Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Suggestions Please

I had my pm inplanted on July 18th. I have my first appointment with the St. Jude rep on Tuesday. I have a dual chamber. Any advice on what kinds of questions I should ask? Even the obvious? No one except people here ever really explained to me how this thing works or what to expect. I've learned a lot on this site and thank you all very much.

Vicki

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Phone

Due to the increasing amount of cordless phones, does everybody think the check-ups will change with the pacemaker checks ? I found its getting harder and harder to find a land-line phone when I shopped for one.

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Pacer check today

Hi Everyone - Today had my PM interrogated - dislike that term, makes it sound like the PM is guilty of something, doesn't it? It is guilty of keeping me going for the past 15 months!

I am pacing 100% in the ventricle, same as 6 months ago and 54% in the atria. Last time that was 52%. It is set pretty low and I still have 5.8 years left on my pacemaker. EKG showed the pacemaker doing its thing. I feel so blessed to have this little gem implanted in me. When I think of the alter...

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Tune Up

My pm was implanted 6/11/07. After having my first check 3 weeks later and a phone interrogation last month, I was scheduled for a tune up in September. Due to some light headedness every great once in a while, they moved my next visit up a month to today (Tuesday).

The only thing that bothered me was when the tech made my heart jump from 60 bpm to 170 bpm for the test. I don't care what anybody says, it's freaky when that happens. Even though it was only for a few seconds I've been t...

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Probably Silly Question

New here. Had bivent pacemaker installed Aug 7th.
How can one tell what percentage of pacemaker being used?

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Percentage of Use

I had my first follow up appt. yesterday and they found that in the first week, my PM was being used 16% of the time. Is there a normal amount or is everyone different?

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Post PM implant

Nine days ago had PM implanted for heart block. It was done at my HMO and am not pleased with the post implant care. Never saw the doc post surgery, attending cardiologist came by and said he would see about getting me realeased and never showed up again. One week later to HMO for check up on PM, attended by a young tech with less than a year experience and briefly seen a cardiologist at the clinic who was surprised that I since had two near faint episodes. She suggested it may have been vaso...

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An update.

Hi all. I have not posted for a while, so I thought I would update everyone. I still read the site daily, and am greatfull for the information.
I had my lower rate set @ 80 in january and they were going to change the rate to 60 at a later date. When they changed the rate in May, within 24 hours of my base rate being set @ 60 I had headaches, dizzyness and was exhausted.
I waited about 6 weeks to see if my body would adjust and had no improvement. Mid june I had my lower rate changed...

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Rate Response and UPPER LIMIT Rate of PM

Dear All,

I have a Double Chamber pacemaker since November 2005 (though I have been on pacemakers for the past 16 years), with rate responese function with limits set as 60-120. The rate response function was switched off by my doctor as my atrium can set rates on its own (Has always been). I am 38, located in New Delhi.
Now I was noticing over the past one year that when I climb steep slopes, say on hills or on the great Wall which is really steep, I was having real problem in...

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Working @ 68%

When I had my PM checked for the first time the technician said that it was working @ 68%. Can anyone explain what this means?
Steve

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Switched from Hysteresis ON to OFF again!

Hi everybody,

On 28.06 I posted related to the Hysteresis mode witch the doc switched me on (45/120). I was feeling really bad after this new change: near fainting very often, dizziness, slight loss of vision, palpitations, feeling warm and fatigue... Actually, during last nighs I could´t sleep due to a strong palpitations spells and today I decided to go there for a new control appointment. The doctor changed the parameters again (50/120) and the Rate response at 80 hoping with this...

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breathing heavy

I had my pacemaker put in on may 29, 2007. My heart rate was down to 36 so I really needed it. I feel better b/c I can walk but I do get short of breath and breath heavy....especially going up stairs or a an incline. Yesterday I had a stress test done ..I lasted only 50 seconds on the treadmill so they finished the test another way. I don't know if I have any arteries that are blocked until my cardiologist calls me with the results. But as I was taking the stress test the doctor said that someti...

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frozen shoulder

Hi everyone,
well I just got a checkup after my surgery on Wednesday, I got the stitches taken out and the dr. said I am healing very fast. However for the past 2 days I have been experiencing extreme pain in ly left shoulder and neck. I learned from my Dr. that it is Frozen shoulder. I was told by many Drs and Nurses after my surgery not to move my left arm that much, so I followed exactly what they said. When I saw my Cardiologist today,he said to move the arm slightly below the shoul...

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Hysteresis, one more point

I looked up Hysteresis to further clarify points already made. Hysteresis means "delay", in this case, delaying pacing to maximize the hearts own ability to beat.

For instance, if the lower rate is set to 75, then the hysteresis rate would be 65 or 70 to allow the heart to take over functioning on its own, if it can.

Hope that clarifies the issue further.

Warmly,
Barbara Blocker

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What is Hysteresis mode?

I got my pacemaker in April 2001. I was constantly in bradycardia and had vaso-vagal Syncope and Orthostatic hypotension with dizziness, vertigo and lost of consciousness. Since then I feel much better, but unfortunately those symptoms did not disappear. My lower rate was set at 40, the ADL at 95 and the upper rate at 140. After 1 year the lower rate was changed to 60 and the upper rate to 120. Today I had a new checkup and the PM was switched to hysteresis mode on.
Can you tell me what is...

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Question about rate responsiveness

Hi,
Maggie, my Border Collie, just got her PM implanted on Tuesday. It is her second generator. Anyway, I take her heart rate a minute or two after a short walk and it is down to 65 or 70 bpm. That is the bottom of her range. How fast does your PM slow down after activity is over? Is it a pretty rapid transition? Her "normal" dog rate should be around 95bpm.

I'm just wondering if we have a problem with her setting.
Thanks,
Lori

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Pacemaker Clinic

Recently I changed Cardiologist. My doctor was great but his staff was so horrible I felt like cattle.

The new doctor is great as well as staff, however the Pacemaker monitoring service "PDS" called me to set up new service. I asked about my semi-annual check up and she said, oh no we don't do that. I asked who did and she said "I don't know"

She said that "new" patients were monitored every month for the first year after implant and after that it was every two months....

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Back from my PM check

Just an update.....

Had my PM check today. I have approximately 1 1/2 years of life left. I thought for sure my battery was almost dead because I am having more symptoms. Not too bad, but I wish it would have lasted a little longer. Everything went well, except I had approx. 635,000 PAC's and 1.2 million PVC's, but it has been over a period of about 9-10 months. I thought this thing was suppose to help eliminate those, because they DRIVE ME NUTS! Oh well, I see my EP doctor in J...

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Remote interrogation - Guidant

Hi Everyone - Those of you with Guidant pacemakers like me I have a question for you. Did any of you receive an unsolicited remote interrogation setup from Guidant. Yesterday I talked to a good friend who lives about 20 miles from me though not at all rural and he received via FedEx a letter telling him he would receive the device via FedEx within the next week. It arrived & he hooked it up and has been interrogated twice since then and will be interrogated again next Monday. He tells me the...

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PM phone check-ups

I have had my PM for 5 years now and I used to have them checked over the phone every 3 months, then it became every 2 months, and for the last 5 months it has been every month. I see my EP doc once a year (July) and have a PM check in the office every year. By them changing my phone checks once a month, does that mean that my PM battery is on it's last leg? Just curious if anyone knows.

I have my yearly PM check in the office tomorrow, so I guess I will find out for sure then. J...

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