Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Headaches, dizziness and nausea

I just had a new pacemaker put in. Got my old one in July of 2004. I just had it checked out and was told it would go for up to 5 months. 3 Weeks later they had me come back and it was 100% dead.Lucky it had a backup battery. My heart is paced 100% of the time and so was told I had to have a temporary one during surgery, but while I was on the table it started beating on its own so they did not have to do the temporary. I am fine now and this new one should last 12 or 13 years. It is quite a bi...

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pacemaker setting change

How do you ask your Technition or Cardiologist to change your settings if you feel it is not right for you?

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Pls explain me.

Hi everybody,
I juz fix my icd on da 1st of aug, i will go to my checkup in 2 wk time, can someone explain to me wat is a pacing % is, n wat is a perfect % can do to your health, is it up to the doc to recomend to me a% to my heart or is it the way i feel when he choose to give a % to me ( of course he will check my condition 1st) but still is it up to me the way i feel?
Thk.
Btw thk to all who commented on my 1st msg.

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doctor's restrictions

Hello fellow pacers!

I'm having kind of a situation with my EP doctor. I recently called his office to schedule an appointment because I was feeling a little weird. The secretary told me that I had to wait a few months because he's seeing pacemaker patients only one day a month. I told her it was important, and she recommended going to my cardiologist. When the technician checked the PM at the cardio office, he realized that the EP had posted an alert saying that I was 100% paced, tha...

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Pacemaker setting question

Hello! For those out theandante a slow heart rate. I have NCS. What is the lowest setting that is acceptable? My resting heart rate is 54. Pacemaker is set at 60 and going of too much. I have no syncope sensations just feeling the pacer (Trixie) going on. I am running at 40%. I am going to a new EP Friday so just wanted some feedback. One EP told me we could go as low as 40. Thanks in advance for any feedback. Great to have a place to ask questions openly.

Thank you,
Caryn

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Lower Rate versus Energy Level

I had a rate responsive PM implanted five years ago. Lower rate set at 60bpm and upper tracking and sensing rate set at 110bpm. Over the years I have been debating on asking my cardiologist to increase the lower rate to 70bpm or so in hopes that I might improve my overall energy level---not that I am feeling all that bad for a 70 year old. I have no problem with moderate activity and can walk at a 2 1/2 mph rate for 45 minutes with no adverse effects. My interrogation reports have reported...

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Best PM Check In a Long Time

Greetimgs everyone,

I wanted to share my last PM check with people who would appreciate the results. I had my 6th generator and 5th lead put in on June 28th. Post surgery I noticed my heart rate jumping quickly after minimal activity. I went in for my one month post op check and got awesome news. My EP was able to tweak the settings to increase my sensitivity and slow the acceleration of my heart beat. I feel 500% better and shaved an instant 10 mins of off my walk work out. To...

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confused

hi everyone, i’m hoping that someone can explain as i’m a bit confused here, my husband has a mechanical mitral valve and a PM for 4 years now, we have just received a letter saying after his PM interrogation it confirmed mode switch events suggesting he is getting atrial tachyarythmia and that unfortunately the electrograms were programed off; now they have asked for them to be switched on and will do another PM check in 6 months, could someone with understa...

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1st check up

Hello: Had my first check up yesterday after having PM put in two weeks ago. We are farmers and I swear our vet is more compasionate and understanding than this dr. was. He walks in and starts telling the technician how to adjust the settings without explaining anything to me, or asking how I was feeling or anything about what he was doing. I felt like saying "oh by the way, that's my heart you are playing with".....any how now that I have vented wanted to say thank you so much to to all of...

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Pacemaker check today

I had my pacemaker checked today by St Jude. I have a single chamber model in my abdomen. With an epicardium lead screwed into my heart. History of heart infection dictated an abdominal approach. My implant date was 5/10/2012. When first checked around that time I was told pacer would initiate if heart rate hit 60. I was pacing 49% of the time. St Jude then told me they would lower it to 50 so I would not pace so often.

Today I had it checked again and I am pacing at 39% of the time....

