And the beat goes on and on and on

Hello fellow pacers. I have a question or maybe a situation. I don't know which really. Here is what is going on....

When I am resting at night, after I have been asleep for awhile I wake up and like to listen to my heart beat. It is so even and sure. Not like before when it would stop up to 10 sec. Here is the concern....

My heart beats okay for a bit then it adds up to 8-10 extra beats! like this.. *-*-*-********-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-******** I hope you can understand. The long stretches are about 50 secs of reg. rhy. then it repeats adding the extra beats. I can feel it add the extra beats!!!!

Has anyone else had this? What is was wrong? Did it have any bad effects? Did you get the problem solved? I do feel a bit tired lately, I just think it was from all the holiday activities.

Let me know your thoughts please. I do see the cardiologist on the 18th of this month and I will ask some questions and tell him about it. He usually just tells me to get some sleep.

Thanks, pacergirl

9 Comments

auto capture

by kmhayward - 2008-01-04 01:01:11

This could be the auto capture function checking the thresholds. It will pace your heart at a faster rate than your intrinsic rate for about 10-20 beats to check that the voltage required to oace your heart is stable. Lots of pacemakers have this function. Check with your follow-up clinic. If you really dislike it, it can be switched off to no ill effect

katherine x

Strange beats in the night

by ElectricFrank - 2008-01-04 02:01:40

If it only happens during the night and around the same time it may be the pacer going through its self calibration. The routine on mine paces both atrium and ventricles at 85BPM. It then slowly lowers pacing voltage until pacing fails. This causes a few skipped beats. Then it slowly raises the voltage until pacing starts again. It uses this information to optimize the pacing voltage. This happens twice, once for atrial threshold, and again for ventricles.
Mine is set to do this nighly at 3:00AM.
I wouldn't know about it if I didn't have the technical manual for the pacemaker which describes the whole process in engineering terms. The cardiologist knew nothing about it. After I studied it in the manual I asked the Medtronic rep and he confirmed it. He was willing to set the time to whenever I liked.


frank

Me Too

by Carol - 2008-01-04 10:01:23

Hi Pacergirl,
Not that I'd wish these sometimes uncomfortable feelings on anyone, but it is comforting to know i'm not the only one experiencing this. My EP has said the same thing as most of the other posts before me. My 2nd degree AV block is very intermittent at this time and I get those same beats as you, I too have been told that when my HR speeds up on its own (I also have Innappropriate Sinus Tachycardia) that it often brings on the block and that's when those slower, harder beats (pacer) kick in. So I'll get a run of fast beats (my own) and then a bigger KaBoom and the pacer takes hold. It sometimes freaks me out too...I dislike the feeling of it....and I, like gmnordy, break out the Ativan. I wore a holter and also had a stress test, but it still unnerves me when I'm aware of it. Of course, it's probably a good idea to ask the Doc for peace of mind too.
Carol

extra beats

by jessie - 2008-01-04 12:01:19

my cardiologist just says it is your heart beating on its own and then the pacer takes over. it feels funny tho. there is little pause just a little not like a minute or anything. so hope this helps but ask him when you go because everyone is different. take care jessie

????

by pacergirl - 2008-01-04 12:01:26

It goes like this ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom boomboomboomboomboomboomboomboom then back to ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom ka-boom boomboomboomboomboomboomboomboom
really fast without a pause or the second beat of my heart.
I have a on demand dual pacermaker. It only works when the heart block is not sending the message to the bottom of my heart to beat and for the bradycardia. This is a new problem for me. I don't mind saying it is starting to worry me. I sure you are right.
pacergirl

hi susan

by jessie - 2008-01-04 12:01:32

maybe someone can add to this . maybe you should get an ekg or wear a holter. i am not sure. maureen

I have the same thing

by gmnordy - 2008-01-04 12:01:54

It is worrisome, I hate the feeling of it. But doctor said not to worry. Yeah right. LOL
Sometimes it freaks me out so much I have to take a Xanax to calm me down. I am such a freak.
LOL
Debbi

Hey!

by tcrabtree85 - 2008-01-05 10:01:37

Hey Pacergirl,
Oh you are not alone at all. I wish I have been able to keep better up on this. I have the same problem as you do and have had it for a long time. I am pretty dependent on the pm 99.9% well that .1% of the time I feel it when it kicks in. The reason I believe you are feeling it more at night time is your resting and when you are relaxing you can feel a lot more. They changed some of the settings but it didn't change it. I still feel it all the time and they can't change it the only thing that interests me is if the people that do feel the same as you do if they have the same pacer as you do.
I would say something to your doctor the next time you go in and I will be praying for you to be able to get rest.

Tammy

My dear friends.... always here for me

by pacergirl - 2008-01-05 12:01:52

Thank you each and everyone who have taken the time to reply to my post. You have helped me greatly. I shall relax about it and get some much needed sleep. I have other things to do than worry about things which I cannot control. I will tell the doc. about when I see him "just so he knows" and then forget about it until it wakes me up again. It is such a comfort to know I an not alone and I am not in danger!
Thanks again,
pacergirl

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