Hi Everyone,
Got a pacemaker 2 years ago because my heart rate was dangerously low. Been fine for 2 years...excercising, lost some weight, health has been good (I also have Atrial Fibulation but I rarely feel it and so far it is only 1% of the time).
Recently used a friends blood pressure home device to check my BP and pulse rate. BP always comes up fine but pulse rate is constantly 59,58. My friend said that's good and the the low rate is probably my areobic excercise paying off. However, I have a pacemaker because my heart rate went too low so this may be the result of my medical condition and not a sign of excercise.What bothers me is that the reason I checked it was because I have on occassion felt very slight pre-dizziness...

 

I'm new to this forum and am amazed at the knowledge out there. I had my pacemaker (Medtronic ADDRL1) implanted in 2007 for third degree heart block. Been feeling better BUT I am plagued by some Atrial fibs and Dr. now wants to treat with Beta blockers. I'm already on Exforge and don't want to add anymore drugs to my routine.

I never had Atrial fibs before and wonder if this is common after a pacemaker implant and can it be controlled by adjusting the rate. I'm pacing at 60 but was never told upper limits.

Thanks for any information....!

 

Hey, everyone!

I have been doing some research here on individuals with third degree heart block and I wanted to change the Rate Response setting on my Guidant 1291 from on to off.

I have been having difficulty with uncomfortable heart beats, irregular heart beats, and faster than normal heart beats. These would occur off and on at any time. Bending over would raise my heart rate to much. Walking to the car would send it to around 109 - 110. Although this was not uncomfortable(the faster rate) I would get short of breath to the point I'd have to sit down.

I read a lot of the posts done by ElectricFrank(thank you sir) and I asked for the Rate Response to be turned off. I reasoned with my cardio that since I ...

 

I haven’t posted for a while but have had my 6 month check today and thought I would give you an update. When my problems kicked off last summer not only was I diagnosed with Bradycardia & Third Degree Block, I also had an under active Thyroid. My pm was fitted in November and I was 100% paced both in the Atria & Ventricles.

I have never been medicated for the under active thyroid but have been monitored and over the past 6 months it has come back to “acceptable” parameters. I had wondered whether my heart would recover and today it has been confirmed. Although I am still paced 100% in the ventricles (to be expected with 3rd degree block), the Atria are now only pacing 18% of the time. Yippee.

I know that there are ...

 

Well, I went back to the EP for my next checkup to see about going of Sotalol all together and swapping to a 25 mg dose of toporol XL.

I got some good news and some not bad, but not good news. I had no Vtach episodes, but apparently I had a couple of very short (1-2 sec) relatively slow afib episodes.

So, my EP wants me to stay on 80 mg/day of Sotalol and just take an aspirin everyday. He said they are so infrequent that he isn't worried, but it's not exactly what I wanted to hear. I was hoping to eventually not need an ICD anymore, but not sure what the prospects are at the moment. I guess time will tell.

So, for now the "don't look, don't touch" ICD policy will just have to work. My current EP did agree t...

 

So from the recent replies I have gotten, I think I am going to ask for an EP study with mapping to be done to see if my heart has made a new pathway. Maybe that way I will have some answers. Would it be possible to actually heal all the way so I can have my pacemaker removed? That would be the ultimate!!! Thank you for all of your help...Pacie

 

I recently posted a message about my heart trying to beat on its own again. I'll try to be more clear this time. In May of 2001, I was fitted for a pacemaker because of complete heart block. I had recently had an ablation done to try to correct dangerous arrythmias which was successful but my heart decided it didn't want to beat no more than 23 bpm after the procedure, so I was then fitted for a pacemaker. After all those years and 2 pacemakers later, my heart had gotten worse and wasn't beating at all in the ventricles. Now I went in for yet another interrogation last week and found out that my heart is trying to heal itself and beat on its own. When I first went in (last week) I was 100% dependent on my pacemaker as my heart wasn't doing...

 

Hello all. I went to have my interrogation the other day and the nurse that does the interrogation found something that shocked the both of us. When she was checking my battery she noticed that my heart was trying to beat on its own. You have to understand that I had an AV ablation trying to fix my fast irregular heartbeats and after that my lower heart wouldn't do anything, so now I have 'my little friend'. She adjusted it where the pacemaker would only kick in when my heart wouldn't beat after so many milliseconds. Needless to say I felt awful while she was checking to see if it worked okay. I feel bad because I couldn't go like that. It felt like my heart was in my throat, my legs were weak and I could feel the pacing. She told me not t...

