Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Timing

My PM is set to "help out" at 45. But what about the pauses that I still get? While at the Dr.'s visit yesterday we saw a premature beat, a little extra beat and then a quick pause. Does the PM wait until my resting heart rate is at 45 to work or does it also help out when I get these pauses? Is there a timing interval of some sort?

I have a printout from yesterday but not sure what it all means and forgot to ask her about it when I saw it happening...her only response was that "ever...

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WHAT A DAY!

So I had my follow up visit today at 3:30. However, I was already in the Emergency Room because my daughter is sick. Thankfully she is OK now and we are home!

Made it downstairs for the follow up and the "flicks" were happening while I was being interrogated. She said they were premature and skipped beats I was feeling and nothing to worry about. She did lower my PM to 45 thinking that may help. Pacing 1% ventrical and 5% atrial.

I've been having chest "pressure" too latel...

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EP Visit Today

Hi everyone,
I am going for a follow up to the EP's office today. Something I want to know about it is the settings. I was under the impression that I wasn't supposed to feel myself pace.

But when I lay down to go to bed, I'm relaxed and I feel like a little "flick" in my chest. I check my RHR and it's hanging out right at 50....at the exact setting the PM is supposed to help.

It doesn't go on for very long...a little "flick" here and there, but is it possible for the...

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Some Good News (For Once)!

Yes, you are not mistaken: I am actually going to post something positive! Make a note of the date, so next time I'm being all doom and gloom (I'd give me 'til the end of the week, or at the most 'til the week after when I see my cardiologist, LOL), you can post this message back to me.

I went for my 6 week pacing check today. No AF. Only one very fast rate, an atrial and ventricular tachycardia of 150 - and I know why that was (I wish I was doing something exciting, but actually I...

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First Interrogation

I was implanted with a bi-v ICD on 4/22 and appear to be doing great. Minimal pain and getting better every day.
I am scheduled for my first interrogation on 6/4 and I see a lot of information on this site that I don't necessarily understand.
What questions should I ask? What do I need to understand regarding my baseline? What questions do I ask that I don't even know to ask?
I have a curious mind and a desire to take an active part in my health moving forward and would appreciat...

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First Interrogation

I was implanted with a bi-v ICD on 4/22 and appear to be doing great. Minimal pain and getting better every day.
I am scheduled for my first interrogation on 6/4 and I see a lot of information on this site that I don't necessarily understand.
What questions should I ask? What do I need to understand regarding my baseline? What questions do I ask that I don't even know to ask?
I have a curious mind and a desire to take an active part in my health moving forward and would appreciat...

Read More...

Running with rate response

Hey there!

I was wondering if there is anyone here who is running regularly, and needs the pacer's rate responsive feature most of the time. If so, what are your settings?

I have recently started an interval-training on the treadmill, and sometimes in the park close to my home. I walk three minutes, then run three minutes. I'm rather slow at the moment, walking at 6km/h and running at 8km/h. I need the rate response all the time. The thing is sometimes while running my hear...

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Tests, tests and more tests!

I had an echo today, which seemed to go OK. They were going to do a sonovue contrast because the last one wasn't clear apparently, but they've recently got a new machine and it was really clear so I got away with no IV! The doctor and the nurse were talking to each other about what they were checking for, and cardiomyopathy was mentioned - first I'd heard of it!

When I first got there it struck me that I'm a regular there because the receptionist smiled at me and said "Hi Emma, I'll...

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Optimized

Today was a great day, I think. Got my CRT-D 3/09 for CHF. My EF at that time was 20. Since that time I've only had 2 adjustments to my CRT-D, the heart rate was upped from 60 to 70 and last month the rate response was adjusted. It had been on but set so low it was non-functioning. At that time an app't was made for me to have an optimizing interrogation at the same time as my echocardiogram. My EF today was 50!!! They told me I was one lucky person as a lot of people never regain that much impr...

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weid feeling after interogation

Hi all
I had my 2 month post PM implant check and interogation yesterday. All was well and they tweaked a couple of minor settings. Later that day and again in the eve. I felt my heart making a weird thudding feeling. It was like when they make your PM work during interogation. It felt very strange and don't know what to make of it. Could it be my PM was doing it's thing when I felt this. Any thoughts?
Thanks from Howard

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episode increase??

