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Don’t be stupid and ignore the heart warnings - writing this from the hospital right now

This raises the question if other things were part of the reason to bring someone to this situation at such a young age.
 
Makes me want to wear my AWU fulltime again. Now wearing a Garmin Marq as I am training for a marathon and I want to receive training suggestions based on my recovery. Garmin does not have passive Afib detection in any of its watches (my watch does not even have the ECG app), which is a major ommission IMO. As I have hypertension, Apple Watch is a reassurance.
 
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Well having experienced similar situation though I didn’t ignore it. Cardiologist put me on Metoprolol and Eliquis. For the heart…
Though chest X-ray showed something else which unfortunately was lung cancer.

So the Apple Watch 10 saved my life twice in one warning. Showed a heart issue AFIB. And in the process of that also showed the lung cancer which I just has surgery to remove 3 weeks ago….

Use the Watch and get checked regularly.
 
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Yes thank you soulreaver99 the information and the warning! I haven’t had anything serious come up (yet!), but it is good to know the watch is “watching” my health and that it is providing accurate information! Post back and let us know how you’re doing (if you want to). We’re all rooting for you to get better soon! ; )
 
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Chevysales said:
Well having experienced similar situation though I didn’t ignore it. Cardiologist put me on Metoprolol and Eliquis. For the heart…
Though chest X-ray showed something else which unfortunately was lung cancer.

So the Apple Watch 10 saved my life twice in one warning. Showed a heart issue AFIB. And in the process of that also showed the lung cancer which I just has surgery to remove 3 weeks ago….

Use the Watch and get checked regularly.
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how did the watch show lung cancer?
 
dmt43 said:
how did the watch show lung cancer?
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As I read the post it didn't......"in the process" of dealing with the AFib the chest X-ray showed the cancer; which was no doubt confirmed with a biopsy and/or PET Scan.
 
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Welcome to the atrial flutter club! Been dealing with it for 5 years. On the bright side it’s slightly less risky then Afib… Glad you’re doing better. Went to the ER in like 2020 cause I was having heart palpitations, watch said it was Afib and my heart rate was stuck around 155! Have been cardioverted 5 times since then! Once with drugs and shocked four times. If it happens again I’m hoping they can just go in and fix it. Getting tired of having to be restarted every year! 🤣
 
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spartan1967 said:
WTH!? Apple Watch said no signs of afib with that reading? Not even an inconclusive result?

Maybe it's programed to look for longer patterns of this type of rhythm. That would be my only explanation with that.
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Yes, always take it multiple times if you are experiencing issues (and go to the hospital if you aren’t sure).

AFib does look a little different than that picture though, flutter as the doctor diagnosed is probably what the picture shows. I agree with you that it should probably have read inconclusive since the watch doesn’t have that category.

AFib ECGs are all over the damn place on the apple watch and can be pretty obvious, I saved a someone’s life with mine (convinced them to go due to the reading) and know first hand. I did have to run it 2-3 times to get the result but I assume that was partially because it was my watch on someone else not expecting something so drastically different.

If anyone reading this has heart issues I strongly suggest you buy a supplemental Kardia 6L, the results are much more accurate and it will detect issues even if you’re taking a beta blocker etc. Take heart health seriously.

Glad you are ok OP.
 
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GlenK said:
This is exactly why I got an AW. I'm an old man that lives alone with his dog and have heart issues. Mine is set to call 911 if my HR gets to 160 or below 40. Of course I get the option to cancel if there's a reason why. It was triggered once playing pickleball and hit 165 then I got the option. If I did nothing it would call 911. Click I'm OK and it goes away.

This just gives me such peace of mind. I was really worried about my dog at night and now don't worry at all. My cardiologist says he's got 3 patients that AW saved their lives during the night. So pay attention to the early signs and don't hesitate to take action.

So glad you took action and got help!! Just fantastic!!!
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I really wish the iPhone had a feature that would notify an emergency contact if you haven't unlocked the phone in a set time (e.g. 24h) for people in exactly your situation.

It seems so obvious I can't believe it doesn't exist, it would save the lives of animals that need care and possibly people if they are only incapacitated.
 