 

my 15 yrs old daughter had her pm checked out yesterday it was good but she usesit 30% of the time but she is good for another 2 years now so i am happy

 

I have an appt. to have a checkup by phone next week. Since this is the 1st time ,I am not sure what it is that is being checked. The battery of the pacemaker or me ? If they are checking how I am pacing can they also change settings by phone? I am asking because I have been experiencing extra beats since my new lead was implanted on May 22. I had a holter monitor test about 10 days ago but so far have not gotten the results. The extra beats are annoying but I am not sure whether I should be patient and wait for the holter monitor results to prove that the extra beats are real or be more aggressive about my care and go into the office instead of waiting for my checkup by phone. I would appreciate any input .
Thanks, Bonnie

 

Hey guys,
I know i've done a bit of whining during the last 10 months, mostly about feeling pacing (usually during sleeping and waking me up many times per nite). But during the last 2 checkups they made adjustments that improved it to the point where I hardly notice it. YAY!
Mine is for syncope.
Lowered my minimun rate from 60 to 50 the first time,still pacing about 12-20 times/nite. Then lowered my pacing from 120 to 100. and adjusted one of the leads to hardly kick on at all (the ventricle I think). The node between atrium and ventricle seems to take care of the pacing for both chambers fine.
The cardiac geeks (spoken with utmost respect) on this site might be able to understand what I'm saying and explain it ...

 

I had my first checkup Wednesday for the Guidant PM Implanted 5/16. The female technician who was an LVN ran all the tests in my cardiologists office and assured me everything is looking good. She did not make any adjustments. She merely printed out a report for the cardiologist and scheduled me for another scan in four months. However, I have an appointment with the doctor in two weeks for a followup.
My cardiologist, who has been treating me for CHF for three years, set the PM for 60 BPM initially based on my history.
My "wound" healed successfully, and I have been feeling marginally better at 78 years of age with no sleep problems, although I do wake up around 5 AM occasionally for no apparent reason. I have had no fainting s...

 

hi everyone,
I am wondering how many of us feel that we are totally back to the way of life that we had before the implant. I am doing well but not back to where I was a year before the PM. Am I asking for too much? My EP doctors don't seem to care if my energy is not the same or that I sometimes get lightheaded going up stairs. Should I learn to live with my limitations or keep after the PM clinic. In the clinic we never get the same doctor twice. All are EP trained card. but they spend most of the visit reading your file trying to see what the other doctors in the clinic have found. Just wanted to see if anyone else feels the same way.
Thanks,
Gary

 

I have had my pm since 03 and my new EP dr, when I had my EP study in April, said that he did not know why the SBR setting had never been set up in my pacer, given the fact that I have been complaining of syncope ever since I got it. He turned that feature on, and MAN do I feel so much better!!!! I am really upset my last EP didnt know to do that. But I am grateful my new one has some sense. I havent been having any syncopal or near syncopal events since he changed it.

Sudden Brady Response: Designed to respond to a sudden drop in heart rate that can occur with neurocardiogenic syncope. Responds to a patients sudden drop in atrial rates by applying dual chamber pacing at an elevated rate.

Just thought I would share th...

 

hi there! i was just wondering if anyone knows what a pmt is? i have an icd and when i go to get the device interoggated my doctor always says i have some pmt episodes i guess but that it's nothing to worry about. i trust him, i just always forget exactly what it is. he explains it to me but i think i need to see it in writing to fully understand it. i know its device based but that's about it. thank you........

 

My doctor's office is starting to drive me crazy! In the mail yesterday I got a letter saying that they needed to change my appointment/pace maker check. This is the fourth time it's been changed. I originally was suppoused to go the end of May. About a month before it I got a lrtter with my appointment scheduled for the Beginning of June. When I called they didn't even have the other one in the system (yet I had the print out from when I made it) the didn't even have a pm check scheduled. I couldn't make the day they wanted to do it. (the beginning of June) Then they tried it on June 19. That's the day before school gets out and it was in the morning. Don't want to take that day out. So I schedule it for June 23. Now it's July 3. Let's ...

 

I have read how several on this site have requested to have their rate response turned off on their PM. I am wondering, are your rate response settings primarily for increases or decreases in your bpm.

My rate response reacts to sudden drops in rate (25 in 25 sec. or less). The problem being, whenever I truly get relaxed, guess what happens! Then surprise I am at 100 bpm. I am wondering if I would benefit from having my EP look at whether or not this feature is truly needed.

 

I am to have chemical stress test on Thursday, has anyone had this, and how was it?

TT

 

I got PM in Noverber of 06. I am still very tired. They have changed my meds - reset my PM, put me on a sleep aid but nothing seems to work. I am going in the 23 of this month to check the settings - was wondering if anyone knew of something more I needed to tell them. I thought after I got the PM that I would have more engery but so far I haven't.

 

could anyone tell me what pacemaker syndrome is, the doctor mentioned it in passing but didn't go into detail. thanks