First of all, please let me thank you for all the information you gave me. I am studying carefully, and I hope to understand better what is happening to me. Here is my background:
I am 74 years old, and I take care of my 81 years old husband – the love of my life. We have been married for 50 plus years. I have lost both parents and my only brother to heart disease. I have been diagnosed with SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) for about 15 years. I have it under control. I was diagnosed with third degree heart block in 2004, and I received then my pacemaker. About 2 months ago I was helping my husband to the bathroom, feeling sick, light headed, nausea, cold perspiration, etc., when all darkened around me and I passed out. I wa...

 

I would appreciate if someone could explain my new settings to me, so I can understand why I don't feel well. This is what it says: "Finally the decision was made to program her with more physiologic AV delays and a permanently prolonged PRVP. In the end her final program settings are DDR with a paced AV interval of 180ms. A sensed AV interval of 150 ms. PRVP of 500 ms. The upper tracking rate was lowered to 120 beats per minute as was the upper sensory. Rate responsive PRVP was turned off. The remainder of the device interrogation demonstrates 1.9% atrial pacing and 36% ventricular pacing. P waves were 2.6 mV, R waves were 5.7 mV atrial impendence 350 ohms, and RV impedance was 600 ohms."
I have difficulty walking a flight of stairs ...

 

To Don and Frank especially, but to anyone who might have an opinion on my opinion. I have been fine during the day, during the night with sleep mode except for my thumps, and moderate exercise causes rate response to increase HR moderately and atenolol is keeping rate in the 60s when I check it. Is it possible whatever the rate is when I am doing chores around the house and feeling good is too fast for when around 6pm, I slow down, eat, read, watch tv and that is why those hours are so uncomfortable with sinking feelings in stomach and just blah feelings in between thumps of course. Do you think that making the sleep mode rate, which I think is 60, start at that hour instead of at 11pm, my problem might be lessened if not eliminated? I ha...

 

Can anyone tell me how and when pacemakers are set for an upper limit. I have just had mine adjusted because I was getting breathless when doing tasks like gardening and also I want to be able to walk in mountains. I have noticed that, since the change to my pacemaker setting, my pulse is now always between 70 and 80, thus never triggering my pacemaker which is set at 60.

 

I'm a 45 year old male. I received a dual chamber Medtronic pacemaker for heart block two years ago.

The number and length of my PVCS have increased for the last several months. They can last for 15-30 minutes to several hours with only short intervals of normal beating. These lengthy episodes do not happen everyday, however, they are very hard to tolerate when they do occur.

My question is: would raising my resting heart rate from 60 to 70 decrease the number and length of PVCS?

 

For those with cardiomyopathy and a crt-d, I was wondering what type of doctors were following you? My cardiologist who specializes in heart failure is leaving and I wondered if I could just see my EP for my follow up visits. The office seems agreeable to that, and I would love to have just one doctor. Does anyone just see their EP and the PM techs for their treatment? Thanks-

 

We are all picking up bits and pieces from each other the hard way, so thanks to all on the site. I would like to know several things - is an 'interrogation' just a pacemaker check or what?- how does your pm phone in its situation on what has been happening since last reading? can anyone have that or is just particular models this applies to? when the report arrives in your hot little hand from letterbox or email is it sent by your cardieman?

My cardieman who checks mine will tell me nothing. I spoke with medtronic and was told- I am entitled to be told what has been happening, what changes they make and what they expect to happen and I will insist on this in future along with printout in keeping with 'freedom of info'. If ...

 

I just got rate response turned on yesterday. Is it a coincidence that my blood pressure went up? I have fairly serious hypertension and I wonder if rate response is really appropriate for me. I take beta-blockers plus other hypertension medicine. I have only had the pacemaker for 6 weeks. It was put in due to bradycardia. Before rate response was turned on, my HR was always 60. Now it goes much higher, about 95 after walking up and down an 8 step flight of stairs once. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

 

hubby had pm cheak up today and was told alls fine just top part going to quick is this fine i ask ? as had letter from pm doc few weeks ago wanting to see hubby ats top part of heart is irregular due to see him this friday so how can pm tec say alls fine mmm i wounder also is bp of 140/80 normal or high can someone please tell me thanx everyone

 

Well, I finally got in for my 3 month post pacemaker implant check up, which turned into a 4 month checkup due to a cancellation in December. Doc says everything looks great, pacemaker is pacing but my heart is pacing on its own more (which means if it keeps this up my battery is going to last a long time!)

I posted a while back about my heart rate going up while driving or riding in a car and I said I would let you guys know what the doc said about it. He said there is a sensor in the pacemaker ( he did not say anything about rate response although I guess it could be the same thing) and that the sensor is sensing movement and thinking it's me exercising which is causing an increase in heart rate. I drive a mid-size SUV that i...

