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from the article: "Did my Apple Watch save my life? I think in my case, that’s a bit of an overstatement." Thanks to an Apple Watch w/ ECG, I now have a cardio

from the article: "Did my Apple Watch save my life? I think in my case, that’s a bit of an overstatement." Thanks to an Apple Watch w/ ECG, I now have a cardiologist, too. My A-fib burden is only 4% and at my age without diabetes my increased stroke risk is minimal, so my Dr. basically asked why I was bothering to wear this thing if it was just worrying me unnecessarily. I mostly agree. It is nice to finally know what's going on because I've been having irregular heartbeat when exercising for over 5 years & a stress test (ECG on a treadmill) didn't show anything. Now I've had 2 weeks of monitoring with an iRhythm Zio & an echocardiogram so I know I'm reasonably safe to continue exercising. Is it worth the $$$ insurance paid for all of it? I'm really not sure about that. I kind of wish the Dr. had told me "lose some weight or you'll drop dead" because I would have listened. I'm also not sure what I would have done if I hadn't been able to figure out what was happening. Probably just continue to keep my rate under 150 as it's a high rate that usually correlates with irregular beats.

azinman2 8y ago
So you’re cardiologist is saying it’s not a big deal to be in afib (unless you’re on blood thinners)? I don’t understand how that could be a reasonable thought.
- Tharkun 8y ago
  And that's exactly why anyone who isn't a cardiologist shouldn't be making judgements about the state if your heart. The heart is pretty complex for being 'just a pump'. Things can and do go wrong in ~100% of the population. Whether or not that's a problem that should be monitored, medicated or operated on, depends on many factors. It isn't as clearcut as saying "you've got afib and we need to fix that".
- morganw 8y ago
  My cardiologist is saying that it's not a big deal for me to be in afib 4% of the time with the longest lasting 3 hours 10 mins over a 2 week period. I haven't had a stroke or transient ischemic attack previously, don't have diabetes, hypertension or congestive heart failure. I'm male and 51 years old. Thus, my CHADS₂ and CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores are zero.
  - azinman2 8y ago
    If you come out of it reliably on your own within a few hours, that makes sense.

azinman2 8y ago

So you’re cardiologist is saying it’s not a big deal to be in afib (unless you’re on blood thinners)? I don’t understand how that could be a reasonable thought.

Tharkun 8y ago
And that's exactly why anyone who isn't a cardiologist shouldn't be making judgements about the state if your heart. The heart is pretty complex for being 'just a pump'. Things can and do go wrong in ~100% of the population. Whether or not that's a problem that should be monitored, medicated or operated on, depends on many factors. It isn't as clearcut as saying "you've got afib and we need to fix that".
morganw 8y ago
My cardiologist is saying that it's not a big deal for me to be in afib 4% of the time with the longest lasting 3 hours 10 mins over a 2 week period. I haven't had a stroke or transient ischemic attack previously, don't have diabetes, hypertension or congestive heart failure. I'm male and 51 years old. Thus, my CHADS₂ and CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores are zero.
- azinman2 8y ago
  If you come out of it reliably on your own within a few hours, that makes sense.