Pacemaker Syndrome

I go for a three month pacer check tomorrow - a friend with pacemaker tells me she feels I may have pacemaker syndrome - I have never heard of this. Symptoms of dizziness, short of breath, extreme fatigue and lethargy, chest fullness and some pain - always right hand side, light headed, jaw pain, headaches, thudding heart beats now and again in stomach and neck - rh side again. This started a week ago, had settings changes 3 months ago because of symptoms with right ventricular pacing, now DDIR said this would help symptoms associated with the ventricular pacing being minimum. Feel worse now than before having pacemaker. Take flecainide and metoprolol because of VT, I have heart block, minor sinus node dysfunction. Feeling really unwell and now very anxious - does anyone here have any thoughts please, it would help me a lot.
Maureen - Lancashire Lass

3 Comments

P M Syndrome

by SMITTY - 2010-12-06 02:12:35

Hello Maureen,

While there is no way I would ever say you do not have pacemaker syndrome, to me most of the symptoms you list do not sound like it.

As you know the upper chamber of the heart contracts pushing blood into the lower chamber and a millisecond later the lower chamber contracts pushing that blood out into the far reaches of the body. A pacemaker is supposed to maintain that synchronization between the upper and lower heart chambers. However, some people with single lead pacemakers have run into the pacemaker causing the chambers to get out of sync and that is where we got the term pacemaker syndrome. People with dual lead pacemakers seldom get pacemaker syndrome.

With that I have told you why I do not think you have pacemaker syndrome, but your symptoms do sound like the settings on your pacemaker could be a major contributor to your problems.

My suggestion to you is make a lit of the symptoms you have listed in your message and when you are asked to describe your problem, or whatever, hand them the list and simply say here are my problems. Especially that part where you say you feel worse now than before getting the pacemaker.

I wish you the best,

Smitty

PM Syndrome

by Lancashire Lass - 2010-12-07 04:12:01

Thanks Smitty - didn't open my emails until after pacemaker check - thanks so much for your comments.
Funnily enough I had decided to write symptoms down last night and visit today was great! Head pacer technician - tweaked around and I felt better immediately! However, she stressed my HR is way too low probably due to the beta blocker, looking at a slight reduction with GP tomorrow. She did mention PM syndrome, I didn't, but said as you did, that with dual chamber pacers would be unlikely to develop this. Main thing was I had no events recorded, so no VT or A fib.
Thanks again
Maureen

Lancashire lass

by RubySlippers - 2011-01-03 06:01:24

Hi Maureen , I'm also a Lancashire lass with a dual pm :)

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