AFib, Early Symptoms
The first signs, my worries, and how I got to pay full attention to my Atrial Fibrillation.
My wife felt the first palpitations while we were lying on the couch watching Friends. She told me my heart was beating funny, but it wasn't because of Ross and Rachel.
Until that evening I didn’t feel anything wrong with my heart. After that, I could recognize the weird feeling in my chest as the condition progressed.
It got worse during the following weeks, and I started to take my pulse with a clock. I could count 70-80 bps at rest, but I could not keep the count when my heart was going wild. I got anything between 130 to 250, and I knew it was a highly unreliable result.
I shared this information with an Italian doctor who scared the hell out of me, saying that I got a critical condition that could give me a stroke anytime. He told me I needed a Holter ECG and then to promptly start on medication.
Thanks to him, the situation got my full attention. But he also got me highly scared without a real reason. I guess it is complicated to be a doctor and to balance out the risk when someone tells you symptoms over the phone.
I am thankful to him for triggering me into action, as I decided to buy a device to keep track of my heartbeat. Enter the Apple Watch!
At the same time, I started to call in with my local healthcare system in Sweden, asking to talk with a doctor to receive help. But I won't spoil it for you; go ahead and read the full story here!