Pacemaker Behavior

I'm a male 57 and run 40 - 50 miles per week.  I've been diagnosed as having Atrial Fibrillation and Bradycardia.  In October 2105 I received a Advisa DR MRI A2DR01 pacemaker.  Finally, my running times are returning to pre-pacemaker conditions.  I monitor my heart rate with a Garmin Forerunner 920XT device with a HRM chest strap.  I use electrolyte gel to maintain a good contact.

For the past few months I have noticed that my HR rises to approximately 155bbm for 5 - 10 minutes at the beginning of a run.  After this period it drops and maintains a rate of approximately 115bbm.  It remains at this level no matter how long I run or how hard I exert myself.  Should this be considered normal or is an adjustment needed?

The personnel working for my cariologist are of little help.  Nobody seems to take my observations seriously and tell me to either don't worry about it or the HR must be wrong.  Comments would be greatly appreciated.

3 Comments

Ask for a stress test

by Kcambridge - 2017-02-15 22:09:26

If your insurance will cover it, I would try to get a stress test. I struggled with almost the same issue while trying to get back to excercising after having a pacemaker installed last June. 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 two 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!

P.S.

by Kcambridge - 2017-02-15 22:16:08

p.s. The issue I was having had to do with  2:1 heart block. Initially, while running my heart rate would get above 140 and the drop to 70 and, like you, not go up again. It was because my PM had been set to pace one ventricle beat for every two atrial beats above 140. That was easily fixed once my doc saw it happen during the stress test. Maybe that's what is happening with you, too? (TracyE, if you're out there, you are much better at explaining this than I am!!!)

My master thesis

by Gabriela261 - 2017-03-02 06:47:23

Hi, my name is Gabriela. I'm in my last year at the Physical and Sport Education University, specialized on Physiotherapy, and my thesis is about "Allowed exercices for patients with pacemakers and ICDs". The problem I have is that most of the patients I found, do not exercice, and not even their doctors told them to do so, because here in my country the term "physiotherapy" is still unknown by most of the people.

Seeing that you have a pacemaker, and that you love practicing different types of sports, I want to ask for your help, for your collaboration on a period of 2 months (that's my thesis deadline). This collaboration involves an exchange of information (age, weight, weekly updated informations about what type of sport you practiced, if your heart beat went faster than normal, or if you get tired when doing someting).

I am looking forward to hearing your answer, and I wish you to have a nice day.

You know you're wired when...

You can hear your heartbeat in your cell phone.

Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.