Heart Rate

Another problem, aside from my not finding a bra to wear. My pacemaker is set at 60 beats per minute, however, when I walk up the stairs or down the stairs or for that matter, just walk, my pulse rate sky rockets. I've asked the doc about this and they say its normal. When I sit down the pulse rate goes back to 60 or 61. I never had this problem before the pacemaker was installed. I also used to exercise with weights every day and haven't done so because my pacemaker pocket shifted, which the tell me is normal the first year - anyone out there exercising. Had my pacemaker installed 11/09 and the doc says its still settling - will take at least a year to stay put. Thoughts are appreciated if you're having the same problem.

Marilyn

5 Comments

me also

by MAXI1439 - 2010-05-23 02:05:12

I just asked my doc the same question at my three month check. I also noticed the rate going up to what I thought was fast. I guess I just don't remember how it felt before needing the pacemaker. I also asked about rate response and was told I don't need it because my heart rate has no problem rising on its own. Guess that is a good thing. I also know that if I have too much caffeine/chocolate it tends to increase the rate.

Don't know about pacemaker settling, I just know that at times I think mine has moved, but probably hasn't. Hope you get the answers you need. Have a good day.


Me too

by wenditt - 2010-05-23 09:05:08

I notice that when I get up off the couch to go do something I can get into the 120's....totally normal...and when I relax I too am in the 60's. Doctor and I tracked it for a month and because it never happened "out of the blue" rather it was always in response to an activity I was doing they ruled it as appropriate.

Hope that helps

welcome!

by Tracey_E - 2010-05-23 11:05:06

I don't know that it should take a year to "stay put" because theoretically it's stitched into place (not all drs like to do this so it's not a given) but when the pocket is uncomfortable they often like to wait 6-12 months to see if it settles into place on its own rather than put you through another surgery. If it's something you can't live with, push to revise the pocket sooner or consider getting another opinion.

How fast is "skyrocket"? Sometimes when our rates are very low before we got the pm, a perfectly normal rate will feel horribly fast. Have you had your pm checked? It's also possible a feature called rate response needs adjusted, or possibly turned off.

Rate response is a clever gadget that senses when we move and raises our hr for us. If our hr goes up normally with activity, we don't need rr and this can conflict with what our heart does naturally and leave us feeling funky.

If you do need rr to get your rate up, and reading your bio I suspect that you do, it's likely it needs fine tuned. There are a number of sensitivity settings on it and it's common to take a few tries to get it just right, to find that balance between going up when you need it to and taking off every time you sneeze. Stay on your doctor! You should be able to be active and feel good again.

probably normal

by aldeer - 2010-05-23 11:05:08

My pacemaker was installed in Aug. 07 and it definitely has moved down. It does get a little uncomfortable at times, but I would rather live with it than take chances of infection if I had it repositioned. I do swim at least five days a week and walk daily. Yes, my heart rate does easily go to 100 when I walk up or down stairs or just walking around the house and goes down to 60 after sitting about ten minutes. Really don't know if the rate response is good or bad but will leave that knowledge to Smitty or Electric Frank. Would I be more or less tired if I had it turned off?.... don't know:) Finding a bra takes some time and I even had that problem with swimsuits. Every person is really different, so that takes patience and trial and error. Lots of good luck, and I am sure you will hear from others.... aldeer

Track it!

by Genie - 2010-05-25 07:05:33

Wenditt's experience having this tracked is a good idea. When you have your check-up, they should be able to tell you if there are any really fast rates, and you can cross reference this against what you were doing. If it corresponds to an activity its probably ok.

I was treated for CONSTANT tachycardia after my pacemaker. 100-115 on sitting, 140 on standing, 150 on walking. That's not normal! I'm now on a really low dose of beta-blocker. My heart now still goes up to 100 when I walk, and when I had an really terrible argument it went up to 150! But as long as the rise is gradual onset related to activity, and you feel ok, that's the important thing (my pacing technicial told me this just last week). When my tachycardia was constant (and not normal) it felt completely different - I was dizzy and breathless and couldn't leave the house.

It's normal for your heart raise to rise 10-15 bpm on standing (otherwise you'd faint), and more when you exercise. When I was on lots of drugs after the tachycardia my pulse rate only went up from 60 to 64 after brisk walking. This felt really awful, so you do want your heart rate to rise when you exercise. But if it's making you worried, or doesn't settle after you've been resting for half an hour, then I would talk to your doctor.

Genie

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