How Tenicia Found Relief from Heart Palpitation Anxiety

When were you first diagnosed with arrhythmias?

I was first diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in August of 2019 due to a bad sinus cold. I was told that I could take some Sudafed, and in doing that, that's what triggered the Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). So after that, I was diagnosed and had to wear a Holter monitor. From that, I was diagnosed with AFib, Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), and Premature Atrial Contractions (PAC).

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What’s it like living with this condition?

Well, at first, it was very scary, very mentally draining, and very stressful. I didn't want to do anything just because I was so scared that something was going to trigger an episode or whatnot. I did undergo ablation for my AFib back in March of 2020. I had been AFib-free up until a possible AFib episode a few weeks ago. But other than that, I've been AFib-free. I've also dealt with a lot of Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) and Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs). I'm symptomatic with them, and I can feel all of them. But other than that, six months after the ablation, I was able to get off the blood thinner, and I haven't been on blood thinner since.

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What prompted you to use the QALY app?

I started using QALY to monitor every time I would have an episode, and usually, my episodes would start due to me being low in potassium or my iron being low. So I had the Kardia device, and sending those strips to the doctor could take three or four days. So the fact that there was an application that I could submit them to, and a technician could actually read them and get back to me a lot sooner than the doctor was, like, a sigh of relief. It gave me peace of mind and comfort. Using the QALY app has been awesome. As I said, it gives me peace of mind and comfort. It lets me know that I am okay. 

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