Heart Problems, Cardiac Symptoms, But Test Results Normal

I ended up in er put there by myself after strong palpitations and slight breathlessness.. weakness
all normal like you..On my own bp machine get readings like you
Had two ablations already

Maybe a third or pacemaker suggested..don't know what to do myself.
How does one figure out any of this? depressing me.

No, mostly only 100 - 110 (at most).

No, I'm not taking any cardiac meds apart from Xarelto.

My guess is that concern was not enough at that rate to initiate treatment for tachycardia but I don't know the facts. I think comfort should be considered a factor.

I often see Xarelto and other anticoagulation meds referred to as "cardiac meds." My Afib team has told me these meds are not cardiac meds, since they offer little if any therapy to the heart. Their effects are felt wherever your blood flows -- in my case causing slight bleeds wherever a sore opens, usually in my internal and external epithelium (skin or internal organ lining such as of the bladder). That's why they're often referred to as "blood thinners," which may be slightly off-kilter also.

Anticoagulants are used to address the risk of blood clots from atrial fibrillation. They do not address the afib itself: there are other medications for that. There may be other reasons for anticoagulants as well. The only one I know of is VDT, deep vein thrombosis. So yes they are not just for heart issues.

Well, here I am with my pulse still (mostly) in sinus tachycardia and up to 135. Understood that I am at rest when these measures are recorded. Unlike when I. was in the ER, they can't tell if these abnormal rates are accompanied by AFIB.

Still my doctor doesn't think he needs to see me before (our already scheduled appointment in) May.

Even his nurses I'm dealing with are aghast.

Today at least I got him to agree to order me a cardiac "event monitor" for a week's use. This is one instance when my usually helpful googling isn't helping as I plainly see this symptom could signal a situation requiring intervention (for instance ablation).
Sample diagnoses: Sick Sinus Syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, "tachy-brady syndrome" (this one fits as my pulse also drops as low as 50). Also, my pulse becomes more elevated from only slight exercise, such as going up one flight of stairs at home. I also become slightly breathless then which didn't used to happen.

I see my pulse is 63 now - I can check for AFIB with my Apple watch. Oh, lord! It began at a normal rhythm, then kept randomly skipping beats, but my Apple Watch said sinus rhythm. I think that app isn't working which just makes everything that much harder to cope with.

About ten days ago, my pulse suddenly started to come out in tachycardia (100 to 135 BPM) alternating with dropping to anywhere from the 50s to the 80s, but mostly tachycardia. My cardiologist told me to go to the ER and they monitored me for three hours. To my surprise, they told me that though the pulse was abnormal as described (over 100 even lying down the whole time), it was in sinus rhythm. I.e., not AFIB - a longstanding problem.

They sent me home, saying (I agreed) they didn't think it would help to keep me overnight but I should follow up with my cardiologist. I was horrified when he said (I asked) I could return to the gym and that he didn't need to see me until May (already scheduled appt).

Since then the pattern has continued pretty much and I remained concerned especially when I started Googling (Mayo and Cleveland Clinic sites). It seems there is such a thing as Sick Sinus Syndrome a sub-type of which is tachy-brady syndrome (tachycardia alternating with lower rates with a pause of a few missed beats as it changes "gears". This is EXACTLY what I see on the Apple Watch's EKG readout!)

The prognosis is NOT good (less than half survive 5 years) one cause of death being sudden Cardiac Arrest! What's more, this prognosis is the same even if I had a pacemaker installed. I already had an appointment for a different purpose at the Cleveland Clinic in mid April with an excellent arrhythmia specialist and fortunately my sons were already coming then and can drive me (It's over four hours away and I can't/shouldn't drive so far.)
And right now, I'm trying to figure out how to attach the fancy "event monitor" which will track my heart for a week. (Persuaded my cardio to order it. You wouldn't believe how complex this device is! Have done it before, but the design has changed a lot.)

I just wonder if any of you have heard of such a thing or know of it? All comments and advice welcome! (I've already figured out something has gone wrong with my sinoatrial node (the SA node is our natural pacemaker).

PS I feel fine when this is going on - no fainting, weakness, or breathlessness - well, maybe a little when my pulse gets to 125 - 135 (always sinus - or so it was in the ER anyhow).

Also my normal resting pulse was 55-60 and regular (going about my business) pulse no more than 75. It's really unnerving to be lying down or otherwise sedentary and look at my Apple Watch and see its recording a pulse of 120 or so! (Note, I can't check for AFIB - why we bought this expensive device - because it can't do it when my pulse is over 100. I think I AM in AFIB occasionally but no more than before.)

How are you now and what medicine did you use

I suggest you invest in an Apple watch with cardiac sleep apps that work during sleep (read out on iPhone after waking).

Mine has been very handy showing tachycardia and other EKG features (amount of sleep, HBPM throughout sleep, O2 level, respirations). Since I have paroxysmal AfiB, I often notice when I am awakened with an uneasy feeling (one I've learned to associate with Afib) that sure enough my sleep app shows irregularities which upon using Apple's detection feature confirms I am in an Afib episode.

If it is severe enough, I take Metoprolol which relieves it, though not immediately. My dosage is 25 mcg. I began taking only half a pill (the whole dose gave me an overly strong reaction - low BP, breathlessness), but over time I have began taking the whole dosage as evidentLY MY Afib has worsened.

Just for the record, I tend to get AFIb at night but only occasionally (towards the end of my sleep cycle), and when I do, it lasts up to six hours.

The only definite trigger I've noticed is consumption of alcoholic beverages, though I do have AFIB without having had a drink.

I strongly recommend the AppleWatch for its AfIB detection (especially with a sleep App, though be aware that it doesn't constantly monitor ones BPM for AFIB - rather only upon self-testing for a 30 second interval.

(And you have to learn to use it - it requires care in holding ones wrist very still, lower than ones chest, and keeping ones finger on the "crown" with adequate pressure to insure recording. )

PS I also sometimes use a device called "Kardia" which is a tiny sensor capable of reading an EKG with six leads, and it can sense four or five abnormal kinds of heartbeats including AfiB.

Quoting from Google's description of what the Kardia can detect:

"Atrial fibrillation (AFib): The most common heart arrhythmia, affecting over 49 million people worldwide. AFib is a progressive disease that can turn into persistent or permanent AFib.
Bradycardia: A slower than normal heart rate. Bradycardia can be problematic if it prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to the body.
Tachycardia: An abnormal heart rhythm.
Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs): A very common irregular heart rhythm that can feel like a skipped beat or fluttering. PVCs can be triggered by caffeine, alcohol, certain medications, anxiety, and hypertension.
Sinus rhythm with supraventricular ectopy (SVE): An abnormal heart rhythm.

Sinus rhythm with wide QRS: An abnormal heart rhythm.
Kardia devices use electrocardiograms (ECGs) to measure the electrical activity of the heart. KardiaMobile is a smartphone app that can record medical-grade ECGs and detect arrhythmias in as little as 30 seconds.

KardiaMobile 6L is a six-lead personal EKG that can provide a more in-depth view of the heart rhythm. "