Multiple Episodes.....

I just went for my pacemaker reading a couple of days ago and was told that I had a total of 21 episodes over the last 2 1/2 months. I thought this was quite a lot for me since the prior 3 months when I was checked was only a total of 5.  My pacemaker was installed in Nov. of 2005. This is disturbing to me, but not to my technician/cardiologist. Is there anyone else who has this number of episodes on a regular basis???  I appreciate any feedback on similar cases.  Thanks

7 Comments

???

by J.B. - 2011-01-26 06:01:12

Can you tell us what kind of episodes you had. Were they skip beats, a-fib, v-fib, PAC or PVC or what?

Multiples

by kcruz - 2011-01-26 06:01:23

Your concern is understandable, but there are a few things to think about, first were you aware of any of these, meaning can you remember any symptoms on those particular days around the time of the log, that would be more what the doctor would be concerned about. Sometimes patients have several recorded episodes that have no symptoms, or it may be around a time that they are exercising.
I have my device checked every three months in the office and it is very common for me to have anywhere from 500 to 800 episodes of tachycardia with in that time, like for me although it seems to be my "normal" we do get concerned because with my rates being high and with my condition it is harder on my heart to be beating that fast on a consistant basis.

Thank you both

by selvi - 2011-01-26 07:01:48

Thank you for both your comments on my recent reading showing multiple episodes. To answer the first comment, it was afib and rapid out of control heart beat up to 12 at a time I was told to keep a journal from now on and try to write down anytime I don't feel right and bring it next time when I am read. it will be interesting to compare. In response to kcruz and the number of episodes you have every 3 months......I guess I shouldn't complain. I don't think I would be able to sleep if I had that kind of number you do.......I do sometimes feel my heart is racing from time to time and I just sit down and take a deep breath. I will now write it in my journal and report it to my technition/cardiologist. I just wonder if I may be getting close to having my ICD replaced or battery changed. Thanks for your comments.

Thanks

by selvi - 2011-01-26 10:01:37

I agree with you about the battery still being ok. I was told it probably has another 2 years of life left before it needs to be replaced. I am going to just not try and get so anxious about these episodes and be happy that I have a pm to keep me safe! Thank you all, appreciate it.

not related to battery life

by Tracey_E - 2011-01-26 10:01:37

No guesses as to what's going on, but batteries don't do that when they're about to go. It's not like a flashlight battery that flickers, it's more like the gas tank in your car. When the battery has about 6 months left, the pm goes into what's called ERI, or elective replacement mode. It's still fully functional, think of it as the gas light coming on. After that mode, which lasts about three months, it goes into EOL, or end of life, when it has limited function. If you pace a lot, you would know immediately if this was the case. You'll be safe, but you won't feel too good. If you ask, they can tell you your expected battery life.

It's not uncommon to develop racing or other secondary problems. It can be controlled with beta blockers.

There is no one number of episodes that's good or bad. My uncle has a pm and he maxed out the number of episodes the pm can record every time he gets checked! What matters isn't how many episodes we have but how we feel and if the pm handles them, what's causing the increase. When your heart races, the pm can only sit back and watch, there's no way for it to slow down a heart going fast on its own.

Good luck getting it figured out!

Peanuts

by selvi - 2011-01-27 01:01:12

Thanks Don, you certainly put it in prospective for me. I will ask next time I visit the Cardiologist. but in the meantime, I am not going to lose any sleep over such a "small number" of irregular hearbeats. makes me feel a heck of alot safer and less worried about something happening. Thank God for the PM Cathy

21 Episodes - peanuts!

by donr - 2011-01-27 09:01:29

Grab your calculator, grind out 60 BPM for 2 1/2 months. It comes out, in round numbers to about 7.5 million - yes, million - beats. & you had 21 of them go bad! That's why your Dr. didn't get excited. OTOH, it's your heart, so you have a right to get excited. After all, it only takes ONE complete siezure to kill you.

MY Cardio & I had this discussion the first time I went in for a download & saw the number of irregular beats I had in three months. PVC's in my case. Whiole we were discussing it, I mentally ran the calculation & found out that the few THOUSAND I had were but a fraction of a percent of the total - totally different perspective, now.

Some are worse than others. They don't like runs of A-Fib. PVC's they don't care about, etc. You do deserve an explanation, so ask, ask, ask.

Don

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