Heart rate

I've had my pacemaker for two years now and have generally felt really good.  Last week I saw my cardiologist and he interrogated the pacemaker and said everything was fine.

I mentioned to him that I was going to Machu Picchu around October or November.  And we talked for a whilel and he said he wanted to tweak my settings just a tiny bit.  He said I wouldn't even notice the difference.  So he had the Medtronic lady come in and change the settings and she also said I wouldn't notice anything.

But ever since that day my heart rate has been higher than usual.  When I walk my dog in the morning, the HR gets up to 100 or 110 where in the past it would get to 80 or 85.  And sometimes just standing at the kitchen counter fixing a meal sends the HR up to 85 or 90.  It didn't do that in the past.

He's been telling me he wanted to see my heart doing more of the work rather than the pacemaker.  (He explains this every time I'm there and I simply don't understand it.)  Maybe the tweaking he did is to help me handle Machu Picchu?

I'd love to get opinions -- do I just need to be patient and let myself get used to this new setting?  Thanks for any input.

Marilyn

4 Comments

Is there a problem?

by Gotrhythm - 2018-06-02 15:29:28

Is the faster rate a problem for you?

The EP made my response rate more sensitive, and now I probably hit 100 or 110 when I walk the dog. And just walking around the house, or standing at the counter cooking, it's 90 or so.

Having a little higher heart rate when I do stuff doesn't bother me. I feel like I have more energy and without question, the stairs are easier. I haven't been to Machu Picchu but from the pictures it looks like a lot of climbing might be involved.

Marilyn

by IAN MC - 2018-06-02 15:39:33

Strangely enough I have just been talking to my son who returned  from Machu Picchu yesterday.

As you know , there are lots of different trek routes , all of varying difficulty and then there are over a hundred flights of steps to get to the top.Are you taking a tough route or a relatively easy route ?

It sounds to me that your EP has increased the sensitivity of your Rate Response to cope with the Machu Picchu challenges but this would mean that your heart is doing LESS and the pacemaker is doing more ??

There is a maximum RR sensor-rate so the PM will not carry on increasing the heart rate to dangerous levels,

As with most posts on here the only answer is to ask your doctor . We can all second-guess about settings but it is pure speculation

As Gotrhythm says ,you don't say how you actually feel when you are walking the dog or standing in the kitchen and this is far more important than the HR numbers !

Enjoy the upward hike !

Ian

Heart rate

by Mbisoux - 2018-06-02 16:16:55

Thank you for the replies. I do feel good but I feel the heart rate go up where I never felt that before so it was kind of concerning. I go back to see him next month. I will see how I do between now and then. 

I love this forum. I love reading all the posts. It makes me feel “normal”. ;). Thanks. 

Altitude

by Jimmy Dinfla - 2018-06-04 19:05:59

Highly recommend talking to your doctor about dealing with the altitude.  A few years ago, I had a problem and had to descend to a lower elevation.  Also check the elevations of connecting airports/transportation.

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