Fitbit stops recording HR during IST/autonomic episodes

[SunnyGirl86]

Hi everyone,

Recently, I've been diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia as a result of ANS dysfunction after a thorough electrophysiology study.  I have the type of IST with the symptomatic episodes, so it's almost like a "heart  seizure" if you will, with uncomfortable symptoms like pre-syncope, dizziness, etc.  Often times, my heart rate will be in the 180s.  Anyhow, during these episodes, my Fitbit shuts off the heart rate monitoring.  The little heart greys out, and stays at the heart rate recorded previously until the episode passes (10 to 40mins), at which time, it resumes recording normally.  Is this something all Fitbits do with arrhythmias or heart-involved autonomic problems?

Thanks again for your help!

[Baltoscott]

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@SunnyGirl86 wrote:

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  Is this something all Fitbits do with arrhythmias or heart-involved autonomic problems?

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I don’t think so.  It may just not be getting a reading temporarily (which happens even during normal HR periods, but who ever checks then?).  Does your daily HR graph in the phone/computer app include the HR spikes when you have episodes?  Or does it show gaps?  

Try rebooting the watch (swipe to settings, scroll down to ‘about’ and then scroll down to ‘reboot’), and maybe change to a different clock face, and let us know if that seems to make any difference. 

[emili]

@SunnyGirl86  hey there.. let us know if Scott's suggestion worked for you or if you need anything more. 

[SunnyGirl86]

Hi guys, It did the same thing again during a small episode last night. With that said, the screen is now blank and it is vibrating every so often.  How do I reset it with a non-functional screen?  It must be some sort of glitch, and I'm hoping a reset can solve the issue.

Thanks again,

Jess

[Baltoscott]

Copied from the help article for restarting charge 2 and 3. 

1. Plug the charging cable into the USB port on your computer or any UL-certified USB wall charger.
2. Clip the other end of the charging cable to the port on the back of the tracker. The pins on the charging cable must lock securely with the port.
3. Make sure the button on your tracker is aligned with the button opening on the charging cable. You’ll know the connection is secure when the tracker vibrates and you see a battery icon on your tracker’s display. 
4. Press and hold the button to restart your tracker:
   • For Charge 2—press and hold the button on your tracker for 4 seconds. When you see the Fitbit logo and the tracker vibrates, the tracker restarted.
   • For Charge 3—press and hold the button on your tracker for 8 seconds. Release the button. When you see a smile icon and the tracker vibrates, the tracker restarted.
5. Unplug your tracker from the charging cable.

[SunnyGirl86]

It's charging, so I'll give it a few more days and see if it happens again
during an episode. If it does, I'll try to take a picture and post it, and
explain more thoroughly what's happening. Thanks again everyone for your
help!

[Gemma904]

I know I’m like 4 years late but whoever this may help…. I also have IST and I’ve seen that happen once when I was working out , it didn’t last long and I can only assume I was at about upper 130’s - 140’s. 
IST sucks and I hope you’ve been doing better. ❤️