My husband who is in excellent health and was in a very intensive heart study a year ago and passed with flying colors.

He will be 67 next month. On June 13, 2010 he suddenly got very dizzy and lightheaded. we went to the ER the next day and they said his BP and Oxygen rate was good but his heart rate was in the low 30's. They admitted him and monitored him, thinking he might be dehydrated, (he Was) but his heart rate never went above the 30's. They were mistified and sent him to Beth Isreal Deaconess Hosp in Boston where a battery of tests were performed, but the decided the next day since his heart rate was still in the 30's to put in a Pacemaker.

Everything went fine and he was released ther next day June 16, 2010, but he still feels lightheaded when he gets up to walk and it not steady on his feet.

He went back the next day and had his pacemaker checked and was told all was working correctly. He is still lightheaded and his follow up 7 day visit is tomorrow. Dr says his lightheadednes is not pacemaker related.

Tom was very physical, construction remodeling, working out racquet ball, and he may have had a lower heart rate to start with. Do you think the pacemaker, set at 60 is correct for him?

Any thoughts on his lightheadedness?

Thanks for any comments.

 

 

Hello,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

Sounds like the same old song, just a different verse. We get a pacemaker and when that doesn't solve the problem we are told "your pacemaker is working fine, so your problem is not pacemaker related." I got my first pacemaker in 2000 at age 71 and although my symptoms were totally different from those of your husband, I can't count the number of times I heard different that song.

As to whether a low setting higher than 60 would help or not, I can't say. I will ask what was his heart rate before it decided to go down to 30. If it was above 60, then a higher setting may help. I have had low settings all the way from 45 to my present one of 80. So in spite of what we are told, there is no magic number that fits everyone. It is trial an error and sometimes it takes several tries to get the best setting for a patient. If your husband thinks a low setting above 60 may help him, he should talk to the doctor about that to see what he as to say.

Before putting away my soap box, let me add that when your husband or anyone with a pacemaker, is told your "pacemaker is working fine" there is better than a 99% probability that is the absolute truth. A pacemaker is a very dependable device and will do what it is programmed to do. The problem is not all doctors or nurse/technicians have the ability to put in the optimum settings for an individual. When the desired result can not be obtained, I would suggest that is the time to consider another opinion.

I wish your husband the best,

Smitty

 

I had the same kind of lightheadedness, dizziness, and faintness for far too long at work (and at home) before I went to the emergency room from work. I am a tool and die maker, and stood on my feet virtually all day long at work, found myself leaning on things, etc. just to remain upright. They finally did every test in the book, and found arthritis of the neck, and the loop recorder findings showed my heart rate was dipping into the 30's during the daytime. I too am a very active person (or was, at least). In addition to the physical demands of my job, I did a lot of fast walking, and have worked out with weights, played basketball, etc. for many years. My dizziness and faintness was severe enough that I was not allowed to drive a car for 2 mos. They implanted a PM, gave me oral steroids and occ. steroid injections to reduce the inflammation of the neck arthritis (that condition was adding to the dizziness), and gradually my dizziness lessened. I now walk 3mi., 3 or more times/wk. with very little recurrence of dizziness. I would suggest your husband follw up w. his Dr. about his symptoms, and if everything, including blood pressure, etc. checks out ok, perhaps he could take up walking or cycling under safe conditions to see if his dizziness improves. Some blood pressure meds can make you dizzy, at least momentarily. I have CAD and HBP, controlled pretty well w. meds. You might want to have him checked for an inner ear problem too, if you haven't already. I know my symptoms very gradually improved, and for the first few weeks I thought they were never going to improve. My PM is also set at 60. One thing I noticed, the faster I walked, the less dizzy I became, before and after the PM implant. Best of luck to you and your husband.
Ken