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Transtelephonic testing St. Jude Pacemaker

I am doing research to find out what some of you are using to do bi-monthly trans telephonic pacemaker checks? We have been using Philips, until they recently dropped this service. My cardiologist is advising that we come into his office for a check.

I have been advised by St Jude to contact the following companies for trans telephonic checks:
Equimed/Scott 800-451-7470
Guardian: 877-317-3047
Ambucor: 763-780-9808

Have any of you used either of these compani...

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Latest Checkup

Just received my printout of the latest Car Link phone check. all looks great. In fact it looks better than great. PVC's are way down. The pacer is doing what it is supposed to do without fanfare!

It's worth my effort at making sure things were done right.

frank

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Settings range

Reading postings seems to tell me I should wake in the morning refreshed and ready to go. I don't. My PM is continually being adjusted to accept the fact that I am still a runner in training for a marathon. Settings are 50-150 for the PM. Adjustments for the upper end have been to loose(Hit 120 or so crossing the street) or to tight(can't even get to 100). We are fooling with the high end but I am wondering if the 50 could be too low for me, and that could be the problem. What does a higher low...

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New Pacemaker and falling asleep

I got my Pacemaker installed on July 16 and wasn't due to go to the first interrogation until August 23. However, I have been so tired in the afternoons. In fact I fell asleep in our staff meeting yesterday - very embarrassing! So I have an appointment this morning to ask them about at the Alaska Heart Institute who did the installation. What questions should I ask about settings? Is it true that they may have default settings when first installed and now need adjusting? Is there a bottom numbe...

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check up questions

OK Frank, wake up and try yo explain the following to me (if you can)!
Just had a stress test done and here is the results:
Grade 1 distolic disfunction with trivial MR,TR and PR. Any of this stuff worth getting concerned about?
Any body else got any feed back?
Thanks,
Cecil
Still waiting for decission on fractured lead issue of past spring.

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CRT-d settings vs. fatigue

I am three months out of CRT-d implant. (medtronic protecta) I have DC with LBBB. EF at placement 25. No CHF symptoms, CRT placed in hopes LBBB contributed to heart failure and will improve heart function. I felt worse after I got the CRT-d. Fatigue and breathless after stairs or inclines. Settings were adjusted by having an echo done with the pm tech. Felt great, back to normal for about a month. Then started feeling bad again. I kept blaming fatigue on other things but finally called pm tech...

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Danger of ventricular pacing in SSS with AV Block?

Danger of ventricular pacing in SSS with AV Block?

I have had a mixed bag of feeling since receiving my PM on 3/29/12. I got the PM for SSS, and junctional rhythms, basically bradycardia. My heart during the night was going into the 30’s, with a pause as long as 3 seconds. During the day, I was in the 40-50 range mainly, with fatigue.

I never have passed out, before or since the PM.

What I have had is a variety of good and bad feelings- and many adjustments si...

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1st check up

Hi all

Had my 1st check up today after having an Ablation for SVT in June 2012 causing a complete heart block, resulting in a pacemaker.
Having made a list of questions to ask, my 1st was "how often has my pacemaker been used" with the technician saying "it's in use 24/7 as your lower part of your heart doesn't function anymore"
This came as a huge shock because the doctor/consultant hadn't explained all this to me.
I still feel short of breath, the hospital has altered...

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monitor to check pacemaker at home

Does anyone have a monitor where you check your pacemaker at home and you are connected to a monitoring site? I have one but as of yet have not had the courage to use it. It has been 3 years since my pacemaker was put in and I still fret about certain things. My pacemaker works all the time and I'm still leary of it stopping. I think, no I know, that is why I have not used this machine. The tech told me it was just to check the life of the battery, but as I read the instructions, the last s...

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New settings ?

Hi I'm brand new in this club. Just had my second ICD/Pacemaker installed . This one is a Medtronic Protecta. My question is my doc had my last one set for 60 bpm. This rate was an increase from my resting rate of 50 bpm. My new Protecta is now set for 70 bpm. My doctorl gave me the option of returning to 60 bpm or staying at 70 bpm. I don't feel any difference. Any thoughts/comments are welcome.

PJB

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