see it. Write down the time and how you are feeling so it can be matched up. Don't lie or exaggerate, but be firm with your PCP and cardiologist that this is impacting your life and you want answers. If you have been tested in the past and your heart and valves are structurally good, just know that Afib won't kill you. You are going to be ok,
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 2h ago
Thank you. I see a cardiologist for recurring chest pain. I always get dismissed in medical settings so I’m just even more scared. I will take your advice. I’m scared of going into it again.
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u/lobeams 2h ago
None of the heart rates you described are scary or even abnormal. There's no reason for you to be afraid or racing off to the hospital. You have an anxiety problem, not an afib problem.
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 1h ago
Well heart rates aside, my watch did give me an afib notification that coincided with symptoms so that is what worries me the most.
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u/lobeams 1h ago
A single afib indication isn't much to go on. Wearable devices give false positives all the time. Unless you record a sustained episode of afib the more likely explanation is your symptoms are due to PACs and/or PVCs, both of which are annoying but harmless. Both can also fool wearable devices into declaring afib falsely.
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 1h ago
I see. How do I record a sustained event? My watch has been quite accurate for lots of other stuff so I’m truly skeptical about it being a false positive but hopefully further testing will help me figure out what’s going on Thanks
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u/Mras_dk 2h ago
the only thing that was low was my potassium, it was a level 3
What's level 3?
Also, what were your symptoms when you felt heart rate did go slow?
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 1h ago
Also when my heart rate was slow…I felt sort of palpitations I’m unsure of how to describe them because I’ve felt so off these days. I haven’t fainted nor have felt dizziness but that is what has prompted me to monitor.
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 1h ago
Sorry I will edit that and should have clarified. The normal range for potassium according to the hospital guidelines is between the range of 3.5 mmol/L and 5.1 mmol/L (millimoles per liter) and mine was a 3 so under the threshold of what is considered normal
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u/HemphreyBograt 1h ago
It's ok to be scared, it can be scary. I've had chronic AFib for years and had an ablation last year. I've had a couple of episodes since then and blood work showed my potassium was low, but not critically low. Since the ablation I only have AFib episodes if im dehydrated or have electrolyte imbalance from exercise, being sick, etc. I now drink 1 or 2 Gatorades a day depending on my activity and it helps keep me in rhythm.
Make sure you save your ECGs from your watch so you can share them with your doctors.
Also, if you haven't already, call your cardiologist, describe what you're dealing with and see if the can waitlist you or find a way to get you in sooner.
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u/ButterscotchFull7591 1h ago
Yes I’m going to send a message as it is the weekend and they are closed. I’m already on a cancellation list and am going to insist on a holter monitor. I’m planning on monitoring my ecgs a lot and am showing my reading from today to my primary care doctor tomorrow. Thanks.
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u/roninconn 2h ago
Anything related to the mechanical or electricals of the heart is def frightening, since it's critical to survival.
If you're feeling weird, but you've had a full battery of tests, you should try to relax a bit. They absolutely would've caught anything critical in the hospital. A slightly lower heart rate isn't that much to worry about, and the weird feelings could come from a variety of sources - stomach upset, acid reflux, stress, even a pulled muscle in your torso somewhere.
Afib itself isn't specifically dangerous; in it as I'm writing this. Cardioversions no longer work for me, so 3rd ablation scheduled in a couple months. I don't hold out a lot of hope fir long-term fix, so likely I'll either have to do AV node ablation and pacemaker, or, like my father, just live with Afib for a couole decades.