[BibChr]

Um... er... I don't know. It's what my doctors have called it since I first noticed it in the '70's. It's where your heart rate can more or less double, and hold; and the longer it holds, the more unpleasant things happen.

There are some physical things you can do to stop it, most of the time -- which in a state of morbid obesity are themselves extremely unpleasant. And which weren't even working for me, towards the last.

Now, my heart's sped up once or twice, and all I've had to do is draw a deep breath and hold it hard for a moment, and it slows right down.

Dan

[.38sw]

Tachycardia is not the same thing as atrial fibrillation. As you said, tachycardia is a very rapid heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation is when the atrial chamber of the heart doesn't contract properly, but the muscles in that portion of the heart "twitch" rather than beat in coordination with each other. When that happens, the blood is not actually pumped - there is no effedtive heartbeat.