Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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To electric frank

Hi Frank. after reading one of your responses to someones message I have a question for you.I am at end of life with the pacemaker you got replaced in 2010. Last night I was pacing at 35 and had large breaks between beats, Obviously its not capturing. Does this mean I better call pacemaker clinic in the morning. last visit they told me this medtronic model will stop pacing in one of the leads when its near the end. what do you think? thank you. ps im the one from niagara falls

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TO ELECTRIC FRANK AND EVERYONE ELSE

I have a Biventricular pacemaker with only two leads fitted, pacing both ventricles. I have no AV node ( it was ablated ). I have permanent atrial fibrillation. I am therefore 100% pacemaker dependant. This was done in 2007.
My question is this- I am doing very well , better than average for this condition. However I have in recent years become convinced that I would be far better off if the MOTION DETECTOR in the pacemaker was turned off . My minimum beat rate is 70 BPM and I think the max...

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CARELINK DEVICE m--link update

here is good tip

setup all your device call your pm doctor to make sure it all hookup right pm doctor send a test run then the doctor call you back make sure everything is hook up right


so i know it working good

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weak heart

Since i came back to alabama .My heart was working at 35 percent .Now it pushing 30.So its weaker now ,and i can tell.My weight is yo yoing .I can weigh between 150 to almost 160 daily.I think my chf is getting worse.

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Check-Up, Update...

Well, I'm so excited I think my heart is doing a jig! Apparently I have somehow improves the function of my heart! It is much stronger now than last year! My upper chamber is giving me some problems, (recorded 7 episodes in May) but the bottom is working just fine. Dr. says he could add more medications to help that.... but.... he does not recommend it. He says i'm doing GREAT! I have 9 years left on this pacemaker :=) I'm so happy!

He also added that if I am feeling very, very...

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Checkup

Took advice and was able to have my PM checked yesterday. The tech from St Jude advised that I have been in A-Fib since 6/14 @ 8:05 am. My Heart Doctor increased my Toprol and added an additional medicine that knocked it right back into the proper rhythm. 

Thanks you ebfox for your advice.

Duke

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CARELINK DEVICE AND M-LINK setup

My doctor want me setup it up for the carelink website?. all i setup is plug all my carelink monitor and m-link together do any body has any answer how do carelink website work ?? do i need to signup on care link website ????

i hookup everything up i see all the light on m-link device and push power on my carelink monitor

should i need leave everything hookup 24hrs???

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Help with interpreting interrogation numbers

Prior to last session: (45 days) -- Since last session: (34 days)
AS-VS 49.8% 65.4%
AS-VP <0.1% <0.1%
AP-VS 50.2% 34.6%
AP-VP <0.1% <0.1%

What do these changes mean? Is my pacemaker pacing less? Which numbers could I look for on my printout to tell how much battery life I have left?

Thanks in advance!

Wantok

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Home monitoring

I've used the search option and have seen previous messages about home monitoring systems, but I guess would like to know opinions and messages that are a bit more recent of those using this service.

Does anyone use Medtronic Care-Link for their routine pacer checks? Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm thinking seriously of utilizing this service and would appreciate any input that anyone has.

Thank you,
Angelie

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1st pm check

Hi all, I have had my pm for just over a year now for complete heart block and had a check up about 4 weeks ago. All the checks seems to be fine. The only thing that concerns me is that I was told that I was being paced 13% in the atrium! They think this is occurring because my sleep rate is slipping below my pm's lower rate. Just wondered if anyone else had come across this. My ventricle rate is 99% which is to be expected.

They have given me a night mode with a lower level setting t...

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out of 'sync'?

How often should one get 'out of sync', knowing that we are all different. I was 'adjusted' once, something about the change of meds? I didn't understand, just went through the process.

Now I'm wondering if I'm in that state again. I had another ablation about a month ago, could that have caused it? I got a call for an appointment tomorrow. I was needed an after surgery appt. anyway, so maybe that's why? Or maybe something showed up on my monitor report.

I was going...

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pacemaker sensation

I went in for a check up today, and the second time the tech changed my heart rate, I felt the horrible sensation in the area of my pacemaker, not my heart. It instantly made me feel nauseaus, tired and headachy. She said I couldn't have felt it there, and said it was nothing to be concerned about and everything seemed to be fine.

I have been doing well over the past few months, but this episode has left me concerned. If I shouldn't have felt it the way I did, how could everything be...

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Feeling rubbish after settings changed?

I've had a Guidant Insignia since 2005 for complete heart block, and am now being monitored for cardiomyopathy. The docs aren't sure whether my pacemaker is the cause of the cardiomyopathy though, and as a trial for the next few months, today they have turned down my pm, from a min of 60bpm, to about half that (not sure of exact figures).

They did warn me that I would lose my 'oomph', and today I've just been feeling pretty rubbish - really quite light-headed and slow, and like I can...

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Lower limit of pacemaker

Hi,

I was googling around and found a link referring to the article by Frank in the Pulse - Winter 2012. Got confused about dates and commented/asked a question and it was in February! Could be that is why I don't see my comment, even under my postings?

Anyhow, if it comes up, please excuse, but I really did want to know the answer.

Here is my comment/question:

Lower limits
Comment posted by judy13 on 2012-06-01 18:49.
Frank,

Th...

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re-set

Just had my pacemaker interrogated and my electrophysiologist told me my pacemaker had been re-set. This was during a long discussion about other issues relavent to my echocardiogram and amongst them being the possibility of needing a third lead; and I forgot to ask why a re-set was needed or done. Does anyone know the purpose of a re-set?

Thanks.

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m-link

what is M-link router for home monitor how should i get m-links to go with my carelink home monitor ????

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Rate Responsiveness Delay

I had a PM check-up today and was discussing with the cardiac physiologist the fact that I can set the RR off by vigorously tapping on the PM . As I was all wired up, looking at a computer screen of my heart rate, he said " Start tapping now and we'll see what happens !"

I happily tapped away and nothing happened to my HR . I stopped tapping and he said " It doesn't seem to work for you" ... and then, after what felt like a good 2 minutes my HR shot up from 60bpm to about 110 bpm....

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HEARTBEAT 112 PACED?

Just out of surgery for my third PM 4 days ago. Feel weakness in my legs above knees and somewhat lightheaded. Called Dr's office, they said leg weakness and strange feelings would be addressed when I return in one week for checkup and staples removal.

Started checking heartrate last night. Seems to be stuck on 110/112 bpm. Same this morning. Old PM was set on 70. Why is heartrate so fast? Can a dual pacer be set as high as 110?

Should I be concerned?

Coot...

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New Plugs and Wires

I went for a check-up last Wednesday and was advised that my 13 year old ventricle lead needs to be replaced soon. The threshold (amount of energy needed to pace my heart) is 2.75 V (highest possible for my model) and my battery life has dropped to less than 1 year. My surgery will be scheduled by month-end. The surgeon doing the procedure has a pacemaker as well. So, I ordered what he has.

My old leads will not be replaced. Just a new ventrilce lead and device will be implanted....

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Post op check up

Perhaps I should have posted this question earlier, but from reading other posts, it would appear that post op checks are usually within two to three weeks after the implant. Indeed, my surgeon did instruct me to make my post op appointment for within that time frame. But when I tried to make the appointment, the receptionist said the doc was booked out and that I could not be fitted in until 6 June: some 7 weeks after. And despite my protesting she would not budge (saying that she talked to...

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