on going problem with double pacemaker

chest pain

by Gemita - 2023-07-08 08:00:45

Octavia, I wonder if it is time to get an alternative diagnosis for your mid central chest pain.  A trip to see your general doctor, perhaps might be helpful.

I would be concerned about taking higher doses of a beta blocker without perhaps a confirmed indication for doing so?   It sounds all a bit hit and miss and I would want more in the way of answers. 

Here in the UK we have a Rapid Access Chest pain clinic in hospitals with ER/A&E departments.  I don’t know whether you could attend such a clinic to try to get your chest pain diagnosed since any chest pain should be thoroughly investigated and that is what I would do in your shoes.  It could be caused by all manner of conditions from gastric to a musculoskeletal condition.

As a matter of fact with my arrhythmias when they are prolonged, I frequently get mid central chest pain after a while and this can be very difficult to tolerate but I know it is related to my arrhythmia at the time, since on cessation of the arrhythmia, the chest pain resolves. 

I hope you can find an answer quickly so that you can find a suitable treatment.  The fact that you are on no other meds other than a beta blocker is a very good sign that this is perhaps nothing too serious.  I wish you well

Chest Pain

by Penguin - 2023-07-08 08:54:45

To check I've understood correctly : Presumably the PM has dealt with your heart stopping at night?  Presumably this is what your doctor meant when he said that 'it is working fine'?

However you still have central chest pain at rest.  An increased dose of beta blocker has been provided because a lower dose seemed to help, but the pain came back. 

This may sound obvious and so please forgive me for asking, but have other cardiac conditions that can cause chest pain - like angina or heart disease - been looked into via an angiogram and blood tests for heart attack? I thought I'd ask just in case they went straight to the electrical investigations - which is unusual with chest pain.

If you've had a full array of cardiac tests maybe it's time to think about parts of the body in the centre of your chest - like the oesophagus and lungs for example. As heart patients many of us automatically attribute chest pain to the heart, but this isn't always right. Sometimes issues with your lungs or a hiatus hernia for example can mimic cardiac pain and even heart attack / indigestion type symptoms.  It can be difficult to differentiate between the different types of pain because they're all felt in the same area and can overlap a bit. 

It could still be the pacemaker of course, but you may need to rule out other causes.

Octavia, have you gotten any resolution?

by cramsay - 2023-08-19 07:02:20

Octavia, 

By double pacemaker, do you mean dual-chambered??

Has it resolved your sleep stoppages??

Have you been in 4 times to have the PM re-implanted? I ask because that's way too many times.  I feel like maybe a different electrophysiologist might be a good choice for you, if this is the case...

Pls update us as to your heart health.

Best

update

by Octavia - 2023-08-20 05:28:07

All I know is it is a two wire double pacemaker -- my situation now is that I stopped the double dose of beta blocker going back to the original 2.5 mg. simply because I had a 'weird' attack where upon using a Oximeter my heart rate was 132!!  Saw my doctor - he said go back to consultant - so on nhs there would be months of waiting so again paid and saw him within 3 days! He has now decided to send me for a CT coronary angiogram as it is the only test I did not have when all this started about 2 years ago. But in my area, east Riding of Yorkshire, it is a 6/9 month waiting list!!!!  So have been ringing around and finger's crossed I should have one in Leeds General within 7 weeks.  Weirdly enough the pain has been absent for a week or so - it does this. The NHS is in such a mess just when I really need it for the first time in my life!!

update 2

by Octavia - 2023-08-20 05:30:01

Sorry - forgot to say I have been in 4 times to have the pacemaker checked that it is working fine - they just do that with device put on my chest - nothing invasive - they always tell me it is working fine.