The Day Fitbit Saved My Life

[H2019T]

9/23/19 I wake up in the surgery recovery room. “Everything went great!” The doctor stands over me explaining that she restructured and repaired a torn tendon and herniated muscle in my right ankle. “Make sure you start the blood thinner tomorrow,” she continues. I groggily mumbled an affirmative. Over the following days, I take my medication faithfully. Recovery is going very well.

A couple of days later, “It’s my birthday!” I lie on the couch exhausted from using my knee scooter from the bathroom to the living room. I can’t catch my breath. I’m starting to wheeze. I think to myself, “I’ll just take my inhaler. I’m sure the asthma is causing my shortness of breath.” Six hours later I notice my heart still feels like it’s racing. It shouldn’t still be racing this long after I took my inhaler.

I look at my Fitbit, my heart rate is in the 100s. I have been lying on the couch for several hours now. It should not be that high. I pull up my history on my Fitbit App to see my heart rate history. My heart rate had not gone below 100 all day. My heart is pumping way too hard. I’m debating whether to go to the ER; my heart rate jumps to over 120 sitting on my bed. It’s time to go.

I get to the ER on a very busy Saturday night. I tell them about my heart rate and other symptoms in Triage. They take me back immediately to run tests. The CT scan came back with several Pulmonary Embolisms some large, some small, and a massive one that was blocking a main artery. My right lung is filled with blood clots; I am only using my left lung to breathe. They roll me to the Trauma Unit of the regional Trauma Hospital. There were people in the ER that had been shot, some that had been in horrific car accidents, stroke victims, among other people. But, here I am in the same unit. That’s when it hit me, “I might die tonight.”

Thankfully, my vitals stabilized on a blood thinner after a while. They admit me to the hospital. The tending physician walks in my room to discuss what happened. He responds, “Your Fitbit saved your life.”

Had I not been wearing my Fitbit regularly or run the heart rate history, I would have died on my birthday.  

[Odyssey13]

Wow @H2019T  that is an incredible miracle story you shared with us. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about what happened. Happy belated Birthday! Hope you're recovering and taking care of yourself. Very glad you're with us in the community!

[AlvaroFitbit]

@H2019T Welcome to the Fitbit Community! It's great to have you here!

Thank you so much for sharing this amazing experience. There a lot of credit on you for taking the correct decision, monitoring your own heart rate when you actually felt it was really high and taking your medicine. Hopefully you are feeling better now and keep up this positive attitude. I wish you all the best and happy delayed birthday! 🎂🎉

@Odyssey13 great vibes from you, thanks for your great message too.

I'll be around!

[MarciM]

Hi @H2019T Thank you for sharing this incredible story. 

Happy belated birthday!

[WendyB]

Wow what an incredible story! Thanks for sharing!

Happy belated birthday!

[emili]

@H2019T - I literally got goose bumps reading your post. WOW and WOW. Thank goodness you listened to your body and thank goodness you had data to support what you heard. Wishing you a very happy belated birthday- this year more than ever is a gift. 

[nottelling]

Gosh, I got chills from reading that. I'm so glad you thought to look up your history and went to hospital. Your next birthday will be better I'm sure 🙂

[cathm]

Wow @H2019T - Thank goodness you had your Fitbit on!!!  Thank you for sharing 😊  

I find my Fitbit such a wonderful tool.  Your story is amazing proof.