Pacemaker age 2004 St Jude. Pacemaker dependent. Have always had episodes with no symptoms. Checked pacer done every 3 - 6 months because of episodes. Episodes slowly increasing.
This week over 2000 episodes noted with //no symptoms..
Aware of possible causes such as a fib, a tachy, vent fib.
To see Dr. in am.
Any thoughts?????????????

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PACING CHECK

Went for my 6 monthly pacing check yesterday . Monthly because I am 100% dependent. No waiting, was seen 5 minutes before appointment time. No problems, and 4 years left on battery after 3 years and 2 months use already. Left the pacing technicians a box of biscuits for their coffee breaks as usual. Even the free bus rides (for over 60s in UK) from chosen parking position near a patient friend I was in hospital with, went without any delays. And the sun was trying to shine through. All in all a...

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Out of Practice

Hello friends, it has been a while since I've seen a print-out of my PM interrogation. Usually, the techs erase the info when they do stuff during my surgeries. Today, I came home with my first copy in 2+ years for my Medtronic dual-chamber Enpulse. There was a new tech and she was sweet but not forthcoming with explanations like I remember having in the past. In a five month period, I've had over 58,000 PVC singles, 5,000 PvC runs, and 9 PAC runs. I had 17 ventricular high rate episodes, t...

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anyone heard of this??

Hey guys, I just went back to my doc for a check up b/c I been feeling my HR jump around (beat slow and fast and back to slow for 1-3 beats and fast for 10-12 beats) and he checked out the PM, etc, and apparently I'm only pacing 40% of the time. I was pacing 96%+ every other check up. He did an EKG and somehow figured out that my sinus node has not regenerated (from the ablations), but another area of my heart is acting like my sinus node and trying to beat my heart - but then "gets tired" and "...

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Interrogation

I am 60 and just had my St. Jude PM put in 2/15. I have an appt. 5/24 for a checkup. I just joined this club this morning and have been reading through everyone's posts. I have seen the reference to interrogation. What is that?

Thanks - Cher

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Back from 9 week check-up

I'm back from my check-up. Got an initial and final interrogation report. Got my Upper Tracking Rate raised from 130 to 150 and I didn't have to ask. Just told them that I have been hitting a wall when exercising. Dropped the voltage. And my PM did not have the Rate Response set to ON, because they said I do not need that feature.

What I wasn't expecting is that. I am now pacing 95.5% of the time so I am basically pacemaker dependent. But to make myself feel better I am treating mysel...

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interregation

4/23 my Metronic Consulta CRT-D was checked for the 2nd time since it was implanted 3/09 (they missed me in Dec.) Today my Dr. went over the results with me. He was very patient but I tend to drive him crazy. He says I'm his only patient that wants all this info and that I should get over it and not obsess on the PM and I don't need all that info in the first place. Of course, I don't feel that way. He actually was surprised that I knew anything about it and I told him the Internet was a great...

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9 week check up tomorrow

Today is 9 weeks since I had my pm placed in my chest. I swear it is a GPS so that my family can track me down whenever they want.LOL. Since it was put in they know where I am all the time... I want to hide!!!

Anyway, tomorrow is my EP checkup and I have made my checklist:

1. Copy of interrogation report
2. Double check all my settings
3. Get my Upper Tracking Limit raised to at least 140 (wish me luck with that one)
4. Make sure Rate Response is on "OFF"

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logging the episodes

Hi everyone. Does anyone know what the normal episodes would be during a one month period of time. Mine was 177 - mostlly 1 min. or less but some lasted as long as 33 min. Is that bad? It also said the battery remains adequate at 2.8 volts - what is that? Maybe someone can contribute some info on what this all means.
Thanks for any input.
Sugar/Patty

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Saw my cardiologist

I saw my cardiologist this morning - I was counting the days because I'm fed up with the bisoprolol! I get more sleep during the day than I do at night, and for a 22 year old that's really not doing much for my social life...

Anyway, I thought it was just a checkup to see how I was doing on the beta-blockers, but when I told her about the side-effects (I nearly fainted the other day when I stood up) she said it would be better in the long run if I had an ablation! I knew this was a po...

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I am just now 40 but have had these blackouts all my life. I am thrilled with the pacer and would do it all over again.