Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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new guy with questions

Hi I discovered this site this afternoon and boy am I glad I did..quick history:me-old guy (67) LOL had a pm implanted in conjunction with aortic valve replacement surgery on 4/22 about 6 weeks ago. My recovery has been slow but steady but I have been acutely fatigued and very low on energy since I got home from hospital. Wife says "be patient" and it seems this fatigue thing is pretty common based on the other comments here. Wish my doc (or someone anyway) would have warned me, Im NOT com...

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Blood pressure drop

Hubby was feeling very tired so we went in for his first adjustment to his pacemaker. The rate response was adjusted as well as the upper threshold increased. His blood pressure has been the lowest its ever been since the pacemaker adjustment. He usually runs 130/low 80s and he is suddenly in the 110's/low 70s. While I know that a lower blood pressure is better for a heart failure patient, he is feeling pretty crummy.

1. Why the drop in pressure?
2. How soon would he feel...

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Stand by mode

I had a successful ablation for atypical atrial flutter in December 2012 and had been problem free since, now in June 2014. I have had a pacemaker since 2000. It had been set to permanent pacing with a minimum rate of 70 bpm with max of 120 bpm (after which my own rhythm takes over).

At a recent Pacing check the technician altered the settings to 'stand by mode' only operating if my heartrate fell beneath 60 bpm. I was told my natural heartbeat was in very good shape so I ought no...

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to tigerlily

Just checking to see if you got my reply message. Private message says your name is invalid?

Kathy

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feeling a little lightheaded

hi all,
had my pm/icd installed in 2010. everything was fine until i went for pm checkup. he said pulse staying a70-80. so he adjusted rate response for rate up to 110. on exercise. that was thursday. today, saturday, i did my morning workout (about 15 minutes of not real hard exercises) checked my pulse before (70) and after (95). felt a little light headed. took a rest. pulse down to 70. no pain, but still some lightheadedness. real minor nausea for a minute. that is gone.
has a...

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Paced settings

Recent app with new Cardiiologist resulted in lead change and several follow up visits to readjust settings on rate response which has allowed me to run better, I'm in DDDR again upper rate to 170 exertion response from 3 to 5 activity threshold from med/low to low but my question is in trying to help my anaerobic feeling while running he moved paced AV to 180 ms, sensed AV to 180 max increase to AV 100ms,,,does this make sense or is the the reason I now don't have the breathless feeling from be...

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Is CLS OK with a healthy SA node?

I had my 3 month CRT-P check 2 days ago. Overall I'm feeling great and have been able to gradually increase the duration of exercise walking. However, when I exert like walking up a slight hill, I have the urge to go faster but it feels like something in my chest won't let me. I didn't know if that's because my heart is not yet strong enough due to cardiomyopathy, or if a change in the CRT settings would help. I have a Biotronik Evia HF-T. The Biotronik rep turned on the CLS (closed loop stimul...

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cardiologist with medtronic rep

3:15PM EST today, just a PM check up,

any question i should be asking?





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upper & lower settings

Sorry if this is a dumb question but i'm new to this heart problem thing and the world of pacemakers and stents. Since having a heart attack with complete heart block on christmas last year and getting these devices implanted i've had a few chest pain issues... only happens after a hard workout on the treadmill or exercise bike. Taking nitro doesn't help... and the pain (in center of chest) usually goes away in a matter of days. I just found out today in cardiac rehab that my pm is set from a lo...

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Myocardial Perfusion Scan

I have had my Medtronics PM since November of 2013. Everything had been going fine. They had made a few small adjustments along the way. I just did a phone test and everything looked ok but at times when I am doing something very streanuous that I could do before, I feel a little burn in my chest. No shortness of breath. Just went to my heart doctor and they say my heart is racing occasionally. Shouldn't my pm regulate this? The doctor wants to do a myocardial perfusion scan to rule anything out...

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Decompensating in the heat

It's my first post! So happy to find a forum where my husband and I can ask questions. We feel young and alone in our situation so it is so helpful to find a community of people that understands what we are going through.

