As many of you know, I recently had a medical incident. Long story short: My hospital medial team lead physician suggested it'd be wise if I got fitted for an Afib monitor for a week. Discussed it with my PCP (Primary Care Physician). She suggested a smart watch with the appropriate capabilities might be better and that my insurance might cover most of the cost. Apple is completely out of the question. (I have an Apple Watch. It's outta here. So I need a new watch, anyway.) I trust Samsung no further than I can throw them.

This leads me to the FitBit Sense. Any of y'all have one of these and care to share your thoughts?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ensigmatic,

A neighbor had one he swore by. Put it on me and it said my pulse was 100

Put my fingers on my wrist and checked and it was 72.

So who knows...

I've had a Fitbit Versa 3 for about 6 weeks. Not as advanced (no O2 saturation, no skin temp, no breathing rate) as the Sense but I'm enjoying it. Resting heart rate has been accurate, and the feature I like best is the sleep quality tracker.

I had a hell of a time with rashes from the silicone band, and I asked my dermatologist about it. She had the same thing happen with her Apple Watch's silicone band. She suggested I switch to a washable fabric like her, and it's made a world of difference.

It your FitBit read high, they would then just put you on a heart monitor anyway ( as they would need to determine whether it was atrial fib or supraventricular tachycardia).... I can't imagine that a Doc would prescribe anything on data from a FitBit...JMO.

If we were discussing my own possible loss of vision or stroke , it seems to me to be the wrong time to go cheap...again JMO ( uneducated)....

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
A neighbor had one he swore by. Put it on me and it said my pulse was 100

Put my fingers on my wrist and checked and it was 72.

So who knows...

Wrist-located HRMs are known to sometimes suffer accuracy problems. My Apple Watches have always been pretty good, but not perfect.

By all accounts I've read the FitBit Sense can be slow to catch up when HR increases, but it does generally read pretty accurately.

Nothing will ever be quite as good as a chest-strap monitor. But I'm hardly doing that 24x7.

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:
I can't imagine that a Doc would prescribe anything on data from a FitBit...JMO.

You do realize the FitBit Sense is approved by the FDA (for whatever that's worth) for that use, right?

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:
If we were discussing my own possible loss of vision or stroke , it seems to me to be the wrong time to go cheap...

"Go cheap?" The FitBit Sense retails for $300. It's hardly "cheap."

What would you suggest, instead?

If you are mainly interested in an EKG reading, you might want to try one of these:

AliveCor-Parent-KardiaMobile

https://www.amazon.com/Aliveco...id=1629213356&sr=8-1

KardiaMobile 6-Lead Personal EKG Monitor | FDA-Cleared |
https://www.amazon.com/AliveCo...g%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-2

quote:

Originally posted by synthrob:
If you are mainly interested in an EKG reading, you might want to try one of these:

Thanks, but that's not what I'm looking for.

I need a new watch, because my Apple Watch is outta here. (I will clarify my OP in this regard.) If I can get a watch that will give me Afib checking/monitoring, I can kill two birds with one stone.

quote:

My hospital medial team lead physician suggested it'd be wise if I got fitted for an Afib monitor for a week. Discussed it with my PCP (Primary Care Physician). She suggested a smart watch

Get fitted for the AFIB monitor for a week, see what it finds out about you, it's just a week for now.

Get the fitbit and wear it at the same time see if it reads and picks up the same data points. If not, return it and get a Samsung...

I have had a Fitbit for several years and wouldn't count on it to do what you're asking. I liked it for step counting and basic functions.
Then I got this from my insurance co.

https://www.heartline.com/

I know you said no Apple but this is worth a look if you can qualify. Three things to qualify.

65 or older on Medicaid.
Use an Iphone since that's what it uses.
No prior Afib diagnosis. From your description, your doctor suspects by no diagnosis at this point.

My cardiologist compared my Apple watch results to an in office EKG.

He took a six lead EKG and I took and apple read right after.

The watch was very accurate read of the lead it uses.

It is in essence a 1 lead EKG.

Not compared to a 6 lead machine but good to detect something not normal going on.

My wife had several fitbits fall apart within the warranty period, but they only give you one watch per warranty.

