Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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another adjustment

Went today for adjustment. Min reset to 50 from 40 for day time night left at 40. PM rep said after last adjustment 6 days ago my pm use had went from 80% to 25%. I said of cousre because you chaged the min to 40 . Also said rate drop was turned on 6 days ago and it was activated 6 times, i'm thinking that was also because 40 was set as min, with a min of 50 I don't think rate drop will be activated as much because pm will kick in at 50. Hopefully 50 will help with just feeling spent all the ti...

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Rate response

What if any are the benefits of having rate response on for a reasonably good for age runner.

So far as I know I don't have a problem with upper rate which was hitting 165 on exertion a few days prior to implant. Or with my HB responding naturally to increased effort.
Pre Implant Garmin curves show a rapid initial surge in HB followed by a gradual increase as the miles built up.

Was lowered at first check up but still don't feel great and some odd fluctuations in HB ha...

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Beware of Adjustments

This week I had a 6 month check-up with my cardiology group including an interrogation of my PM. I've had it just over a year and the past 6 months have been very good after a rough start up. The technician asked a simple question regarding how I feel when walking. I answered "fine" and then mentioned that, when I run, the first half mile or so is a bit difficult as my system comes up to steady state. He decided to make two adjustments, although I did not ask for them. He increased the slope...

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motion response

I'm sure it has a technical name but the motion response on my now 8 day implant was turned down at first check because it would soar to 150+ whilst I was walking the dog.
By the time I walked out of the hospital I knew things had considerably improved.
I asked if this could be switched off altogether as my issues are slow heartbeat when at rest (down to 20bpm) and pauses mild compared to many max 3.7 secs suspected 1st degree block. One tech appeared in favour but his boss wanted to r...

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tweaked

Went for my PM checkup today couple changes.
Day setting changed from 60 to 45, night changed from 45 to 40 max changed from 150 to 175, rate drop turned on set for 25 BPM change w/in 1 minute, if drop in rate is picked up will be passed to 70. Should help with dizzy spells (1/2 dozen times), passing out (happened once post PM) max rate hopefully helps running. Well still can't run recovering from knee surgery. Going back in one month for another check with PM rep and cardiologist. Just sit...

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First PM "Check Up"

Well...had my first checkup today since PM. I cannot believe what a difference I feel already. I feel AWAKE! RN in clinic did the checkup. She said my PM is "pacing" 55% of the time in the SA node and only 1% in the AV. (My low is at 50 resting/60 with activity). I hope that makes sense. So, her comment was "no wonder you feel better". What this tells me is I needed the PM. I sure had doubts going in, but this is confirmation for me. I have been getting about 7-8 hours of sleep at nig...

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are these settings typical for bradycardia?

Hi all. I have either a sinus node problem or a vasovagal issue (they're not sure) where my heart spontaneously slows way down and I experience syncope. I had a dual-chamber pm implanted a few months ago and understood that it was set to kick in if my heart rate drops below 50bpm. Indeed it is, but it's apparently also set for other kinds of interventions as well. I discovered this when I repeatedly experienced a tickle when exercising and asked the tech to look at the data I uploaded. Apparentl...

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Check up

Hello everybody. Thank you for the information that everybody's sharing here. By the way, I have my pm last Aug 15 and all is well aside from some dis comfort of the meds I am taking and maybe the reason why I can't sleep well at night. My concern now is I want to know if any St. Jude location can check me. Since, my work requires me to be in another country I find it hard to see my Doctor or the hospital where I am supposed to have regular check in my country. Through browsing I know the l...

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love my tech

Two weeks tomorrow since surgery implant. I have brady/tacky and SSS. I had to have a pacemaker for very low heart rate and meds to try to correct tacky. After surgery I could not walk or my heart raced like horse going for a triple crown. I mean I could not walk faster than very slow motion. After searching this site I found references to rate response settings. A light bulb went off...maybe that is the problem. It was. The setting caused my tacky to start and then I was miserable every ti...