A little background:
Hubby at (33) was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy almost 2 years ago. EF was 35% at the time. He had ZERO symptoms and we discovered his heart condition by chance at a physical. Last summer he began to exhibit symptoms.....ext...

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What settings should I ask about?

I have a ICD with cardio resync therapy. (3 wires). I get short of breath with very little activity. I feel the device is not doing its job since it keeps my heart rate in the low 60,s at rest and never higher than the mid 80,s with exertion. The device manufacturer said it can be programed to adjust itself based on my activity. I can't seem to get any info about settings from the tech that checks the device every 3-4 months. Does anyone have any suggestions as the the settings I should ask abo...

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Tweaking worked!

My 4 week check up after tweaking my settings was today: no episodes were recorded ( there were 19 previously during the first 6 months.) and my ventricle is only 37 % paced ( down from 100 %)! my atrium increased to 8.4% from 3.7%. Best of all, I feel great with the new settings. All the NP did was add 150ms to how patient my PM is.
I asked about my top pacing set for 120- she said my HR never went over 105 and I am very physically active. She mentioned that she would not want my ventric...

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What to expect

Ok. Going for my 1st check up after ICD implant.
What am I to expect ? Hoping to get some answers from the Doc because really I am clueless. Got this device because of low EF but is it still a pacemaker or only a defib??
Please give me some advise on what questions I need to be asking. Thanks. I guess I need a book for dummies😃

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Question on setting adjustment

I had a Medtronic dual chamber pacemaker put in March 2014 and had my first check up 3 weeks later and everything was fine. I went for the second follow up 2 May. At that visit the Medtronic Tech rep changed my settings so the battery would last longer.

Since then I have been more short of breath on exertion and my BP is high. I would return to my Cardiologist but he is in Florida and I am located in Northeast Pennsylvania now.

Can new settings cause this.

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still in pain

Yesterday I went for my 3 month cardio check up. I had my pm put in 7 months ago. I have complained of pain since the surgery but basically ignored. Yesterday he at least acknowledged that the pain I described is not normal. He failed to help me, but recommended a pain management doctor. I do not have much faith in this. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have had friends suggest an acupuncturist. Again, I have not had any experience with this.
So...any and all help is appreciated...

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What happened to my Afibs?

Medtronic pacer. Had my checkup yesterday and Doctor said that since my last checkup in September 2013 until now the pacer did not register any afibs. Isn't that odd? Also the pacer was installed in Feb 2007 and the Doctor said the battery is good for another 5 years. Does this make any sense?

Ken

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test reports

At my last PM interrogation, you should have seen the shock on the face of the tech when I expressed my desire for a copy of the interrogation report. You would have thought I was asking to see Classified Eyes Only state secrets. I swear, she turned pale.

I had thought there was something about me that made that office so stingy with info, but suddenly I realized keeping patients minimally informed was policy.

With backbone acquired in this forum, I insisted and then gently...

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Tweaking settings

I am at 7 months post implantation (AV block, St.Jude's) and like all newbies was overwhelmed with all the changes happening. My first cardio NP was nice, but did not explain why my settings were what they were: 50-120 and 150ms.
After reading posts here and some really great advice ( thank you Don and others) I decided to be more "informed" as to what BLIP was up to. TMM was perfect, first check up- perfect again, but, I found myself progressively getting short of breath and fatigued. All...

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coughing + Lower base rate

HI all :-)

The cardio adjusted my lower base rate from 50 bpm to 60 bpm a few weeks ago to make me feel less tired and dizzy - and It helped a lot :-). I am diagnosed with SSS.

But after this adjustment I have startet to cough some times during the day, like I have something In my throat that needs to come out. I feel the need for coughing right after I have felt a "heavy" heartbeat. Before the adjustment I hardly felt this, maybe once a day.

Can this be beacuse...

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You know you're wired when...

You read consumer reports before upgrading to a new model.

Member Quotes

A pacemaker suddenly quitting is no more likely to happen than you are to be struck by lightening.