Pacemaker Gripe, need advice

Background: Endurance runner that had a Boston Sci pm installed in July-2016.  Had Bradycardia and hr refused to climb enough during exercise.  Now getting back to running and have a frustration.  After a couple minutes of running my hr goes to the max device setting (150 bpm) regardless of pace.  It then stays around 148-150 throughout no matter if I speed up or slow down to a jog.  Kind of sucks because my heart doesn't get a break and I tire out because of it. 

Question: Which setting on the pm will adress my issue best, minute ventilation or motion?  Stated another way, what is the best way to adjust the pm so my hr will rise and fall with my running pace?  Or do I just need to be patient and build tolerance to the higher hr (my hr was always low during running before the pm)?  Of course, I'll follow up with doctor, but I like to educate myself more on this device.

Thanks a bunch.  Bob

 

4 Comments

Bob

by IAN MC - 2017-01-30 16:48:08

I have a Medtronic PM which only has one sensor , a 'motion" sensor which responds to vibration.

  There are various parameters for the motion sensor which can be adjusted , one is " Activity Acceleration " which determines how quickly the heart-rate increases when you exercise; another is  " Activity Deceleration" which determines how quickly your HR falls to a normal level when you ease off with your activity.

I had similar problems initially when my HR was staying too high for too long and an adjustment to the Activity Deceleration setting cured it .

BUT I have no experience of the minute ventilation sensor which you also have in your Boston Scientific . I will be interested to hear if that sensor could also be causing your problem

Best of luck

Ian

Discuss with your medical team.

by TJ319 - 2017-02-02 09:05:51

I had similar trouble when I returned to running.  SInce 2013, I have learned that it is important to push my medical team to work with me to adjust the PM programming. "Rate resonse" is one area that can contribute to higher than desirable HR when exercising.  Also, you may be experiencing Pacemaker Mediated Tachycarcia.  It took 15 months and a change to a different Electrophysioligist until my team got my PM programmed properly. Hopefully you process will not be nearly as long.

Maybe get a stress test?

by Kcambridge - 2017-02-13 22:13:05

If your insurance will cover it, I would try to get a stress test. I struggled with a similar issues while trying to get back to excercising after having a pacemaker installed 9 months ago. The only way that my doctor was really able to understand and fix what was going on was to get me on a treadmill to observe my symptoms, and then to adjust the settings accordingly. I waited five months before asking for the stress test, but wish I had done it sooner - I really haven't had any problems since that round of adjustments and am back to jogging, hiking, swimming, etc.

Best of luck!

Thanks

by Czechmate - 2017-02-14 12:10:30

Thanks for the comments.  Really appreciate it. 

 

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In fact after the final "tweaks" of my pacemaker programming at the one year check up it is working so well that I forget I have it.