my HR 220-240 ???

Hey Nikki,
That happened to me on my bike yesterday...first time I used my Heart monitor when it was cold outside--so maybe--and I'm just guessing--that using a cold monitor may skew the results (once I got going the monitor seemed to work ok)

hi justjester..that sounds good to me!!
I was nervous because several years ago I did have an ablation done, but all is cured!!! So when I saw these readings, I thought Oh-no....not another pathway!! LOL

I'm going to try it again tomorrow!!

I know how you feel, I just about freaked when I saw the readings. I'm pretty sure it's just the cold...specially in MA (used to live in Boston--and I don't miss the winters).
GL

arizona, eh? trader!! (though i don't blame you...its winter forever here).

I cut my run really short. I was going to do 3 miles, but the combination of knee aching and this HR thing, i turned around. I'll go back out tomorrow. I tried to save the run by picking up the speed at least on my return half mile!!! LOL

Year round training out here--just watch out for the scorpions, besides..after shoveling three feet of snow in one morning last year...I decided that I never wanted to see snow again. (of course now the Redsox won, and of course the Pat's are still winning. I guess you take the good with the bad.
Heart rate training can be frustrating..when I first got mine I had to slow down from a 7:30 pace to almost a 10:00 to keep my HR down. Now It's gotten a little better 9:15-- but I still feel like I'm walking, not running. On the other hand, when I keep my HR down, I feel like I can run forever.

There is a spot on one of my rides where my HRM always goes nuts. It happens everytime I pass the same house. My only guess is that they have a CB, shortwave radio, or some high-tech alarm system that is sending out a signal similar to my HRM.

hey T - how long does it go nuts when you run in front of that house? Does it last a few houses? I'd say my HR was weird for about 3-4 tenths of a mile. Hmm...on my way back when i ran in front of the house, heart rate was okay. drats..i don't think i have a winner with that one.

thanks

My thought would be that it's not making good contact. When I first got my HRM and would start out on a run, it would be noticeably off. I would stop and check my HR just with the standard wwrist or neck point and it would definitely be different than what the HRM read.

I found some info that said that if it doesn't make good contact with your skin, it will be off. I got some "Buh-Bump" at the LRS and use that on the contacts. It works fine now, no matter what. Until you have enough sweat on your body to act as a conductor, it may be off a bit. I think I've heard that saliva works too. Hey, people put it in their goggles, might as well try it on the HRM too...

I would agree with runLB in that the problem seems to come from the contacts to the skin. The problem occurs when the watch tries to read the signal coming from the emitter but the 2 electrodes are not wired/connected properly because the skin is not acting as a conductive media.
Ideally, you would want to use some sort of conductive gel (i use lubricant - gelly stuff used by hospital for pregnant women - its neutral and does not cost much at all). The alternative is to make sure that you use some saliva before putting on the HRM. Be aware that even if you get a good contact, the HRM might pick up a max. of 200+ because some monitors will require a calibration period of a few minutes. This throws up my averages on less than 25mns runs. You get used to it.
S

I know the HRM we use for doing our personal fitness profiles where I work acts up quite a bit. HRM work by using a small electrical current. So if your bra has metal in it, that may affect the reading. We had a girl yesterday wearing a push up bra and her resting HR was 160. Strong signals from houses and stores can cause it to go off a little bit. Or it may just be sliding more during your run then your bike, causing a poor contact with your skin. I would not pay to much attention to the HRM when it goes over 200. If it worries you, you can always manually check your pulse real quick just to make sure.

thank you to all...

I will get some gel, any suggestions of cheap stuff I might find at grocery or CVS? Could also be the calibration. I recall not getting a signal when i first put it on for many attempts. I wet it with saliva and still coudln't get a signal. I finally decided the heck with it..i got to get going. As I was walking down my driveway it started picking up signal and was reading 68-71..then I started running. Within a minute or so, is when it started showing the 200+. Would that still be within calibration time even though it initially showed signal?

Yep, in the end..the good old pulse from the neck will be the comparison tell all. I think I was too afraid to check my pulse, just praying it was definetly a HRM malfunction!!

I have found that sometimes I get crazy reading from wireless HR monitors and bike computers when I cycle or run past very, very low hanging electical wires. I have a certain route I take on a regular basis and mine goes nuts every time I pass this spot.

hi Carl,

Not to worry. I had the procedure done in 1997. Then it was only 5 years old. Even then, they knew how NOT to take risks. My situation, if it is the same...was called AV Nodal Re-entry. Simply put, I had an extra pathway in (or around) my heart. If I may be so bold to explain this crudely; We have a natural pacemaker in our heart (upper portion) that sends a signal to the AV node. This in turn sends signal to lower portion which is responsible for distributing signal out to our body. When the AV node is sending, it won't accept another signal from the pacemaker. About 1/3 of the population has extra heart beats and its fine. But, out of this 1/3 there is a small portion that also have these extra pathways. When the extra signal goes, the AV node won't accept, BUT....the signal takes the extra pathway and this creates a situation of feedback where the signal goes up toward the AV node. This feedback is what drives the heart rate up...quite suddenly.

