Is this the PM?
Before installing the PM/ICD device, I would sit down on the couch and would feel just fluttering feeling, and a light headedness that would not go away.
At work, I had those feelings and I woke up to go get a glass of water, and fainted.
Today for the first time, I was sitting down and had those feelings, but it was very brief, and immediately felt better. I am wondering if anyone is feeling the same with devices. Doctor told me that I have Afib and the pacer part of the device has kicked in 22% of the time.
Also, does anyone have a heart rate watch? Do they work, I had one and I guess if it's not monitoring constantly there is no way for me to tell at the time what the rate was. Do they even work, should I return this?
2 Comments
not sure
by hippie1234hippie - 2010-04-10 12:04:13
I've only had my pacer for a few weeks but it fired the other morning in my kitchen. Felt like I was kicked by a horse.
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HR Watch
by ElectricFrank - 2010-03-29 01:03:15
You may find a problem with the HR watch. If it is the kind where you touch it with opposite hand the heart rate information comes from ECG like electrical signals that the heart generates. There is one large spike for each beat in a person without a pacemaker. The watch times these spikes and calculates HR. When the pacer is active there may be 1 or 2 extra spikes from the pacer depending on how it is set. The simple program in the watch can't tell the difference between the hearts signals and the pacers so gets confused. The reading may be 2x or 3x the actual rate. So suddenly that nice 75bpm becomes 150 bpm.
The only reliable HR monitors are the type that use a light source shining through a finger or ear lobe to count actual blood pulses. The down side for this type is that when walking or running there are blood pulses generated just from movement.
Your experience with the PM/ICD shows it is doing its job. It is likely that the pacer part of the device is what is kicking in. If the ICD fired you would have no doubt. At least thats what the folks here will tell you, and I believe them.
frank