Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

Post Message!

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...

Read More...

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...

Read More...

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...

Read More...

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😃

Read More...

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.

Read More...

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...

Read More...

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

Read More...

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...

Read More...

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...

Read More...

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...

Read More...

Cell Phon

I had a ,kick, (first one) when I inadvertently used a new cell phone
Implant inserted late November 1923.
I am worried - should I do anything - I never feel on top oftheworld anyway
Thanks and glad to have found you
Jan UK

Read More...

BATTERY LOW

I had an appointment at my local hospital for a usual check up. This was given to me 6 weeks later than it should have. At the previous check up they said as the battery was running down they would be calling me in every 12 weeks. In the event it was 18 weeks. For the first time at that appointment the magic "wand" they put over the site refused to recognise that there was a pacemaker in situ to detect. Another technician was called and between them the manually forced the computer to talk to it...

Read More...

SVT's related to stress?

Hi,
I had my pacemaker on the 3rd Feb 2014 for SSS with sinus pauses and bradycardia. I had the routine check at 5 weeks which was fine. I've felt ok until this last week.
I moved several hundereds of miles to a new home, new job, different type of job I had'nt done for years plus, on call approx 7 weeks post implant. I'm also apart from my husband due to having to sell the house etc. I'm not sleeping well so am tired plus the stress of the new job. I had been doing well up until this...

Read More...

To those with CLS switched on...

Hi!

I was wondering, if you have the same problem as I do, namely that after every pacemaker interrogation the rate response seems to forget everything it has learned so far, and just starts from zero again? That means that for the first couple of days after a check-up, the CLS reacts very sensitively, making my heart race up to the max. sensor rate whenever I just walk a bit. Auto optimization does work, but it only adjusts every 24h, so it takes a few days to get the heart rate back...

Read More...

Pacemaker induced tachycardia

I went back for my one month check up. The nurse pacemaker expert in the office said he thought I was having pacemaker induced tachycardia. I was finding that when I pushed myself hard on an elliptical trainer my heart rate would spike up to 225 or more. They reprogrammed it and I no longer have that problem. Hooray!

Unfortunately I still can have an abrupt drop in heart rate. When my heart rate gets up to about 130 it can abruptly drop to 70. I'm going to have a stress test to see if...

Read More...

3% in 1 week bad?

23 year old female I had a pacemaker put in on april 11th 2014, when I went into the emergency room they gave me atropine because my heart rate was below 40 and within 20 minutes went right back down after being brought up to the cardiac care unit while I slept my heart rate went down to 20bpm my heart stopped and than paused for 4 seconds and while talking to the.doctor my nurse came in and told him I was having vtach for the last 5 seconds. Not to sure what that is if someone could please exp...

Read More...

Pacemakers Owner's Manual

Just learned about the pacemakers owner's manual.

Question: will it explain how to read a pacemaker interrogation report? Things like "atrial sense amplitude," and "ventricular capture test," and other arcane things? The description of the book on Amazon doesn't say.

Even if I don't understand all the implications, I'd like to know enough about what the report says to ask good questions.

I am learning that cardiologists and their minions will volunteer nothing,...

Read More...

PM printout wrong diagnosis

Hi all, still looking for info, have to go back to see the cardiologist tomorrow. Dr wants to do an "echo" because he is short of breath all the time. She doesnt think it's a settings issue, but he was not having this issue before they put in the PM, (Dec 2013) he simply passed out and without much warning.

A couple things concern me, the first is that he suffers from Syncope and his pacemaker printout has him with Bradycardia. Is this anything to worry about? (His old PM read "Syn...

Read More...

Which parameters need to be checked?

Which parameters need to be checked when you are implanted a PM?
And how often do I see doctor to check my pacemaker's situation?

Read More...

Normal reactions to checks...what are they?

1. After getting a routine PM check this am and being assured that no changes were made to the settings, why do I feel a little odd still, four hours later...a little fluttery? Normal?

2. Does anyone else feel fluttery after donating blood? Is this in my head? I took a while to recover and had never had that experience before the PM (have had the PM for 14 months)

3.With my PM doing 30% of my atrium and 98% of my ventricle pacing, what is my life expectancy? I have the idea...

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker interferes with your electronic scale.

Member Quotes

My muscles are very sore but each day it gets better and my range of movement is improving.