After the 4th fitbit she went to an apple watch and it has lasted 4 years without problems.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Get fitted for the AFIB monitor for a week, see what it finds out about you, it's just a week for now.

My PCP is reviewing the results of my hospital stay. She will make a recommendation following that. If she recommends I hook up with a cardiologist, and that cardiologist recommends an Afib monitor, then I'll do that.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Get the fitbit and wear it at the same time see if it reads and picks up the same data points.

If my medical insurance will significantly subsidize it, I will. But I'm not going out and spending $300 on a watch.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
If not, return it and get a Samsung...

Samsung is entirely off the table. I trust Samsung even less than I do Apple or Google.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I have had a Fitbit for several years and wouldn't count on it to do what you're asking. I liked it for step counting and basic functions.

Noted. Thanks for the feedback. (Though I am led to believe they're getting better?)

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I know you said no Apple but ...

No "buts." I'm done with Apple. Even if they reverse course I've learned my lesson. Never again will I immerse myself in an ecosystem like that. But thanks for the lead!

I don't have experience with the Sense. My wife had a Fitbit, at about 18 months old the battery would not recharge and they had no battery replacement program other than buy a new Fitbit. Out that went and she got an Apple watch. As you are well aware both require an app to get data off them.

My impression of both, and of your concern with Apple and privacy in general, is how are you going to get the data off the Sense without an app (apple or android) and where is that data stored?


And looking a little more, it seems they have a software program for a home computer, that allows you to set up an account and download the data using bluetooth. I have no clue where this data goes. If it only stays on your computer or also goes into the fitbit servers associated to your account? (I would guess yes)


I have an older Garmin Training Center software program, that loads all my cycling data from my garmin to my computer (only.) They have long since stopped supporting it and now offer the online version. No thanks. Anyways, this is just nice to know info for me, not life or death like yours could be. The Sense appears to have a lot of good info in it - access, storage and the privacy of that data is for you to answer.

quote:

Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:
I don't have experience with the Sense. My wife had a Fitbit, at about 18 months old the battery would not recharge and they had no battery replacement program other than buy a new Fitbit.

Yeah, that's a big negative, and one of the big criticisms of FitBit: No repair or refurbishment at all. That, alone, may kill the idea for me.

quote:

Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:
As you are well aware both require an app to get data off them.

Yes.

quote:

Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:
My impression of both, and of your concern with Apple and privacy in general, is how are you going to get the data off the Sense without an app (apple or android) and where is that data stored?

Yup. That's one of the reasons I never went forward with hooking my Omron blood pressure machine to my Apple stuff. Took one look at what they wanted to do and said to myself "Yeah, I don't need this data that badly."

I may abandon the entire idea of a smart watch. I'll miss it, but I survived sixty-six years without one. I imagine I can survive without one again

I've had the Fitbit Sense for several months now. Do you have any specific questions?

The ECG only takes a 30 second snapshot and alerts you to any abnormalities. It is not a continuous monitor. I'm not even sure if that data can be extracted and shown to your doctor.

I'm happy with it. I do splurg for Fitbit Premium so that may affect the capabilities and ease of use I've experienced.

Thanks for the feedback, everybody.

Following the comments here and elsewhere, I think I'm going to pass on FitBit products. Too many reports of early death and wonky performance.

Instead I think I'm going to go with a Garmin Venu Sq. Much more economical, gets good reviews from both reviewers and owners, and does everything I need.

Doesn't have the EKG, but I don't have that now, so I'm not losing anything.

First 24-Hours Impressions

I'm not terribly impressed with this Garmin Venu Sq watch.

The blood oxygen readings can be wildly inaccurate. I could live with that.

The biggest problems are the vibration motor is weak and whatever sound the watch makes is so weak it's useless for alarms and timers, and readability in bright sunlight is marginal. All this makes is much less useful to me as, you know, a watch.

The app is really good, though. Much better than Apple's, in some ways, IMO.

I'll give it a few days.

ETA: Or not. It got blood oxy more-or-less right on night #1, failed to get it at all last night. It's also showing a resting HR 10 BPM faster than either of my Apple Watches used to show.

So, poor as a watch and poor as a health monitor. Back it goes.

I guess I'll just do without a "smart" watch.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ensigmatic,