Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Pacemaker University Project

Good Day Pacemaker club members
I am a Product Design student at University and for my current project I am designing a communication device, and I have chosen to make something for people that have had a pacemaker or internal defibrillator fitted. A little background info, I have a family member that has a Defib fitted so I have been able to find out quite a lot of information from them about living with one. What I have taken an interest in to is how Doctors are able to collect informati...

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Rate Response

I'm going in for my 6 week checkup tomorrow and to adjust some of the settings of my Medtronic MRI dual lead pacemaker. I have been searching through previous posts and the internet for some answers on the rate response and whether or not I need it on and if so what are some recommendations for the settings. I was diagnosed with SSS and bradycardia; 44 year old female runner. I am on no medications. right now my rate response is on ADL/Exertion responses are both at 3; medium Low activity th...

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Light headedness

Hi
just a few queries....posted a while ago about breathlessness on exertion whether tweaking was required on settings and getting my head around how this works.
My post implant check up is next week and I have more queries....I have upped my walking this week both in pace and distance. I was a bit disappointed to begin to get light headed again while exercising....Is this linked to settings and breathlessness. or can anyone shed some light on their own experiences....
Also, I am...

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Pacer Dependency

I don't mean to beat this horse any more than it has been. I am confused a bit.

My atrium is pacing 60% of the time and my right ventricle is pacing at 1%. If I were to be asked how much I'm being paced, would it be 60? 1? Something in between?

Again, sorry for the silly question.

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Pacemaker settings

In monitoring my heart rate (Fit Bit HR) since the installation of my pacemaker on October 12th which I understand would not allow my rate to drop below 60 according to my Fit Bit HR. It had not gone below 60 however today (Jan 9th) for the first time I am getting readings at times between 50-60. Is the Fitbit inaccurate? Is the pacemaker not working? Are there other explanations? Should my pacemaker be checked?
Gus

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Questions RE Interrogation Results

I just had my Biotronik Eluna interrogated. My atrial pacing had gone from 71% to 93% in a month even though we had decreased basic rate from 60 to 55 and CLS from medium to low. I would have thought I would have paced less. The technician says the increase is because I have been more active. Does that make sense? Is the increase significant or anything I should be concerned about?

He has now increased basic rate up to 60 and CLS to medium (60/130). He also increased sensor/ r...

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Tired all the time.

My heart pacemaker is nine years old. I am 73 years old. I have Bradycardia. Cardiologist, seems to think I still have time for a new pacemaker to be put in. That is ok with me,LOL My pacemaker is set, to not kick in all the time. just as needed..I am just so tired all the time, I need a nap everyday. I feel exhausted. After doing a few easy chores. Washing dishes,making my bed, I need to sit down from feeing tired. I have to nap every day.Then, after nap I cannot sleep til the wee hours of...

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Query re settings

Hi
Just wondering if anyone could explain why I might be still getting breathless on exertion i.e while out walking or going up a stairs...I had pacemaker inserted in Dec 2105 for SSS....I know lower rate is set at 60 but don't know upper rate...I know from card that rate response is on....I am due back to pacing clinic and doctor in 2 weeks time....Just trying to figure it out for myself...
Thanks in advance

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Interrogation Help Frustrated Newbie

I am 68 year old, previously healthy and active female. I had a Biotronic Eluna 8 DR-T implanted the day before Thanksgiving this year. I had been suddenly diagnosed with SSS Brady/tachy, proximal aFib, and SVT. Symptoms prior to PM were vague fatigue, dizziness, sob, and chest tightness. I continue to have same symptoms, only worse, post PM....hence my frustration.

I take Propafenone ER 225 and metoprolol ER 25 twice daily, and aspirin 325. My BP is well within normal range most...

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Can you explain PM rates upper limit?

hi all:

I'm quite new to pacemaker life (since Nov 2015), and I have a quick question about the settings.

I'm set for 60-130, and I'm comfortable with those rates.

I understand the lower setting (60) paces me up to 60 when my HR tries to go lower, but what does the upper setting do?

I have an upper setting of 130, but on the cardio machines, my HR goes up to 155. I feel fine with it that high, but I was surprised because I thought the 130 limit of my P...

