Increase in stamina after having a CRT implanted in early November

 After 21/2 months with my Medtronics CRT I'm a bit frustrated that I can't walk farther. I force myself to go to the gym daily and find that I can walk 1-2 tenths of a mile without stopping then have to stop for 45 seconds before walking another 1 tenth of a mile. I can repeat this up to 8 tenths of a mile but I had hoped that by now I could at least walk 1/2 a mile without stopping. This is a real problem for international travel. What have other members experiences been in seeing progress in stamina? Your comments will be greatly appreciated!

4 Comments

A possible explanation

by Terry - 2017-01-26 02:21:08

Talk to your doctor about your experience. As he/she knows, the literature suggests that 30% of CRT patients are "non-responders." You have the option to have your heart activated as it was "designed" to work by ativating the cardiac conduction system (Google that) at a place in the heart called the His bundle. See: His-pacing.org where a 7 minute movie explains how the heart works naturally and when it is paced. Once His pacing is established, there are no non-responders.

All the best, Terry

Call your Doc

by Grateful Heart - 2017-01-26 20:26:17

You may just need a setting adjustment.  After a couple of months of your heart getting used to being paced, it is common to need an adjustment or two, especially if you are active.

Grateful Heart    

Sorry

by Cabg Patch - 2017-01-27 12:31:18

...but there is no guarantee that Resynchronization Therapy will benefit you, and I would advise you to steer clear of anyone, medical pro or not, who claims they can.

If your medical condition falls within certain parameters, such as LBBB with a QRS >150ms then yes theoretically there is a fair chance it will help. However, again no guarantees. There are too many variables to make such promises and frankly I know far more people that CRT's do not benefit, including myself, than ones who do.

In my case I have LBBB with a QRS so wide you can drive a truck through but my heart is just too far gone coupled with Mitral valve stenosis and prolapse to allow the CRT to help my heart failure. In fact in the past 9 months my EF dropped further while on resynchronization therapy and I have lost most of what little energy I still had..

You are still somewhat early in the game. Tell the technician what you are experiencing and about your goals and see if some fine tuning will help before giving up.

Hope it does pan out for you

On the other hand...

by Hoser - 2017-01-27 23:53:01

With resync therapy my QRS went from 172 to 124 and EF went from 15 to 55%. Back to normal.

It is true that there are no guarantees but don't give up on your recovery, and ask lots of questions of the tech and your EP.

There are many adjustments they can make but you have to talk to your providers and let them know what your goals are and what is happening to you when you exercise.

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