Does it make a big difference?

I am looking for some feedback on the before and after issue. I am at a 40 heart rate with some headaches and tiredness, will a PM make that much of a difference? I work full time and will it make more issue for me than I started with?
Any input would be helpful!
Irene

8 Comments

Me too...

by ADC - 2008-11-10 09:11:44

I'd be interested in that answer too. No real symptoms, avg. 40 most of the time, will I notice a difference?
AC

more energy

by Tracey_E - 2008-11-10 10:11:15

My hr was in the 40's before I got my pm and the change in my energy level was like night and day! Everyone is different, a lot depends on your condition and if you are on medications, but in general if your rate is that low then you will feel better after you get your pm and your rate jumps up to a more normal level.

Does it make a difference:

by heart2008 - 2008-11-11 04:11:50

I was in complete denial that I needed a PM. I thought my low energy was due to work, menopause ((I'm 58), overweight, and attending graduate school. Turns out my pulse was around 40 and dipping into the 30s. I was tired all the time and having some dizziness.
The PM has made a world of difference for me. I feel as good as I did five years ago. Yes, I still get tired because of my hectic schedule, but I CAN get through the day.
If you truly have bradycardia, it's not going away. You don't have to get the PM until your symptoms get worse, but be honest with yourself . . . how do you really feel?
Tulsa, Oklahoma

I felt better the next day

by Kristi - 2008-11-11 10:11:42

I have had my PM for almost 6 years. I had it placed when I was 40. My heart rate was between 38 - 40. It had always been normal, then I felt like I had the flu for about 6 weeks, that is when it was diagnosed. It took the doctors 9 months to convince to have it done. During this time I continued to feel worse, very tired, increased migraines, weight loss. I was barely able to work and would just come home and sleep.

The day after the PM was put in I knew I had made the right choice. Don't get me wrong, there have been challenges. I got a staff infection that went down my whole are and ended back in the hospital for 1 week. It took a couple of months to feel completely better.

I am paced 97% of the time and it looks like I will need to have the PM replaced within the next year.

Kristi

I have complete heartblock.

by ADC - 2008-11-11 10:11:47

I've been told I have complete heart block. My heart rate stays at about 40 whenever I check it in the daytime. During exercise, I was walking on the treadmill last night and never got out of the 50s. My Holter monitor in April avg. 45 and in Aug. avg. 39. I know there is no way my heartrate has always been this low...one, I had a heart rate monitor in the past and would have picked it up and two, I've been hospitalized for 4 days on two different occasions in the last 5 years when I had my kids and no one ever commented on a slow heart rate. So hey, if I get extra energy out of the deal, that's awesome!!
AC

It depends.

by ElectricFrank - 2008-11-11 12:11:50

It depends on whether your 40 HR is due to a problem or if it is that low because it is natural for you.

One important question..does your HR increase with exercise? If it doesn't then it is likely that you have AV block in which your natural pacemaker controls your atrial rate and the path to your ventricles has a conduction problem. This generally results in a HR in the 25-40 range which pretty much stays constant all the time. If this is the case a properly adjusted pacemaker will really make a difference because it restores your normal rhythm. Without it your whole body is being deprived of adequate blood flow.

It's only my opinion, but I feel that the reduced blood flow of an AV block can over time cause problems in other organs. It certainly affects the brain.

frank

blocks

by Tracey_E - 2008-11-12 06:11:30

Blocks are the easiest thing to fix with a pm and we're the patients most likely to get back to feeling 100%.

I think it will

by Mrs.H - 2008-11-13 01:11:37

I have only had mine now for 2 weeks but I can say at least one thing...my feet are now warm! they were always horribly cold befor my implant.

You know you're wired when...

Your ICD has a better memory than you.

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