neurocardiogenic syncope

NCS after pacemaker

by Gotrhythm - 2018-06-24 15:00:08

NCS can be really frustrating. I have it, and I have a pacemaker, but in my case NCS was diagnosed after I had already had the pacemaker for 6 years. I got the pacemaker for sick sinus syndrome--a type of heart arrhythmia.

There's kind of a good news/bad news thing with the pacemaker. The pacemaker will keep your heartrate from falling to dangerous levels during a syncopal episode. You won't go into sudden cardiac arrest. That's the good news. 

The bad news? The pacemaker won't prevent the syncope itself. Under certain conditions you can experience all the pre-syncopal symptoms--dizzy, nauseated, hot-and-cold--and you could even pass out. Why? Because the cause of NCS isn't located in the heart. The cause of NCS is some kind of glitch in the autonomic nervous system. How the ANS operates to keep heart rate and blood pressure as high and as low as they need to be without going too high or too low is complex. Don't blame your cardiologist. There's a lot doctors still don't know about how to treat NCS.

For myself, dealing with NCS is like recognizing that you sunburn easily or are allergic to shellfish. No medicine will change it or make it go away. Nor will any amount of will power overcome it. There are circumstances like becoming overheated and standing for long periods that trigger my NCS. I try to avoid them. But when I encounter them anyway, for my own safety and the comfort of those around me, it behooves me not to fight the presyncopal feelings, but to recognize them and take steps to prevent unconsiousness. I also have one of those medical alert buttons that senses falls just in case I'm alone.

Do read up on the autonomic nervous system to learn how dynamic and how complex it is. You won't understand everything, but you can grasp the essentials. Knowledge is power. And acceptance that your body and its nervous system is the way it is, is the key to getting on with your life --NCS and all.

Hope this helps.

thanks

by sam295 - 2018-06-24 16:40:53

Thanks for your comment much appreciated I am very interested in how people combat NCS.  I have still to have a tilt table test so then I will have a diagnosis.  I wish there was a way to help.  I am trying to exercise more tobuid up my strength gradually.