Thankful For My Fitbit

I am a regular user of my Fitbit (fitness watch), as it helps me keep track of my fitness activities (or lack thereof! lol). My particular model is the Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and Activity Tracker, and I like it because it is smaller than most fitness trackers.  It is "smart", but not so smart as to be cumbersome when switching between screens. The particular feature that I am most thankful for that prompted this story is its ability to measure heart rate variability.  Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation of time between each heartbeat - to see if your body is showing potential signs of stress, illness, or fatigue. 

I sync my watch to my phone app every day and check the results.  On this particular day in April of 2023, I found something disturbing. I included some screenshots of my phone below.  I started getting warning messages in the morning that I had an irregular heart rhythm (see Photo 1), so I dug deeper into the app, and in Photo 2 it said I showed signs of AFib.  AFib stands for atrial fibrillation, which is a type of arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat. Photo 3 shows that even over the course of 1 minute, my heart rate would range from as low as 42 to over 160 beats per minute. The application told me to contact my healthcare provider, so I did.

Screenshots of my phone's Fitbit application

I called my primary care physician that day and told them over the phone my situation, and the office immediately called in a referral to a local cardiologist.  They ordered bloodwork, and I went into their office for an electrocardiogram (EKG). An EKG records the electrical signal from the heart to check for different heart conditions.  That test alone confirmed my AFib, which lead to more tests because my AFib put me at a high risk of a stroke. That highly concerned me, because of my family history of strokes.

Since that first diagnosis a month ago I received (in order):

• A nuclear stress test - is an imaging test that shows how blood goes to the heart at rest and during exercise.
• An echocardiogram - which uses sound waves to show how blood flows through the heart and heart valves. 
• Cardioversion therapy - treatment to restore a normal heartbeat when your heart is beating too fast or with an irregular rhythm.
• A TransEsophageal Echocardiography (TEE) - a test that uses sound waves to make pictures of your heart’s muscles and chambers, valves, and outer lining (pericardium), as well as the blood vessels that connect to your heart. Doctors often use TEE when they need more detail than a standard echocardiogram can give them.
• A catheter angiogram - During a coronary angiogram, a type of dye that's visible by an X-ray machine is injected into the blood vessels of your heart. The X-ray machine rapidly takes a series of images (angiograms), offering a look at your blood vessels. If necessary, your doctor can open clogged heart arteries (angioplasty) during your coronary angiogram. An angioplasty was not needed.

All this took place last week from the writing of this story, and I feel so much better.  My blood pressure is now in the normal range, and my resting pulse is steady in the 60's.

In summary, I believe my Fitbit might have saved my life. I am so grateful for the technology it can provide to the average person, and I will never ever be without one again.

Jan. 3, 2024 Update

This is turning out to be the story of my AFib journey!  Since I posted this story, I have had two cardioversions, a brain MRI to check for previous strokes, and a catheter ablation. Today I am AFib-free.  A downside is all the blood thinners I am taking. Before this diagnosis, I was on ZERO prescriptions, now I am on nine. In May of 2024, I am scheduled for a Watchman device that will help prevent blood clots from forming and going to my brain. See Left atrial appendage occlusion.

Acknowledgments: I am so thankful for all my doctors, nurses, and staff who have helped me through this, thus far. Especially I wish to thank Dr. Ravindran Palaniyandi, Cardiologist, Dr. Randal Davis, Family Medicine, their office staff and nurses, and the staff and nurses of Melbourne Regional Medical Center, and Holmes Regional Medical Center, Cardiac Center.

I also want to express my love and gratitude to my wife, children, siblings, friends, and church family who supported me with their prayers, offers of help, and support during this scary episode.

Gus Koerner

June 2023