Self Testing

No you are not alone !

by IAN MC - 2017-12-20 06:10:26

Hi Phil    As far as i know all pacemakers have a self-test function which is set to operate at the same time each day. It checks things like the pacing voltage and can actually make minor changes to the settings often to optimise battery life.

The self-test does cause your heart rate to speed up slightly which is what you can feel. Mine was set at 11.30 pm and often kicked in just as I was falling asleep . I asked the cardiologist to switch it off which he happily did.  I am still alive ( I think ) so it is not essential to have self-test turned on.

If you feel happier with it on you can always ask to have it done at a time of your choosing.

Cheers

Ian

Hi Ian

by PhilUK - 2017-12-20 09:11:05

  Do you have the same PM Ian?  My self test can take place anytime, sometimes a few times per day. The tech reckons this happens as it has not got the info it was looking for.  Do you have the pulsing in the pacemaker?   

  I have sent an email to Boston scientific to confirm.

  Thank,

              Phil

Yup

by DampDog - 2017-12-20 10:34:19

Every single night. 23:52 on the dot. I summised that the odd time is down to the internal clock being off a little. It does sometime wake me if I'm on the cusp of nodding off, but it's not so severe as to wake me from a deep sleep. 

Phil

by IAN MC - 2017-12-20 11:34:54

No mine is a Medtronic . I assumed they are all the same, maybe not. The sensation I used to get was not so much pulsing , more of a brief pounding of the heart , similar to the feeling when you have your PM interrogated at the hospital.

Ian

ahhh

by PhilUK - 2017-12-21 04:33:56

 Thanks Guys.  Sometimes, just before the 14 pulses, I get an empty feeling in my chest but not everytime. I initially thought the PM was maybe picking up an irregularity amd kicking something extra in. I know the feeling you mean Ian when they test the PM at hospital.  I don't get the pulsing from the PM when it is tested. 

  No response from Boston scientific as yet.

  Damp dog,  you have the pulsing also from the PM itself ? Is yours a Boston scientific? 

   Thanks for the replies

    Phil

Pulsing?

by geode - 2017-12-25 10:36:07

I have had my implant for just over a week.  Twice I have felt what I thought was my heart making several strong "pumps", if that makes any sense.  The sensation was on my left side and almost below my ribs, so maybe it was just gas.  The strong beats did not last too long.  There were, maybe, 25 or 30 beats.  Is this what this thread is talking about?

Self testing

by PhilUK - 2019-03-04 13:50:21

I did finally find out my PM self tests every 22 hours. You can actually see the implant pulsate.  They think it may be on a nerve. I have 14 pulsations from it every 22 hours and this has been constant and apparent for the last 2 years plus. The last week or two I notice the self test can occur two or three times per 24 hours. I am wondering if it's any cause for concern?