Running-What to expect

I have a question-I am a runner, had my pm put in Dec 08. I have a dual pm due to a very slow heartrate. What should I expect as far as recovery time. I am running but I am slower and I quess I expected to be back to speed by now.
They also turned off my regulator-is this common? I guess I am just trying to figure out what is reasonable. Thank you for any help you can give me on this.

4 Comments

depends

by Tracey_E - 2009-05-11 03:05:48

How quickly you feel yourself again depends on why you needed the pm and your overall health, and how long you needed the pm before you got it. Five months should be more than enough time to heal and get your strength back. What caused the slow heart rate?

What is happening when you try to run? Ok for a while but tire easily, get out of breath on exertion or ... ? It could easily be your settings.

Not sure what you're referring to by regulator. You mean rate response?

Upper Limit

by DonSoule - 2009-05-12 11:05:46

Frank makes a great point about the upper limit sometimes limiting a person. I didn't have that issue since I can't get my HR up that much normally - that's why I need my rate response feature on and set correctly. Before I had my PM I could rarely get it up to 120 while running. I've read of several who have had problems with this limit being too low. I read about one high school track runner who had his upper limit at the maximum for his pacemaker of 185 but it was still limiting his athletic potential. His Dr found another model that can go up to 215 and he is going to get this one installed this year after track season. I doubt if you need another model but they typically send us home with an upper limit of 120 or 130 and that works for most people that aren't very active. I had mine originally set at 130 and got it raised to 150. Not sure if I needed mine raised but requested it after hearing of so many others that needed the higher rate including Tracey and Frank.

Don

Upper limit settings

by ElectricFrank - 2009-05-12 12:05:41

The pacer has a setting that limits the upper rate it will pace your heart at.There is a tendency for them to set it low to prevent high rate events. The problem for anyone who exercises heavily is that you need the higher rate. The other problem is that it doesn't gradually limit your HR. When you reach the upper limit it starts skipping beats which is not what you need.

I ran into this problem when I got the pacemaker.They had my upper rate set to 120 BPM and even walking briskly into the wind would cause it to hit the limit. After some discussion with the cardiologist, and finally demanding it they set my upper rate to 140. This made all the difference so I went back and insisted on 150 bpm. It's been great ever since. I'm 79 yrs so 150 is really above my recommended target rate, but I just wanted the pacer out of my way. I watch my rate during exercise and keep in in reason.

frank

I'm Running Slower Too

by DonSoule - 2009-05-12 12:05:46

I've had my pacemaker since Jan 09 so 1 month less than you. I also have it because of a very slow heart rate due to Sinus Node Dysfunction. My last pacemaker check up showed I was A-pacing 100% and V-pacing 51%. My lower limit is 60 and upper 150.

If you're talking about the Rate Response setting when you say regulator, it seems to be fairly common to have that feature turned off, if your heart rate goes up normally when you exercise. Do you run with a heart rate monitor and know how your hear rate responds to running? If it goes up to what seems appropriate to you and you feel good then it's better to have the Rate Response features turned off.

How much time before and after getting the PM did you take off from running? It could be just a combination of your body getting used to the PM and getting out of running shape that is taking longer to get your old running pace back. It could also be a little psychological - maybe your have some fears about your underlying heart issues that are causing you not to push yourself as much as you did before?

In my case, I felt I needed the Rate Response on since my natural heart rate was not going up with exercise as much as I wanted. Then my Dr added a Beta Blocker to my High Blood Pressure medicine which suppresses my natural HR even more than it was pre-PM. Are you on a Beta Blocker? That can cause you additional problems with fatigue etc.

I ran into some problems getting my Rate Response settings correct. At my heart clinic the techs had not worked with a "runner" before and didn't seem to know how to adjust the PM rate response for running. Finally, they brought in more of an "expert" from the manufacture. He had me run on a treadmill and turned on something call minute ventilation as well as the accelerometer. I was hooked up to a EKG machine with a constant readout. He first had me run without any adjustments and then made what he felt were the appropriate settings. I seemed to be able to run better after that - I could start doing longer runs. Then last week, I cut my Beta Blocker in half and I really noticed an improvement in my energy. For the first time I feel like I will soon be able to run as I did before the pacemaker. My pace is still slower than I would like but now I'm able to start doing longer runs - now it seems to be more a matter of getting my conditioning back than the pacemaker and pills being a limiting factor.

I have a half marathon planned in three weeks and a marathon in 6 weeks so I'm glad I'm finally getting my endurance back. I expect I will walk-run them at a slow pace but I'm hoping to be able to finish them.

Don

You know you're wired when...

You have a dymo-powered bike.

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My pacemaker was installed in 1998 and I have not felt better. The mental part is the toughest.