Fitbit - Blog post about using it Monitoring ME.

Revel

Revel

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Interesting blog post (as always;) ).

I already wear a watch to monitor my heart rate, since I have POTS and I can't always feel when my heart is doing something dumb until it's too late.

I had looked into Fitbit some while ago, but didn't think that I would find a use for all of its functions. I never gave a thought to using it for ME purposes, only POTS.

Time for me to reconsider, perhaps?
 
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Calathea

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I've just ordered a Fitbit Flex. Thanks for your blog, it's very helpful. And I love the graphs! I am going to have fun working out how to do rolling averages...
 
Keela Too

Keela Too

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Calathea said:
I've just ordered a Fitbit Flex. Thanks for your blog, it's very helpful. And I love the graphs! I am going to have fun working out how to do rolling averages...
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If you would like a blank copy of my Excel sheets, just PM me an email address. Happy to share. ;)
 
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Calathea

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Thanks, but I'm using Open Office. I'll ask if I need any general tips, though.

I dithered between a Flex and a Charge HR, but went for the Flex. It's slimmer, which matters a bit as I'm tiny, and I think the five dots will be easy to relate to, in terms of getting an idea how far through my day's energy allowance I am. The Charge HR monitors your heart rate, but mine is eerily stable since going on ivabradine. Plus it's not out in the UK for a while, and I want to amass some data before I see the pain clinic in a couple of months.
 
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Calathea

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How are you getting on with it now, by the way? Any other Fitbit/activity tracker users out there?
 
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Keela Too

Keela Too

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There is an ME group on Fitbit - where you can see the ranking of others in that group, and also a discussion area, which is fairly quiet at the moment.

Sadly I'm still struggling physically. Mostly I'm keeping my mental faculties okay - but only by keeping my physical stuff very limited.

I'm now using a HR monitor that beeps at me as well. And I still intend to write that second "Monitoring ME" post about the HR stuff.... just haven't quite got around to it yet. Other things keep bumping it down the list... I WILL do it eventually! ;)
 
Keela Too

Keela Too

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PS If you check out that discussion forum you will recognise me, as I use another picture of my wee dog Patsy on there. You can send friend requests out on there - so friend me if you like...just add a comment to say who you are, so I can make a connection.
 
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Calathea

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Apart from the part where it's faulty, the Fitbit Charge HR is going very well. It buggers up the graphs, however, so I'll have to send it back and hope the replacement works properly. And the sleep graphs are buggy, it's the software not the tracker, so I hope they sort that out soon.
 
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Debbie23

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Would people recommend a fitbit rather than a mio fuse for example? I'm looking at getting a HR monitor to help me pace better, ideally I'd like one that is waterproof so I have the options of wearing it in the shower as while I usually have help showering if I can ever get back to doing it myself I'd like the visual guidance of when I need to stop and rest before carrying on. Showering really takes it out of me and I sometimes need to sit still before I continue and wash my legs after washing the top half etc. And before I move from shower seat to get back on wheelchair, even with someone helping me. Having a visual clue as to when I need to stop even for a short time, I thought that may make it less taxing if I can learn to manage it better.

So I was looking at getting the fitbit surge, despite the cost (I've been saving and would look at it as an investment), because it's strapless and waterpoof accessing to the summary of its spec but the detailed info says to remove before showering. So I'm wondering what to do. I like the idea of the fitbit software from the reviews I've seen, if I'm right the mio needs to be out in exercise mode to continually manage heart rate, if I've understood correctly the Fitbit doesn't.

I'm wondering if anyone can advise as to which HR monitor to get. Fitbit or mio fuse. If I had to accept it couldn't go in the shower I would also consider the Charge HR, I like the fact it's smaller and more compact and obviously more affordable. But the mio does seem to suggest it could be used for showering but the software doesn't look as good as the fitbit's for my purposes. The fitbit also has the sleep monitor for all that it's not perfect, I like that function.

If anyone can advise which they'd consider, or others that don't have a chest strap, I'd be really grateful. I feel more than a little lost as to which HR to get! :)
 
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Valentijn

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@Debbie23 - The Mio Alpha at least is waterproof, though you aren't supposed to use the buttons while it's wet. I get mine on and start monitoring before I go upstairs, then use it to pace my showering.
 
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Debbie23

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Valentijn said:
@Debbie23 - The Mio Alpha at least is waterproof, though you aren't supposed to use the buttons while it's wet. I get mine on and start monitoring before I go upstairs, then use it to pace my showering.
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That's great! Thank you. I will look at the alpha in more detail then. How do you find the software etc. Do you find it does the job as you'd like?
 
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Debbie23

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Keela Too said:
I have a Mio alpha. It talks to my phone via Endomondo which means I can get graphs of my day etc. Also how long I spent in each HR zone. I wrote a bit here on using Endomondo... (scroll down)

http://sallyjustme.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/rhythm-and-endomondo-hr-monitoring-for.html
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That's really helpful, thanks. So you just use it continually in the exercise mode so the 'session' it would log would be an entire daily period? Sorry to ask so many questions. :)

I like the idea it works with other software so you have options available and the battery sounds good too. I love that you point out that this works strapped to your ankle! I get carpal tunnel and have to have wrist guards on, I was thinking I could strap it further up my arm, but ankle sounds good too and might be more comfortable with my guards.

I'm liking the look of the alpha. Thank you very much for your input. :)
 
Keela Too

Keela Too

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A "session" only lasts 10 hours on the Mio watch, but if you use the Endomondo app on your phone the session will run as long as you like.

The "sessions" on the Mio and on the app are not linked to each other. Endomondo just gets the HR data and then processes it all using it's own system. So you can re-start a new session on the Mio, and Endomondo doesn't record a break at all.

The Mio will "beep" if you have a session running, but if you are somewhere you don't want to be beeped at, then you can stop the session on the Mio - the HR will still keep recording and showing a readout, and sending data to Endomondo, but no beeping. Of course that data doesn't then record on the Mio session summary, but to me that is irrelevant as I use the summary on Endomondo.

Clear as mud, but a great system once you get going with it. I'm starting to graph things and looking for patterns in HR data too.... but that's just the nerd in me. ;)

Hope that helps @Debbie23
 
Keela Too

Keela Too

Sally Burch
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As for the ankle thing, I go through phases of where I put it. Like you I sometimes get wrist problems, and then it goes into my sock around my lower calf - just above ankle. Right now it seems okay on my wrist again, and I like being able to peek down at the reading sometimes.
 
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Debbie23

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I can understand that about the graphs completely! My New Years resolution is to get better at pacing and I want to be able to use graphs etc. To help me learn whether I've rested adequately etc. Both before and after an outing say, and how that correlates with how badly my symptoms increase etc. It's why the software is an important feature for me. I'd like it to be as simple as possible because cognitively I'm not good at the minute and I'm likely to stick to it if it's straightforward, that's why the fitbit appealed because it was all there under the one app.

But I like the mio because others have tried it and say it works. I notice the fuse says it's designed to track all day. So I may go for that one, although I am seriously considering the alpha based on advice.

Decisions, decisions! :)

Edit to add; the reason I'm thinking about the fuse is because I can totally see myself forgetting to restart the warnings on the monitor if I have to turn it off! Or when the session 'times out'.
 
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