heartrate

hi, I have my pacemaker set at 55 beats per minute.

when it is only showing 54 beats per minute I get worried.

how can it be less that what it is set for?

i was told this is not serious.
any help is appreciated, I had bee told previously that it should always at least be the amount it is set for.

thank you so much, therese.

3 Comments

hi therese

by valerie - 2007-07-01 09:07:09

I had the same question awhile back. My lower setting is set for 80, but then when I went to the hospital one time, it fell to about 75, 78...or anything around there, and then it went back up to the normal settings.

I asked my doc why this was so, and he said that it was fine. He said "your heart rate can sometimes go down a tiny bit, but it will go back to the settings; it varies a little".

But, given that you probably dont have the same pacemaker as I do, I suggest you call your doc. And also, if you still feel like something is not right, I suggest you get a second opinion. I did, and that doctor said the same thing.

Going from 55 to 54 is a small difference in rate. Just make sure it doesn't go from 55 to 0....that would be bad, lol
Anyway, dont worry. Please keep us posted.
take care,
~valerie

don't worry about it

by MSPACER - 2007-07-01 10:07:33

That's not a big difference. Are you taking your pulse, and that is why you think it is off by a beat? The pacemaker will not always pace you if it senses a pvc, which it thinks is a beat. So if you get a skipped beat every now and then, your pulse will appear to be lower than the low setting on your pacemaker. If you are getting a significantly lower count than 55, then the timing of the pacemaker may need adjusting to account for any arrythmia you may have.

heartrate

by SMITTY - 2007-07-01 10:07:56

Hi Therese,

I agree with Valerie and MSPACER. But I had already written all this before I saw they had poste dtheires so you get anyway. I agree,, don’t worry about your heart rate being off one or two beats from what you were told your pacemaker is set for. ACCORDING to the people that check mine every three months setting a pacemaker is not an exact science. For it to be off one or two beats from what you are told it should be is no big deal. Mine is set for a low of 60 and a high of 100. More often than not I’ll find my HR between 58 and 62. Then once in a while I’ll find my HR in the low 40s. In fact on my last in-office checkup after they got me all wired up for the checkup they found my HR at 43. That brought on an interesting discussion.

What I came away thinking I was told is that the heart can fake out our PM sometimes. What happens is that before the PM sends an electrical impulse to make the heart beat it checks to see if the heart’s natural PM is going to send an impulse. If the PM detects no signal from the heart’s PM, then it does its thing. The catch is when we are having skip beats, or PVC, the heart may be sending a weak impulse. One that is not strong enough to cause our heart to actually beat, but it will be strong enough for the PM to detect it and the PM does not send an impulse.

In my case I was having lots of skip beats or PVC and my PM was just going along for the ride and the result was I felt bad and was so short of breath it was all unreal. I’m now taking three medications to try to smooth out my heart rhythm so the PM will work more often. The meds work most of the time, but I still have the low HR several times a day.

I tell you all this so as to try to help you understand that while our pacemakers are wonderful little gadgets, they are man-made gadgets connected to our heart. This means that not everything is black or white to the PM and it will usually err on the side of safety. So long as your heart rate is enough to keep you from feeling ill or having dizzy or blackout episodes, don’t be too concerned unless it is bothering you. Then give your doctor a call.

Good luck,

Smitty

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