My Husband's Encounter With Atrial Fibrillation

Late in the afternoon last February 28th, I was relaxing on the couch watching a championship volleyball match on t.v. My husband was on the computer, just browsing stuff when he suddenly said, "My heart is racing." I thought it was just excitement over the volleyball game we were watching. I saw him hold on to his chest and that was when I noticed that I could actually see his chest pounding heavily.

I rushed him to the emergency room of the hospital. My husband was immediately wheeled into the Emergent Section and was hooked up to several monitors. He diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. In layman's terms, the upper two chambers of his heart, called the atria was beating three times its normal rate and was out of sync with the rest of the heart chambers. After the doctors were able to stabilize his heart rhythm, my husband was transferred to a Telemetry room. Although he was feeling better, my husband hated all the gadgets hooked up to both his arms, the remotely controlled ECG device, the IV lines, the oxymeter on his forefinger. He spent five days in the hospital. His cardiologist gave us instructions on his new medications and "symptoms to watch out for."

These symptoms are the feeling of heaviness in the chest, pain in the left arm radiating to the left jaw, numbness and weakness. There are many factors that may cause atrial fibrillation, and one particular factor that caused my husband's condition is his congenital heart defect. Other common causes which may cause transient palpitations are stress, lack of sleep, and too much caffeine. Atrial fibrillation in itself may not be life threatening, however, it may give rise to other serious conditions. It may lead to clot formation thereby increasing the risk of strokes.

Just like any other disease, the best home care is diet modification and exercise. Have a regular check up with the doctor and adhere to the medication plan. My husband and I are not exactly "young" so I deemed it necessary to have blood pressure and heart rate monitors at home. I am diabetic and I have a Glucometer with me wherever I go. My husband should have something we can use to keep track of his blood pressure and heart rate. I looked around for portable device that could record readings so that we could present them to the cardiologist at my husband's next appointment.

There are so many brands in the market and of course, I chose the brand that is FDA approved, can store up to 90 readings in its internal memory, large display with an option for voiced readouts. The AccuMed ABP802 Portable Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with One-Touch Intelligent Automatic Measurement meets all my needs. I keep it on our bedside table at night and within arm's reach during the day. For a small investment, it gives both me and my husband peace of mind.

There are so many brands in the market and of course, I chose the brand that is FDA approved, can store up to 90 readings in its internal memory, large display with an option for voiced readouts. The AccuMed ABP802 Portable Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with One-Touch Intelligent Automatic Measurement meets all my needs. I keep it on our bedside table at night and within arm's reach during the day. For a small investment, it gives both me and my husband peace of mind. I will be taking my husband for his cardio appointment next week and I am happy that he is feeling a whole lot better. I must admit, a blood pressure monitor is one purchase I would never regret. I will get one more for my mother too.

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