Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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When I first had my pacer put in, I had them turn off the one setting for exercise as it made me sick in the car. Over the past few years they have lowered my pulse from 80, 70, and now it is at 60. I am always tired and have gained a lot of weight as well. I know they lowered the rate because my pacer was storing events, but am thinking about talking to the doctor about it as I have been so tired lately. I do not take beta blockers, so that is not the problem.

I was wondering i...

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Pacemaker "Tapping"

Hi Everyone:
This my first post. Rec'd St Jude Dual chamber PM in Sept 2012 because of Degree 3 block. Have a complicated cardiac history since 1998. Had my second PM check in May this year. I've always had this strange "rapping" in my chest since the PM was installed, which SEEMS to be more pronounced since May (but I'm not 100% sure). It feels like someone is tapping my heart with a small rubber hammer. I became more interested, and to make a long story short I have discovered that i...

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Pacemaker's not pacing me anymore?

So, for the last week and a half I've been getting very dizzy upon standing again. It's only been 3 weeks (as of yesterday) since my surgery, so I went in to see my doctor to day for a check. He wasn't at the hospital I normally go to, so it was my first time visiting this particular one this afternoon. At my last check on 8/26, it showed that I was being paced in my atrium 74% of the time with the lowest setting set to 50. That sounded about right because for the last 3 years, my HR has bee...

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Fingers crossed.

I am finding out how difficult 2nd degree heart block is to manage. I think I have tried out every setting my pacemaker has to offer. After 5 setting changes over 6 weeks I decided yesterday to go back to the setting that paced me the lowest percentage of time because not one setting made me feel better than any of the others. I also convinced my cardiologist to let me try a different beta blocker, atenolol instead of lopressor. So far today I'm feeling suprisingly good...I'm actually a litt...

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reading a pacer printout

Does someone know where I can get the definations of the abbreviations shown on a PM print out ? I have a St. Jude PM. I tried St. Jude but they would not help me. There must be a training manual for doctors available.
Thanks

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Fast heart rate

I just had my pacer check and the tech told me I had some episodes of fast heart rate on a couple occasions lasting like 9 seconds 6 seconds but I never felt the rate was 150 to 160 any one else have this happen?

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First checkup yesterday. Awful today.

Hi. I had my first checkup and meeting with cardioiligist yesterday. The technician told me that the pacemaker (duel chamber Medtronic) is doing it's job as it was activated 48% of the time.
The cardioligist decided to change the setting from 60 to 50, although the technician had said all was great and if it is not broken, don't fix it..
Today, I awoke with a terrible headache and pressure in my head, which I have not had since pacemeker was fitted eight weeks ago. It is now 6.15 pm an...

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wondering

HI........ maybe my post above is not clear.
I'm experiencing my BPM race from the 80 setting to to 98 to 80 within a minute or two. Is this normal. I was set at 80 with all three leads on after the implant. At my first adjustment (two and a half weeks ago) they set me at 70 and a 70 rest rate, also boosted my motion response rate and turned off my third lead. That was uncomfortable as I felt my heart beating most of the time. Today they adjusted me again - setting me back to the original s...

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Cardiologist appointment 8/22

Hi Gang
I had an appointment with my cardiologist today. I feel I need to find one that understands pacemakers and what it means to people that have had to have them installed. This guy just says it paces your heart and that is all it does. It was like an insult to what everyone that got me to this place, made no difference. He does not seem to realize this is a part of me now and it can not be down played, or make me feel like it is only him, that controls my life.
I felt that he was...

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This is all new to me

I was suffering from dizziness and breathing problems. My HR was dropping to 23 then missing beats for between 7-15 seconds. So I was given a pacemaker on 15th July. I am a runner and have been running for over 30 years. I started running again 3.5 weeks after the operation. It was a real struggle but I kept pushing myself because the technician said that she had given me an upper limit of 150 and we could tweak it on my visit after 5 weeks if necessary. At that appointment this week it was disc...

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should i set the pm @40

Hi!

I just got my pm today. I have been taken atenolol for 20 years. I have a hr at 45_65 for daily activities. I got the pm because of a complete heart block with several episode of syncopy. I have rbbb. Despite that, i usually do not feel heart discomfort. I do not feel tired if i sleep 8_9 hrs.

Is it resonable to set the low limit of the pm at 45? In this way, the pm will not pace and only serve as a backup. I feel normal when i am in bed with a hr at 47. I like a slow...

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Pacing percentage

Just had my pacemaker checked, she said it is pacing 99% of the
time in lower ventricle. This was scary to me. Does this mean the battery will run down sooner? Also, what about when they have to replace it, worried my heart won't work without it.

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I'm learning to be a pest!

Thought it might be helpful for people to know my experience with PM settings. The day after surgery (7/15/13) for third degree block, I went home and became increasingly anxious, spending much of the day pacing. That night I couldn't sleep at all as every few minutes I could feel the pacemaker kick in. I went back to the hospital the next day for observation. The interrogation rep said I seemed to be sensitive to the automatic self test that was going on every 8 minutes or so- thankfully she...

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many questions ??

I have posted before, But I swear I'm at my wits end with this PM business. I had the Medtronic revo surescan PM implanted for 3rd degree heart block on 2/5/22013. I went 4 months and 20 days with my pacemaker set wrong and severe shortness of breath, thousands of dollars later being billed to Medicare, so so many tests,4 hospitalizations, 2 heart cauterizations, and a pulmonary specialist all to no avail, Not my lungs, no blockages NOTHING! It was the settings all along!

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perfect settings

Is there a way for the PM readout paper to tell you it is set perfectly for you personally?

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Monthly pacemaker checks

Does anyone have their pacemaker checked via computer. I have a nurse from a hospital call and we do a check over the phone. Just wondering about the new technology.

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One week and....no upward trending

It may be a very, very small victory but after having the need to increase my voltage climb and climb for the past 7 wks since implant to have it finally stabilize...even for a week...was great news to me. Now, if only it would start trending downward! Because at the rate it is set I will have to have my battery changed in 4 years. Yikes!

I'm very thankful for all the support and encouragement I received from my last post. It's been a very scary time.

I was very disappoint...

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Good PM check

Thought I'd let everyone, and especially those who've helped me through these first 8 weeks with my new buddy, know that I had my PM check this week. First thing I did was move the chair in front of the programmer screen. This was unusual for the PM tech but he didn't object. I told him I was a retired engineer and had been studying the Clinician manual for my PM, but I'd let him run the machine. LOL

Interrogation data all looked great! No AT/AF events! I'm 100% AV blocked but my...

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1st DR appt after surgery

So today I go back for my first device checkup after 2 weeks. The crazy thing is the incision strips just came off today and the incision looks good, however, the area seems more swollen today then it has the last 2 weeks. Any reason why it would be more swollen?? Hopefully it is a good checkup.. I do have to say that I love this site:)

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TIA

The lead up to the TIA went like this:
2/8 settings changed as my pulse wasnt going over 100 and with activity I was very SOF.
6/8 had fall, didnt trip/slip. Became aware I was falling forward when half way down.
9/8 was aware arms were heavy and not lifting well
10/8 woke with high pulse, ie 80-90 (my settings are 60-130), and it stayed up every time I checked throughout the day.
5 pm, confusion had set in
7 pm, got taken to local hospital and proved very confused...

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You know you're wired when...

You make store alarms beep.

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