silly question

After all the reads of all the serious problems some have, I hate to even ask. But some of you guys said ask anything. So...why is it that when I get up first thing in the morning or after a nap, my pulse goes up to as high as 90. (I am paced at 70) when I am a little more active, the pulse goes down to 75 and even 70. Never lower. Is this normal or am I back wards?
thanks for any comments. Ann

5 Comments

Pulse Rate

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-25 10:09:00

I could speculate better if I knew what mode your pacer is operating in.

Anyway, two possibilities strike me. It seems to me that I read something about a feature that is used to handle feeling light headed when you go from lying down to standing up (postural hypotension). The pacer would sense your positional change and give a burst in HR to keep your blood pressure up.

The other completely different idea would only be true if you have AV block and your own natural pacemaker sets your HR. In fact it can happen to someone without a pacemaker and a perfectly good heart. What happens is that the blood in our legs and arms doesn't refresh as well because the muscles aren't squeezing on the blood vessels. When we get up the accumulated waste blood products get circulated back to the heart/lungs and the effect is to increase HR. It is the same thing that happens when we jump up and run for the phone and our heart races.

Next time you have a checkup ask for a copy of the pre and post checkup printout. This will give information on your pacers settings and how your heart is responding to them. With that information we can do a better job of answering questions.

best,

frank

rate response

by golden_snitch - 2009-09-26 05:09:03

Hi!

If you need the rate response, that's the answer. The activity sensor detects that you move from a horizontal to an upright position. There is a so-called piezo-crystal in the pacer, and this detects forces of acceleration that affect your body. When you lay down there is no force of accelaration, but when you get up and start moving around, there is. And even when you have a healthy heart and electrical conduction system, your heart rate will increase a bit when you get up. It's normal. It's just that some pacers react a little bit too sensitive and pace you too fast. Some changes to the settings for the rate response might help.

Another answer would be the feature Frank was talking about.

Best wishes
Inga

forgot something

by golden_snitch - 2009-09-26 06:09:08

Sorry, I forgot the second part of your question about whether it's normal to go back down to 70 or 75bpm when you are a little more active. That's the problem with the activity sensor: it usually reacts very quickly but when you are active for a little longer, e.g. when you are exercising or just moving around, doing housework or whatever, it slows down again. I can't really explain why.

Best wishes
Inga

Snitch

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-26 08:09:58

Quick answer to your question about the HR coming back down. There are two (maybe more) things that can be set with rate response. One is absolute level of activity and continues to give the same effect for the same activity. The other is called acceleration and creates an effect based on rate of change of activity. Usually these are added together and calibrated for an individual. So as you get up you have both an increased movement and an increase in rate of change. Together they produce a large increase in HR. If the activity keeps up at a more constant rate there will be only the absolute rate effect.

The overshoot that Ann is having is a classic case of too much acceleration and too little absolute.

Hope this is intelligible! By the was this is part of the control system on the Space Shuttle control system or for that matter the cruise control on a car.

Wow, I haven't given that lecture since I quit teaching in the mid 90's.

best,

frank

thanks

by golden_snitch - 2009-09-27 07:09:55

Thanks, Frank! That was a good lecture :-)

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