My Apple Watch picked both the high heart rate (starting at night – I have complex PTSD and dreams that are reprocessing of it) and AFib. I landed in the cardiology ER three times and also had my heart ‘restarted’ with electric shock under anaesthesia. All is well, luckily. But thanks to the AW I was able to show my home-done ECG and produce specific times when the heart rate suddenly shot to 140 while I was asleep (then 180-220 while awake), and that was incredibly helpful.

This is a feature I literally couldn’t live without.

My brother has recently also experienced a sudden spike in HR during his sleep, he is on medication now. The very early warning should keep him safe.

I wish you all the best and I hope your recovery will be 1) quick and 2) permanent!
 
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todd2000 said:
Welcome to the atrial flutter club! Been dealing with it for 5 years. On the bright side it’s slightly less risky then Afib… Glad you’re doing better. Went to the ER in like 2020 cause I was having heart palpitations, watch said it was Afib and my heart rate was stuck around 155! Have been cardioverted 5 times since then! Once with drugs and shocked four times. If it happens again I’m hoping they can just go in and fix it. Getting tired of having to be restarted every year! 🤣
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OMG, 5X? I was hoping this would be the last time and I’m good 😭

Mine was stuck at 150
 
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My buddy, the experienced internist/hospitalist, says that the Watch is fine-tuned to detect a-fib. It has accurately caught a-fib in his case and in my case, but sometimes errs on the side of caution. Any variation from the norm indicates a conversion with an internist or cardiologist, and possible testing.

My appointment with a cardiologist is next week. ;) The Watch caught anomalies.
 
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soulreaver99 said:
I've been in the hospital since Tuesday. I had to get transferred from my local hospital to Heart Hospital Austin. What initially seemed like the flu turned into pneumonia, which spread to my heart and caused numerous issues with other organs, including my liver and kidneys.

I experienced significant shortness of breath, and my Apple Watch issued several high resting heart rate warnings, which I foolishly ignored and shrugged off. In fact, I believe these warnings started popping up as early as October or November, and I was getting unusually tired quicker than usual. What’s worse, it was reading a high heart rate almost every night.

Never ignore those warnings, and if you're experiencing shortness of breath, go to the ER, even if you think it's nothing.

What finally triggered me to go to the hospital was not only the nausea and shortness of breath that I thought was just the flu along with GERD, but my feet started to swell. My doctor friend heard this from my wife and insisted I go to the ER immediately.

While my Apple Watch didn't indicate AFIB, the doctor diagnosed me with atrial flutter. My heart's function had dropped to 10% and was beating out of rhythm. They had to shock my heart back into rhythm on Thursday. I definitely feel a lot better now and am hoping to be discharged in the next few days.

Again, take your health seriously because if I hadn't gone to the ER in time, I wouldn't be sharing this message.
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So glad you’re here today to tell us for yourself.

Be well and update when you’re back on your feet!
 
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soulreaver99 said:
I've been in the hospital since Tuesday. I had to get transferred from my local hospital to Heart Hospital Austin. What initially seemed like the flu turned into pneumonia, which spread to my heart and caused numerous issues with other organs, including my liver and kidneys.

I experienced significant shortness of breath, and my Apple Watch issued several high resting heart rate warnings, which I foolishly ignored and shrugged off. In fact, I believe these warnings started popping up as early as October or November, and I was getting unusually tired quicker than usual. What’s worse, it was reading a high heart rate almost every night.

Never ignore those warnings, and if you're experiencing shortness of breath, go to the ER, even if you think it's nothing.

What finally triggered me to go to the hospital was not only the nausea and shortness of breath that I thought was just the flu along with GERD, but my feet started to swell. My doctor friend heard this from my wife and insisted I go to the ER immediately.

While my Apple Watch didn't indicate AFIB, the doctor diagnosed me with atrial flutter. My heart's function had dropped to 10% and was beating out of rhythm. They had to shock my heart back into rhythm on Thursday. I definitely feel a lot better now and am hoping to be discharged in the next few days.

Again, take your health seriously because if I hadn't gone to the ER in time, I wouldn't be sharing this message.

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Very sorry for you!
Wishing you a very fast recovery 💗
 
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