Get short of breath and feel sick with some types of physical activity

• by Grete
• 2018-02-10 09:42:38
• Complications
• 1313 views
• 3 comments

Dear members, I’ve thought long before posting this and sorry for bothering you with this long text.    

I received my pacemaker (Biotronik Ecuro DR; setting: DDDR) in October 2014, just after my 60^th birthday, for 2^nd degree AV block; meanwhile this has developed into almost total heart block. I also have SSS and I’m am chronotropically incompetent, but otherwise healthy and with a normal LVEF (>55).  I was successfully ablated for atrial flutter in April 2017, however, my current EP strongly advises to continue to take meds (bisoprolol 1.25 mg; flecainide 100 mg; xarelto 20 mg/day), which I tolerate well, as I get brief episodes of atrial fibrillation. Apparently, the afib could not be ablated because my right atrium is rather scarred and enlarged and the ablation was considered too risky.  In terms of background, I was born with a congenital heart defect (ASD) and had open heart surgery at age 4 in Germany in 1958!  While the surgery successfully closed the hole, it appears likely that my sinus node was damaged, plus it left me with considerable atrial scarring which is causing problems as I get older.     

So while my pacemaker is a blessing and allows me to live a relatively normal life, I feel best when I am walking briskly outdoors. Other types of physical activity, especially ones that require more strength (and this may sound strange….), such as climbing stairs, house cleaning/gardening which requires a lot of bending down, cycling, carrying loads, standing up/walking slowly for longer periods of time especially when shopping in supermarkets (I almost feel sick, my legs get wobbly, I turn pale, but no chest pain) leave me exhausted and sometimes short of breath. I keep bothering my EP(s) (I have tried out several and none seem to have the time or interest to listen) and my pacemaker has been re-set at least 10 times during the last 2 years, but it hasn’t made a big difference (the RR setting was made more sensitive as well, however, it sends my heart flying when getting up to walk a few steps at home, so it was re-set).  Do I possibly need another type of pacemaker, with two sensors?  

Thank you so much for any advice, and perhaps there are people on this forum with a similar background who can enlighten me and suggest possible steps.