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Remote transmission

I had my 1st remote transmission after my pacemaker surgery in June for exercise induced 2nd degree heart block. I picked up a copy of the report and there are 646,190 PACs (premature atrial contractions) in a little less than 3 months. If my math is correct, that would be 7,179 a day and about 298 an hour. Should I be concerned about these numbers? I haven't really felt them except maybe a few. I also had 99 ATRs (atrial tachy responses). The summary says that the stored episodes show FFRW...

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Not sure what to ask

Hi everyone, I had a Biotronik evia pacemaker fitted at the end of June this year and have had 2 visits to pacing clinic. I spoke to the doc the first time and told him that I'd had a funny turn whist out with my 2 young children. We'd climbed quite a steep, tall hill and half way up i felt like I was going to collapse. It was like I needed a higher heart rate but didn't have it.

He just said he'd have a look at the data and see what was going on and that was it!

The last...

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Looks Like I need an ablation

Hi all,
I have had my PM for 2 yrs and have had some issues with SVT. I get my pm interrogated every 6 months and it usually shows that I have about 10 episodes of SVT. I went yesterday for my 6 month checkup and was told that in the last 6 months, I have had over 580 episodes of SVT. Big jump from the previous 6 months. Not only that but while at the dr, I was having SVT, my pulse was 171. My dr gave me Metoprolol and said that if we couldn't get it lower, he was going to send me next d...

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jossikins

Hi! I am new to this group and discovered it while surfing the net in an attempt to identify my present problem. I was fitted with a pacemaker last March because, in spite of having AF, my heart had on just one occasion dropped very low. However, soon after having it fitted, I went into serious AF, and my heart rate never dropped below 110. So, the PM lay dormant below my left shoulder until three weeks ago, when I had an AV Ablation, which was pronounced successful. And so it seemed to be u...

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Pacemaker Settings

Any members have experience tweaking pacemaker settings for
lower rate, rate response, activity threshold, activity acceleration?

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Info needed re: Medtronic PM

Hi Gang! After numerous ER visits 2010 to early 2012, I gave up on ablations (3 failed, 1 aborted) as a pathway to cure my paroxsymal A-Fib issue and gave the doc permission to implant a PM. He implanted a 3-lead Medtronic C4TR01 Consulta to deal with my mild Cardiomyopathy. Life's been much more pleasant since. I have the patient manual, but I haven't had a face to face talk with any EP or cardiologist about how this device actually works for me. Did I have a complete AV node ablation? Is my...

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Question re: first few months post op

I had my pacemaker implanted Sept. 18. I saw my regular doc for a wound check 5 days later, then the cardiologist at the end of September. He did an interrogation and said I had atrial sensing (yay) and ventricular pacing (ok, fine), with 96% pacemaker driven. Wow, I was surprised the number was so high. My voltage was 3 V. This was the first cardio I talked to in the hospital but he was not available for surgery so his colleague did the surgery.

I saw the second doctor, the one who d...

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PM Check

Do you find that the St. jude representative is not allowed to tell you what they see on the report?

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maybe I am just nervous?

Had my Boston Scientific PM placed in May 2014. I had SSS and was having very low rate and BP and pauses/dizziness. The dizzy episodes have greatly decreased but I often feel like I am short of breath or breathy when I am doing only light exhursion. I am active (walk 3 miles/day) and a dog walker and don't have a lack of energy but I am beginning to wonder if my PM is set too low(rate seems to be in 60s) all of the time. Last checkup I was only using it ~20% of the time. My next check is Januar...

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low heart rate

went to the pacemaker clinic today and was told pacemaker being used at 90%. Has significantly went up over the last 2 years. was told that my pacemaker is set to "trigger" on in the mid 50's range. But then told also that my heart rate drops to the 30's at sleep. is this possible? I thought it would not drop below where pacemaker was "set". Comments appreciated.

melinda (new member)

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waiting list situation

Has anyone been in a similar situation. I have had my present PM for coming on 13 years. I had been attending my local hospital for check-ups every month as the battery was getting low.

On my last visit the PM technician told me that my PM needed changed and that my check-up report would be forwarded to the relevant consultant. I have since discovered that the consultant has placed me on a waiting list for a replacement PM but while I await the replacement surgery I no longer rece...

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You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

Member Quotes

Try to concentrate on how you’re able to be active again and feel normal, rather than on having a machine stuck in your body.