HR monitor verses counting pulse

[mum2four]

After to being here a while now I have been shocked to read that in seems like so many people seem to just count their pulse and not use a HR monitor. I would never trust my self to count properly due to my anxiety issues. How can you be sure your counting properly and not making mistakes. Also how can you be sure your not having issues of tachycardia at other times.

If I went by my palpitation alone I would never have ever found out I was suffering from tachycardia most of the day every day for the last 6mth. Just standing or even sitting and drinking would cause my heart rate to go extreamly high.

I guess I'm wondering about person oppinions on HR moniter's like Pulse watch's that people wear at the gym which is what I now wear every day to keep an eye on tachycardia and try to figure out what might be causeing it so I may beable to help my self just as much as let the Dr's help me.

[mum2four]

I was mainly talking to people who do take there pulse's due to dealing with tachycardia or other symptoms that make them want to check their pulse.

I was curious about what method use and why because many thread's I read mention their pulse reading but don't mention how they got the reading. I was also curious because since dealing with tachycardia my self with no symptoms that even susjested that my heart was involved I'm curious about the whole thing. It was only after buying a pulse watch for use during exercise that I discovered I was tachy all day even my own Dr never heard my heart beating to fast as the tachycardia was mostly when I was standing. My pulse jump at least 30 beats from 90 to 120 from just standing and stayed there till I sat down again and after seeing my pulse get to 185 just walking slowly with some light shopping I was shocked. At first Dr's tryed to blame this on my weight as I gained 30 kg from zyprexa but it was only after I told my Dr that when I sitting on a bike going very fast I can barly get my heart rate about 130 and I can press weights and it's the same deal it hard to get my pulse up. Also when I was sitting my pulse would jump to around 130 when I drinking or eating. My pulse also changes in every position laying I was around 70, sitting 90, standing130, walking 150, walking with shopping 180, that just a adverage. The more I walk or stayed up right the longer it took for my heart to slow down back to the adverage.

As I said before nothing pointed to my heart being the cause of my symptoms. It was luck that help me discover the tachycardia. I would never read my own pulse and trust that I was right that's most proberly my own anxiety cause by many things including not being able to convince a Dr that a symptom is extream and not just an once every now and then thing that I worry about due to anxiety.

Some thing els I notice since starting Ivabradine for my tachy heart rate, when I did try to read my pulse it was to hard to find and keeo track of I thought this was my anxiety and my inabilty to focus due to anxiety but since Ivabradine my pulse is stronger and easier to find I can find it first time now. I noticed when in hospital that even the nurse's struggled to find my pulse they all proberly assummed this was due to my weight but even before I gained weight from pregnancy's and med's it was hard to find my pulse.

Anyway I just asked to get some oppionion's. I supose I wondered if people are really concerned about there heart and want answer's why not try a HR monitor instead of trusting your fingers and symptoms. Each to there own but I supose I was also curious about if people avoide useing a HR moniter for fear of being told it's due to anxiety or something.

That was my first concern and it still is but I'd rather know than not know ingnorance is not bliss to me. Being informed with correct info makes me feel better, That includes knowing what my heart is doing now. I dont wear it so often anymore speacial when I know I'm just having a lazy day. I still wear my HR monitor when I go out because I still get tired very easy and want to push my self as far as I can so i loose weight but I dont want to be pushing my self if my HR is tachy for no reason. I have no chest symptoms that let me know how bad the tachy is I'm always tachy when upright even on Ivabradine I can be 60-70 sitting on a really good day(today I'm 80), on bad day I can still be 100 sitting. Walking I have rarly seen my pulse over 130 so the Ivabradine seem to have almost caped my tachy HR. However since I wear the HR moniter most of the time I know that now on a good day I stay around 100-110 and when I start feeling tired and a little like I need to sit it more likly to be around 130 and starting to go past 130 slightly. The highest I seen my HR since taking Ivabradine is 145 and was feeling wobbly, slightly blured vission, tired and more like I did before Ivabradine all the time. At least now a banana and drink fixes the problem far bettter than before Ivabradine.

Anyway just looking for oppinion's

[ireneo]

Forgive my ignorance here but why should we monitor our heart rate every day anyway? My heart rate jumps around, up and down all day long due to activity level or due to my arrhythmias. I know it's doing that but I don't keep track of the rates. If I was to pass out, then I would be concerned. Even in PSVT, the rate is way faster than normal but knowing the exact number won't change it.

So again, why should we keep track? I understand the need for folks that will be seeing their cardio soon. I do keep a rough mental record of what goes on the week before I see him. But no numbers. Then again, I know what's going on in there and it's as good as it's going to get.

[Jerry_NJ]

I do both, but most of the time I try to ignore what the HR is doing.

I have used the chest strap transmitter with watch readout for many years.  I used to wear it for running and other exercise times... but that was when my treatment for AFib was effective and I was in NSR.  

I now wear it from time-to-time but most days I do not wear it.  It must sample 5 second intervals or there about so the numbers jump around a bit but if I take my stethoscope and count for a full minute while wearing the monitor my count by ear is about the same as what my eye says is the average reading on my monitor.  So my tests say both work for me.  In the morning when I arise I always count my pulse for a minute while sitting (you can guess where) and notice it is the lowest rate for the day and much softer.... in fact hard to hear even with a stethoscope.  Before bedtime while sitting in the same place I do the same and the HR is 5 to 10 bpm higher and much stronger, very easy to hear.  So it seems when  my heart slows down, even a little, from a full rest period it also pumps softer... not sure that is right, but that's what my ear tells me.