blood pressure

I'm a 73 year old male. I take only a multi and .81 aspirin. In very good condition. I used to donate blood on a regular basis until two years ago. I was turned down for irregular pulse. Spent 2 years with a cardiologist monitoring the situation. Holter monitor in 2/2011 revealed my pulse going down to 38-40 asleep and skipping many beats. I NEVER had any symptoms. NONE! I played my saxophone for hours on end, NO symptoms. This is my history. I had a PM implanted 2/11. It has been interrogated but not reprogramed. As I understand, it's set at about 85 as a safety margin They tell me it will be reprogrammed in May. Prior to the implant, my normal BP was 110/65. It's now 160/90! I told him, "no pills" Please tell me this is routine! Since the implant, I've had one 48 sec. episode of rapid heartbeat. Which led to a nuclear stress test which turned out fine. No one in this office has informed me of these possible side effects.
Thanks guys'
Bill.

4 Comments

Welcome

by MSPACER - 2011-03-26 06:03:58

Hi Bill

Welcome to the club. I was 38 when I had my pacemaker implanted. I'm 47 now and on my second one. Yes, after my implant, my blood pressure went up a lot, but it was because the settings on the pacemaker were not correct for me. A low setting of 85 seems high. Usually, the low setting is around 60. I would insist that the pacemaker be re-programmed sooner than May. That's just BS if they tell you no! The pacemaker comes with factory default settings, and everyone needs to be programmed in a different manner. You should definitely insist on a reprogramming and ask why the low number was set at 85. You should also check if the doctor turned on the rate response. That could also cause your heart rate to increase unnecessarily. Don't take no for an answer! Sometimes it takes a little tinkering before you get the correct settings.

I agree

by ElectricFrank - 2011-03-27 01:03:10

Especially for someone in good condition like you describe setting your lower limit to 85 is ridiculous. Also your description of the low heart rate with skipped beats sounds a lot like AV Block where a nerve bundle isn't conducting reliably from the atrium to ventricles.

If this is the case what you need is for the pacemaker to be set to DDD mode, a lower limit of around 55-60, and an upper limit at least up to 140 or so. This is the condition that brought about my pacer at about your age (I''m 80 now). I got the same BS that they were giving me setting with a safety margin at my age. Actually it was just a way to avoid having to follow up with a programming session sooner. I demanded a session only 3 weeks after implant and told them the setting I wanted. My upper and lower are actually set to 55 and 150. I never hit the 150 at my age, but it is up to me to control my exercise level to something reasonable.Like I told the cardio, if I am chased by a bear in a campground I would rather die of arrest than be eaten!!

There is no reason having a pacer should limit your activities unless you have some non electrical heart condition. At 80 I join the local 4 wheel drive club for very demanding Jeep trips. I've hiked around old mining camps at 13,000' and do quite well.

One suggestion is to ask (or if necessary demand) a copy of the Initial Interrogation and Final Reports at each session. Some of us may be able to make some suggestions if that information is available.

best wishes,

frank

blood pressure

by 39anddisabled - 2011-04-06 09:04:40

your vital signs are high i would consult with your doctor

Bill's update

by billsharp9 - 2011-04-07 10:04:46

Hi Guys,
Had Medtronic adjust pacing and pulse rate to 60/120 range. My blood pressure is now 130/78. Normal, but higher than I'd like. Don't forget, my pressure was 120/65 before PM. I'm happy with the adjustments and am sure my doctor is on top of the fine tuning. When I called the office with my complaint, they had me in the next day! I'll be doing my first telephone interrogation in 2 weeks and an in office interrogation next month.
I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all your help.
Bill

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Member Quotes

It may be the first time we've felt a normal heart rhythm in a long time, so of course it seems too fast and too strong.