Heart rate 201?!

[TwinklyGoldReader]

Today whilst walking to work at a leisurely pace, I could feel my heart racing. I checked my watch and it said my heart rate was 201! No pains or dizziness. It’s happened a couple of times today but never as high. I’m 20 weeks pregnant so called 111 for some advice, they just said the watches aren’t accurate.

AIBU to stick my head in the sand and ignore? Or should I book a doctors appointment to be safe?!

Do you even need to ask? 201?! Of course you need to see a GP!

Ooh, heart rate can raise during pregnancy, but that is very high! Could you try manually checking it next time you get that feeling? With you being pregnant too it can’t hurt to get advice from your Dr!

Just re read it properly, yes 201 is very high and even if slightly inaccurate- you got symptoms, that needs to be checked!

I think it just made me feel I was being dramatic, the way 111 dismissed it so casually!

I'd say it's highly unlikely it was that high.

Checking manually is easy; find your radial pulse (at your wrist) and put a 1 minute timer on your phone. Generally, anything over 100 in an adult is classed as tachycardia (fast heart rate).

I remember the palpitations during pregnancy too 😣

Book a GP appointment. Have you ever suffered with SVT?

Please get it checked out. Yes the watches aren't always accurate but if it keeps happening it's best to just get it assessed by a health professional.

@ToKittyornottoKittyive never seen anyone in relation to it so technically no- but I have had episodes of ‘random’ rapid heart rates/palpitations. Not regularly though

You do need to see a GP. Just been through this with a family member who got over 200 during exercise. Turns out they have a heart problem and are now working with a cardiologist.

The doctors seem to think the watches are reasonable baseline info but, of course, they're not a substitute for proper testing. The only thing that's different is that my relatives heart rate shows low when it's going fast, because the watch can't register that properly. At those times, it's not reliable.

Deff worth getting checked out then

Ignore people saying it's unlikely, I have SVT and last week hit 198 sitting at my desk. The info my doctor gave me said some women's svt is triggered in pregnancy.
My cardiologist told me that whilst it isn't medical grade my Fitbit gives him a very good indication of my episodes

Go get it checked out

Probably best to check. How high is that for you? For me I would be very worried as even if I am sprinting at max effort my heart rate wouldn't go above 175 whereas I know other friends who would be over 200 on a run. Obviously it is super high for not actually doing much. My DP had palpitations a couple of times and was sent home with a device to monitor over 24hrs - in the end it was a mystery that was never repeated but he was happy to be reassured by doctor

111 shouldn’t be dismissing you so much. Yes watches aren’t accurate, but you must have felt it beating that fast. When it happens again, quickly check your pulse for 6 seconds and then multiply by 10 if it only happens a short time. I would either phone 111 again (don’t mention the watch, say how fast it is) or phone the GP/midwife first thing in the morning.

I ended up being diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia while pregnant. Same as you - really high heart rate doing something that wouldn’t normally cause a high heart rate. Unfortunately 7 years on I haven’t been able to get rid of it but just learn to live with it. When pregnant they said about being careful about letting it get too high - re taking blood flow away from the placenta but only if sustained for a long time. There’s lots of tricks to get it down to an ‘acceptable’ level. Like cold bottle on back of neck etc. if this is what you have it’s important to find out your main triggers. For me, one was driving - very high commuting to work while pregnant. Ended up being sent to work from home.
heart rate is meant to go up a bit more during pregnancy but just watch out for your heart acting up and reaching highs when you’re doing something that doesn’t warrant it and check to see if IST sounds similar. There’s a good Facebook help group I’ve joined where people share stories/advice.
they also say there’s nothing physically wrong with your heart. The way they describe it is the accelerator is too sensitive. But as long as it comes back down with lying down, drinking water, deep breaths, not being too warm, etc it’s ok.

I think they can be reasonably accurate. Check with your midwife or GP.

There's zero point in calling 111. They can only give 3 answers - 1) "Watches aren't accurate" (which is true and as someone whos been on the phones for 111 they're just irrelevant - too many people call about them without having symptoms but we go with any symptoms the patient experiences not what a watch says), 2) "that's a high heart rate but you say you're well so go and see your GP". 3) "That's a high heart rate go and sit in A&E". They cant do any meaningful assessment over the phone its just an algorithm advice line, but you might have to wait 8+ hours for the call back that gives you this information. Like you say just see if you can work out your pulse, if you cant or it's high go and see your Dr.

How to check your pulse:

If you feel it's a bit high, but you feel well - go and see your GP. (if it's genuinely around 200, which would be really hard to count and I'd be amazed if you had a HR that high without feeling a bit rough - that would be A&E).

How are you feeling today @TwinklyGoldReader?

@fiddleplayingbrunetteI saw a GP this morning who checked my breathing/heart rate and didn’t seem too concerned. She had me do a urine sample, just because of the pregnancy, and booked me in for bloods next week. She suspects I’m probably just coming down with a virus!