Pectoral muscle pacing?

Hi!
I've had my pacemaker for nearly two years, after a CA and history of bradycardia. Everything has been fine and I even had the PM repositioned to under my pectoral muscle about 18 months ago so it would bother me less and stay in place.

Lately, I have had strange muscle spasms which are very steady and obvious when I exercise. You can see my pectoral muscle pop forward as if the pacemaker is pacing the muscle. It doesn't matter if I'm running, hiking, biking etc. It happens every time I get my heart rate high. It doesn't quite hurt but it is annoying and disconcerting. This didn't happen until about 3 months ago and I've been exercising 3-5 days a week since about 2 months after my first pacemaker surgery two years ago.

I'm wondering why this happens, I have a bi-polar unit. Could it be an uninsulated lead or something defective, or hopefully something simpler than that? Of course, my doctor will probably think I'm crazy, so I'm hoping someone here will know what I'm talking about.

Thanks!
G-

5 Comments

Leak

by bobad - 2009-07-21 10:07:40

Sounds like you have a leaky lead. But you knew that, didn't you?

Have you been interrogated since the leak started? Interrogation may reveal that you need to replace the lead ASAP, or you are better off waiting. You always do whatever would be less invasive/dangerous.

Leak

by G - 2009-07-21 11:07:11

Thanks, Bobad,
I've never heard of a leaky lead. Is that what happens when there's a problem with the lead insulation? Ugh. I'm hoping they can just reduce my voltage (but not too much) to fix it. I don't use my PM a lot, but when I need it, I REALLY need it! Any advice is helpful, since I don't necessarily think my Dr. is going to be a great source of info or solutions.

G-

No leak...

by Jenni - 2009-07-22 03:07:09

Hi G,

A few months after I received my first pacemaker, they played around with the settings. (Sorry I don't have the "technical terms" for anything) and I noticed often that my left side of my chest and sometimes even my arm would twitch - strongly! It was not painful, just felt strange. I could also see my veins in my chest pulsating some times.

I went into emergency (I was only 18 - so better safe than sorry) and when the nurse was playing around with the settings, she said it was set on a "battery save" type mode. Apparently it is a setting meant to make the battery last longer?? Anyhow, they took that setting off, and I haven't had a problem since. Even nearing the end of my 1st pacemaker, some of the nurses wanted to turn the setting back on, but I wouldn't let them.

My first pacemaker only lasted 6 years, perhaps that was why, but it was far more comfortable then having my arm twitching while trying to sleep...

Not sure if this helps - but just some insight.

:)

Thanks!

by G - 2009-07-23 05:07:22

Jenni,
I'm hoping that that is the answer! I'm going to have stress test on a treadmill with my doctor and the PM technician in a couple weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed for "battery save" mode.

G-

uni/bipolar setting

by BuddyOne - 2009-07-25 10:07:38

Had similar episode happen to me a couple of years back. My arm started flapping like a chicken for the 1st few minutes, then slowed down, eventually stopping after about an hour. Had the pm interogated the following monday and was told that the setting (unipolar) causes that as sort of a failsafe check. They changed the setting to bipolar (for both pulse configuration and sense configuration) and that cured the funky chicken.

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