Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

Question 4 U.K. pacers

I am 8 weeks post pm and have yet to see a cardiologist. I had my first pacer checkup 2 weeks ago and mentioned that I still wasn't sure exactly what I had, although reading up about it and having advice from this site I think I have AV block, but my pm tech said it mentioned SSS in my notes, and I heard at one stage Wenkebach mentioned but that was just before I was rushed in to have the pm fitted.
I was just curious how long others waited to see someone after! I know that things are done...

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well todays the day

hi everyone wishing you all well ,well we have my hubbys pm check today ,and am dreding it if its the same tecnition as last time ,we asked her questions as it is all new to us and didnt get any response off her ,so today im gona upset her even more as im going to ask for a copy of the print out as have been told on here im intitled to ,i no she will say u dont need one ,so lets hope i get more info today than last time ,fingers crossed may come bk to you latter to ask you all what it means lol...

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Thanks for the rate response response !

Thanks Tracy E , Hot heart, Mary Anne for the response about the very fast HR form just getting up and walking . Yes The rate response setting must be on. Before I got the PM I was doing the eliptical trainer at level 10 on the difficult setting for 40 mins. 3 - 4 times a week and my HR would stay around 130 - 135. Now just after getting up my HR shoots up within 10 seconds to fast to count. So.. ...tomrorrow I'l call the doc about this rate response setting . Thanks Y'all. You are the best!! Wr...

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Pacemaker Needs To Work FAR Less

I learned, at my latest pacemaker clinic visit, that when initially installed in 1996, my pacemaker was working over 20% of the time.

My latest check-up revealed that, TODAY, it needs to kick in 1.8% of the time--a HUGE drop in 13 years!

What I want to know is: in a few years, if this trend continues, will i even need a pacemaker at ALL any more?

I know that such things have happened. i hope it happens to ME!

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fast heart rate when waking quickly

It will be 5 weeks since I had my Medtronics dual chamber Pm. Today I went to do a pacer check. They changed my rate from 60/130 to 50/150 because I was occasionally getting lightheaded and shortness of breath. Now I notice when I get up and begin to walk quickly , my heart will immediately begin to beat very fast . After I stop the rate will begin to slow down after 30 - 45 seconds. Is this normal for the heart "race'' like that when I begin to walk quickly? Thanks for your help..

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Pacemaker wakes me up at 4:39am now

Hello everyone,
I am pretty new to all this, I am 3 month post pm. Since the time change my pacemaker wakes me up at 4:39am and it didn't before the time change. Do they do some kind of reset or maintenance to itself during the night? I don't see my clinic for quite a while since I just had a check and forgot to ask. At that time it had only happened once so didn't make the connection. It only happens for a few beats but I can feel it almost "test" the chambers and then it is gone....

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readouts

Hi
Had my 2nd battery check and given a printout. I do not understand the printout. Can anyone explain what it all means? I am still getting weak spells but all technicians know is that it is working when needed.

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Telephone Check question

First, thanks to Electric Frank and JoelyM for their answersto my previous question. I have another from a couple of years ago actually. I was doing a telephone check and when I got to the part where you hold a magnet over the pacemaker, I heard a series of strange noises from the transmitter for a while, then it settled down to the normal. rapid pulse.
The technician said, do that over and hold the magnet still, you are moving it all over the place.
I did do it over, and the resul...

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pulse rate range

I have had my St Jude Pacemaker since December 2005, and have not been much concerned about it. But I went in for an "in-clinic" check a few days agoand was surprised by something.
I guess I have had about a dozen of these tests since i got the pacemaker, this last time I was tested I was seated in a chair and could look over the technician's shoulder and see the monitor. Before I was always lying on my back. My normal resting heart rate is 60, I can get ti over 100 by walking for 10 min...

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Pacercheck

Hello fellow pacers!
Boy oh boy, do I have some good news to share. Today was my interrogation of my St. Jude Dual pacemaker. Seems the battery was running low prematurely. The new EP greeted me and I was awe struck! 6'4" and handsome! he he... ok, ok... I'm being serious now.
He asked a ton of questions and then he began to work. He actually lowered the rate response to like 20 to see how my heart would react. I felt very weird.... and then an amazing thing happened. My own heart...

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are we allowed

hi my husband has a pm check the end of this month are we allowed to ask for a copy of the results as last time we went they seemed reluctant to tell us anything or even answer any questions we asked and its still all preaty new to us and we still trying to understand it all ,thanks bullseye

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Settings ?

Hello again friends,
I am just wondering... there is so much talk about pacemaker settings.I and probably some others would like to know..exactly what settings are there on a pacemaker other than of course the high and low limits? Mabe this is one for our esteemed Electric Frank ? I know this would be so helpful to me right now as I will be going back to the cardio on tues for a stress test.(Have already had the veinous studies and complete pulmonary function tests over last 2 weeks) I stil...

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Equipment at home

I have been wondering once you are done with checkups and adjustments from the doctor and you have to be monitored from home for the pacemaker and call it in on a monthly basis do you have special equipment for that or just your regular landline phone goes up against the pacemaker? I have a dual chamber pacemaker if that makes any difference. And is it the doctors office that supplies you with the nessary equipment? Thanks-denmna70

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Where to go for device checks

I've just had my second 3 month device check at my cardiologist office. Is there anywhere else we can go for these check-ups? Labs or other facilities?

jbl

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ASK what you dont understand

I just got home from my 60 day pacer check. Everything is perfect YAY!
I decided I really needed to know more about my pacer and this process so I went thru this forum and took notes before my appt today. WOW! Thanks everyone.
I ASKED what this test was about and what they looked for. I ASKED for a printout and ASKED them to explain what i all meant then wrote my own notes beside the medical jargon on printout. I ASKED them to explain my pacer card info. I ASKED about my battery life a...

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A.M.S

Hi everyone,
Just been for my 1st check-up, atrial pacing 2.4%, Ventricular pacing 99%.Can anyone xplain what an AMS log episode is? Apparently I had one on 20th Feb for 6 seconds!It says peak A rate 200 (min) and further along a graph showing V rate during AMS 100% of the time and along bottom line between 75 n 85 (min)!
Don't have a clue what all that means.

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My 1st PM Clinic

So, I took the advice most of us are given here and asked for my reports. My interrogation showed:

Atrial pacing @ 3.2%
Ventricular pacing @ 0.4%

I see from the abbreviations what PVC means, but can anyone tell me if there is something significant in these event counters?

PVC singles 431
PVC runs 13

The techs are willing to print out the sheets but seem reluctant to tell you what they mean.

Thanks,

Jane

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Forgot someone,OOPS!

Electricfrank,

I wanted to be sure to thank you as well for helping me to understand the mechanics of my pacing.
Have a great day!
Mona

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need for pacemaker

Hi BillMFI,

It's funny that you should say that my history was a complicated one. When I went for my 1 year check my EP said exactly the same thing. But now he feels that everything is as it should be and that I can now alternate every 3 months between the pacemaker clinic and the phone check and not see him for a year. Good news for me! Thanks to you and bowlrbob I have a better understanding of things.
Have a wonderful weekend
Mona

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Help deciphering?

When I went to have my PM checked yesterday, the technician said my heart was being paced 79% of the time. He also said it was set at 2.5 volts, and also said something about 0.7 volts. Is the 0.7 referring to my heart only producing 0.7 volts or did I get the wrong end of the stick? I'm looking forward to the first scheduled PM clinic (yesterday was because I had some concerns) so I can get some more in-depth figures.

Is 79% a lot of time to be paced? I have 2nd degree heart block,...

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You know you're wired when...

You have a shocking personality.

Member Quotes

Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.