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jossikins

I have been advised to have my upper setting ot 155 reduced to 120, without any explanation as to why, I have had my pm for just over one year. Initially, they did not turn on the rate response and the result was awful - I couldn't hurry across a busy road, no energy - the pm was then adjusted to 60/130 which was ok. A month later, because I swim and cycle and generally lead a fairly active life, the upper rate was increased to 155. That has been fine. Two months ago, I had an ECG, then an...

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Can heart rate be lowered to 50 rpm

I have a heart rate set to 70 rpm, and I feel it is too high. I was wondering what the lowest limit is on a pacemaker.

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What do they mean by working fine?

I've been reading up on this for a few days because my mom is having problems. I have a few general questions about checkups.

1. The heart doctor says the pacemaker is working fine. This checkup involves a couple of leads placed on her chest and some machine in the doctor's office. Not an ultrasound. I take that to mean that it is sitting there twitching away as programmed. Can it tell if the heart is actually functioning correctly? i.e., is there a feedback loop?

...

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Interrogation frequency

Hello all,
Really just a quick question. I had a Medtronic A2DR01 implanted for bradycardia back in June of 2014. I'm 58 and in the US. The electrophysiologist has me scheduled for interrogations done every 3 months remotely. My job and insurance has changed since then and between having to pay them almost $60 and this Rythm Management group (does the remote data reading to send to electrophysiologist) $30 out of pocket is really breaking my budget. I paid pretty much nothing out of pocket...

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skipped beats

Yeserday at my regular check up the tech adjusted my Boston Scientific CRT-D device because it had been causing some feelings like pulse beats from a lead being close to my diaphragm. Yesterday evening and today I have had a lot of skipped beats. Same thing happened after my ablation a few months ago. It seems like any disturbance causes these pvc's or skipped beats. Anyone else have this problem?

Mona

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Waiting game

After seeing the consultant this am, I am now off the verapamil, he agreed it was doing nothing to help and the side effects I was getting were not worth putting up with.
So I now have a 6month trial of nothing to see how I settle, after adjustments in the summer which made a big difference I was still getting some arrhythmias (hence drugs) but he felt it was worth giving me chance to stabilise and see what happens. PM check was good, a couple of pmt and ectopics but nothing significant. T...

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LV ejection quiz

Hey Gang:
I was at my new cardiologists office yesterday (2nd visit). He had me in the Echo lab for a PM optimization. The sonographer seemed more competent than others I've had. He and the Doc. were definitely on the same wavelength. Device Tech was there also. After lying on my left side for an hour and a half, the results were in. At the beginning, Doc agreed with the previous assessment of an EF of 20%. As the "fine tuning" progressed, things were NOT looking better. Then, he and h...

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PM/ICD, EP's, Cardiologists, & Echo's

As an A-V Node ablated person, I can offer the following: My procedure ( May 2012) created for me a more "normal" life experience. Late 2014, my Cardiologist and my EP agreed that a PM change to a PM/ICD device was a better option. This was performed last January. At times with the new device I would feel some shortness of breath and tiredness. Current EP did a PM optimization while watching the Echo last March. Life was better yet, and although a recent PM download and echo showed no A-Fi...

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I'm feeling neglected by heart doctor

I just had a pacemaker/defibrilator put in on November 2nd. I saw the doctor two weeks later and his nurse raised my heart rate but did not tell me what the numbers are, and I didn't know to ask. Both the nurse and the doctor were shocked when I told them I was not feeling better, but feeling worse. That was the reason they increased my heart rate. It only helped for two days. I am back to so much fatigue. I feel like there is a weight pulling me down. It just sucks.

My history:

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Pacemaker and now afib! please help:(

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on the site which by the way is amazing!!

Some background on my situation:
I am female and 38 yrs old.
I was diagnosis with 3rd degree heart block last November and had a Medtronic 2 lead pacemaker fitted on Nov 21st 2015.
I take no medication.

On my last check up 2 days ago and I was told I had 39 afib episodes, which has jumped up as on my check up in April I only had 2!!
Now I have read peoples posts wher...

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