 

Have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and doctor has recommended a pacemaker. Though I am taking a blood thinner now - I feel great.

Should I get a second opinion?

 

My pacemaker is monitored by sending quarterly readings over the phone. Is there any connection between sending the report and me starting to feel tired and listless?

 

I just thought I would chime in as I have not been to this site for a while.
Just visited my cardo, I am in good shape, HR at the doctors office was 119/72 (I am happy!), The St Jude rep was there, she checked my PM, all looks good (my setting are 55 low-160 high. My pacing is 22% upper / 1% lower ( I guess that's good). This hasn't changed since the implant (August 2011). I guess the jogging and biking is helping a lot, and I feel really good. My goal this year is to run a half marathon before summertime. Another reason for the visit, I had my carotids scanned late December (I thought something was up when my cardo asked for it), but everything is fine. No changed since quintuple bypass July 2009.

I am happy!!!. ...

 

I hope someone can advise me. I have a Medtronic adapta pacemaker installed December 11, 2012. I was having a problem sleeping and so a few days ago they programmed the sleep mode. I don't know the technical name, something like hysterical which I am beginning to be after many failed attempts on various sites especially the many medtronic sites. Don't they want you to know? My understanding, mainly from reading posts on this site is that the PM would be set at 11:30pm (my choice for bedtime) to adapt my heartbeat by whatever means to 50BPM and keep it at that rate until 8:30 am, my wakeup time. If I am correct in my assumptions, it sure ain't doing that! I wake up during the night with a much higher rate than that. At midnight, my HR was g...

 

Just had my six week PM checkup with my cardiologist and I am not a happy camper. Have you all had the experience with your cardiologist that he really does not know what the PM can and cannot do?. I was having a slow heartrate and pauses which is why I got the pacemaker.. All he seems to know is that now my HR won't go below 50 because PM will kick in. I asked about my palpitations at night and he says it could be because I am in and out of afib. I thought it might be that my pulse was in the 80s whereas before PM it was always in the low 50s. Asked about sleep mode. He knew nothing about that. I asked about this "spacey" feeling I have been having when I go outside shopping. He is doubling my atenolol because maybe my HR is too high. No...

 

and was surprised to learn that my pm was pacing 99% of the time. Glad I had it put in as my bradycardia would not have got any better. That apart all went well. Readouts are fine and show the pm is doing what it should. Battery should last 9 years so the machine says. Seems long given the amount of pacing but time will tell! Also got a copy of the x-ray of my leads in situ. Nifty stuff - grandchildren think its brilliant.

And have to say I feel fine. No pain from the implant site and no niggles or surprises. I had them up the upper rate from 130 to 140 and this gives more leeway when I am exercising. I've been shovelling snow today.

Pleased to be able to share good news.

Robert

 

I've had my PM since 2011 when I had my first checkup 6 mo. later the bottom was at 40% and the top was 0%.
Now the bottom is at 70% and top 4% so my question is, Does this mean my heart is getting worse or is it that I've started exercising more frequently?
I had a heart attack in 07 and 2 stents then 4 more over the past 6 yrs. but 2 failed. My last cath in 11/2012 showed 40% blockage but the cardiologist said it was okay and he left it alone.

 

After sending a Carelink on 1/7 they called on 1/14 for me to come in for office check. After we get it settled that there were to be NO changes without my OK, we agreed on lowering the ventricle pacing voltage from 3.5V to 2.25Volts to increase battery life. The higher voltage was set several years ago when I had a loss of capture event. I've reminded them regularly that the self tests, Carelink, and office tests showed the lower voltage was called for, but they were concerned that I might lose capture again. For some reason they suddenly stopped worrying about it.

I'm happy to have it set lower both for longer battery life and I have a feeling it is easier on my heart. The worst that could happen is that I lose capture comple...

 

I just got back from the Doc's and he's implanting a new medtronics pacemaker on Wednesday! He said this one will have remote monitoring. I was looking it up on the web and do you have to have a landline phone or can this be done by cell phone?
Any of you have this and what do you think about it? It's been 9 years since the original one and this is my 1st new implant!
I'm also more scared this time around...any of you experience that and what was your recovery like?

Thanks so much!
Becky

 

In December 2011 I had my dual pacemaker put in. I thought all was going well when I went for my checkup in June 2012 only to find out one of the leads had not attached itself and had to be replaced by a new lead. Every thing went great and so far I have not had any problems , but I can not keep from worrying that it will come loose again. Has anyone else had this problem and if so what was your outcome. I have felt so much better after having it put in and would do it all over again. It's just that I am probably over concerned .

Thanks
Shari