Heartbeat

Hi all,
Just had pm put in 8/17. Am I supposed to be able to feel it going off? If I am just sitting or laying I feel normal however, as soon as I get up or move around in the slightest, I can feel my left lower breast just thumping away. It is actually very annoying as if someone is tapping me over and over (or a little like Chinese water torture).

Has anyone had this or felt this? Does it mean my pacer is set too high? I have not made my first follow up apt yet but hope they take me sooner than the recommended 10 days because this is so bothersome. No pain though except incision site so that's good.

9 Comments

I have never felt mine

by COBradyBunch - 2011-08-20 07:08:14

I have it for syncope where my HR would drop to flatline for several seconds at a time so it just prevents me from dropping below a certain level. I have felt times where I thought I might be having an episode and then didn't pass out but I have never felt the PM itself go off.

HEARTBEAT

by SMITTY - 2011-08-20 08:08:20

Hi Devonstarr,

To put it very simply, we should never feel our pacemaker anymore than we feel the electrical impulse generated by our heart's natural pacemaker. All that manmade PM is doing is replacing the impulse the heart's natural PM failed to send to the heart's chamber.

You have had your PM only a couple of days and the initial settings were the Dr best guess, based on what he knew about the needs of your heart and body. Sometimes the initial settings are not the best for the patient and they have to be changed. From what you say my best guess is your PM settings need to be tweaked. Most often this can be accomplished done in one try but having to make several tries is not unheard of.

Just remember your Dr will think the initial settings are perfect until he hears from you or you have a checkup. My suggestion is give him a call and don't hesitate to exaggerate a little if necessary to get in sooner than ten days.

Could be a lead problem

by ElectricFrank - 2011-08-20 11:08:36

Feeling a twitching or thumping feeling sounds like muscle stimulation from electrical energy leaking into the surrounding tissue when you stand up.

I would give the docs office a call and let them know. It could be a bad lead or programming.

frank

Yikes

by devonstarr - 2011-08-20 11:08:55

Ok frank, you have me a little spooked with the wole "bad lead or programming" thing. What does that mean the docs will have to do if that is the case? Do they have to go back in to fix the lead? It does feel like the muscle twitching as you described...

I guess either way, I am calling first thing Monday morning to get in to see the doc. because I just can't take this annoyance any longer.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Spooked

by Heidiglassmeyer - 2011-08-21 01:08:19

Try not to work yourself up by Frank's comment. I understand you are concerned or you would not have posted your question :). It could be something or nothing to be concerned about. Do your best to try and relax until Monday. If it becomes too much can you call your doctor tomorrow? I remember calling my Dr. over a weekend after I raised my arm over my head in the shower. After he explained to me I would be fine, I was able to enjoy the rest of my weekend :)

When you feel this sensation does it feel like it is at the same rate as your heart rate?

Yes

by devonstarr - 2011-08-21 01:08:27

It actually feels very much like what Frank has explained. I had this since the afternoon I had the pm put in. My husband and sister both could feel it as well, however since I was laying down most of the time, I could not reproduce it for the Nurse Practitioner. Now that I have figured out when it starts up, which is whenever I get my pulse up slightly, I realized that it is at same rate as my heart rate.

I will try to call doc tomorrow at least to put my mind at ease. Thanks Heidiglassmeyer.

Twitchy

by donr - 2011-08-21 02:08:28

I had that once. Right in the pocket where my PM was. Twitched in sync w/ my heart. Turned out to be a broken lead. A bit too soon for you to have a broken lead, but it can happen. IF that is it, the twitching is caused by the current returning from the heart to the PM. A back up mode for the PM if a lead breaks is to use the body fluids as a conducting path, What you are feeling is the current jumping from your body to the PM case.

It's a "Not to worry" thing as far as it being a really serious problem, but an absolute pain in the PM pocket! I went for several months while we collectively figured out what the problem was. PM & heart continued to function quite well.

Probably is worth a call to the Dr. on Mon.

Don

Errr

by devonstarr - 2011-08-22 09:08:05

So down-hearted right now. The x-ray shows the lead in the same place as the x-ray the day after pm was placed. The prob with that is that the symptoms began the DAY the pm was placed. So no new movement of the lead but they did determine that it is one of the leads. So they turned my pace rate to 45 so I would not feel such intense symptoms of twitching in the hopes that it is just swelling and will go away one swelling goes down. Ok, only now my dizziness symptoms from BEFORE the pm was placed are back.

I really wish they would just go back in and fix the darn lead already so I can get on with my life!

Thanks for listening to me vent.

response to heartbeat

by bamafan - 2011-08-22 09:08:59

I have the same issue (twice now). My atrial lead was out of place and was stimulating the phrenic nerve. I am now looking at my 3rd attempt since April to implant the atrial lead.

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