Okay...so, for your daughter. Tell her this. In spite of the procedure being very long with lots of teams of different specialists (one to map heart, one for cathetors, one for x-ray, and finally the heart surgeon that comes in for the ablation), the NEXT DAY, I was better then new!! Completely fine and the episode never ever came on again. Its totally painless, all done with catheters, no scarring, and life is great. It will be harder on you waiting then on your daughter, who will be asleep in about 5 minutes from going into operating room.

I had procedure done at New England Medical Center by Dr. Estes. Should you want to know or compare or call. I hope I answered your concerns, but please let me know if there is anything more I can add.

Take care...and of all things, this procedure for me was a no brainer. I am completely fixed!!! No meds. Alternative would have been change of lifestyle and medication.

my polar HRM behaves the same way sometimes. I realize that my HRM is what's acting up, not my heart. with a HR that high, you would not sustain consciousness very long, mainly b/c your heart loses the filling time necessary to pump an adequate blood volume. Your subjective feelings during these times should override any readout you get from your watch. I hope this helps allay some concerns. Happy training.

TKSVM ,  I will pass this on to my little girl.

Something else to watch on your bike rides...If your jersey is flapping even a little in the breeze created by your ride, it can cause static electricity to build which also influences the reading of the HRM. I was getting crazy readings for a while, then I started wearing a snug tri-singlet under my shirt and the problem disappeared. Polar suggests wetting your shirt as well, but that might not be a good option in the colder climates.

I've been considering an ablation also. I'm a 28 year old male.
I was diagnosed last summer with PSVT...the re-entry kind.
I teed off golfing and my heart rate shot to 270 bpm!! Very, very uneasy feeling.
Usually only happens in the summer...and when I'm golfing though...
Haven't experienced any during my training yet...a few skips or extra beats, but that's it.
I've been taking beta blockers....toprol xl...for 6 months or so to keep the 'symptoms' down. The doctors that I see are from Burlington. They were talking about keeping me awake for the ablation. Your daughter might want to go watch one being performed? They offered that to me. My friend's brother is a runner...has competed in quite a few races...was diagnosed with something very similar (WPW)...had the ablation and was running a week later. He had his done when the operation was relatively new also....he may have had it done in the Boston area also. I believe that the tachardia can reappear, the ablation isn't a guarantee, but like everyone says, your pulse is easily checked with you usual tests.

umm...I'm not so sure about keeping an 11 yr old awake through it. There is alot of things going on and I think the trauma of seeing all the teams of doctors can be alarming. Also, when I had it done, I had had alot of different IV's, this combined with the catheters I would think might be alarming. I'm sure given the option, perhaps I would have wanted to be awake, I'm not sure. I was not 11, but 37 at the time (alittle more able to appreciate it) and i was in operating room for over 7 hours. They need the "episode" to come on in order to trace it. Since they couldn't get it to come on, they had to inject my heart with something directly. Unless they have really super smoothed out alot of this..I just wonder if its better to be "under".

My episodes came on at random times, however, similar to your tee-off in golf madstop, mine came on alot when i played tennis. I remember describing it coming on when i bend down, but my brain doesn't know I am. As in a sudden bent over motion without warning. I would see negative and my heart felt like it was going to thump out of my chest. My HR went over 250. I had to wear a HRM for 24 hours (back then, the HRM were cumbersome!!). I sometimes still get what seems like phantom symptoms. Perhaps it is the feeling of extra heart beats which I assume I still have, but they don't travel the path gone! I haven't had another episode since and I will be 45 this year. The reason you may get it again, is because there may be more then one path.

Good luck..and i do highly recommend getting it done and throw out the meds!! I'm sure the procedure is even more perfected now. But also, I would still be sure you are getting "the best" to do it. Again, I had it done at New England Medical with Dr. Estes. He is very well known in this field.

I am not at all comfortable in and around Doctors and hospitals....when I talked to my electrophysiologist about having the ablation done, I told him that I would prefer them to knock me out...I don't want to know or see anything. He told me that they would have to keep me awake....he assured me that whatever they would give me would make it so I wouldn't even care if I were ran over by a truck. I'm still waiting to make my decision though....

The Burlington, VT doctors are very well respected when it comes to the cardiology dept.

hey madstop, i was put out from the get-go. they didn't need me awake. i was in surgery for 7 hours. mine was done in 1997, maybe the procedure has changed since then??

good luck......