coping somewhat
It is gardening season and I love to be outdoors. I have had my PM for about 3 months. I have been having shortness of breath since by PM and it mostly happens when I am doing something more strenuous than normal, in the morning and at bedtime. Today, I was trimming shrubs and raking and I got really short of breath and started sweating. It causes my breathing to increase and I have to stop what I am doing. The same thing happened last evening when I was on my treadmill. I was only at speed 3 and with only 10 minutes in, I felt like I could not continue. What do you think...am I just out of shape ( that is what I am hoping ) and will this get progressively better the longer I have the pm and the more conditioning I get. I try to do something everyday as far as exercise and am committed to feeling better. Any suggestions? Will things get better?
6 Comments
Problems
by SMITTY - 2009-06-22 10:06:25
Hello Detter,
I have a comment that is based on my 27 years experience with heart disease, which includes nine years with a pacemaker and experience with symptoms similar to those you describe.
What you describe could be from something your pacemaker is not capable of helping with. My suggestion is that you see your Dr. post haste. If it is something the PM cannot help time and trying to make exercise do something it cannot, is not going to make things better.
If I'm wrong again, and it is from some ailment your PM should be preventing, then some changes in the operation of the PM may be necessary. The one thing I would not want to do is give it more time to correct itself.
Good luck,
Smitty
Most common reason
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-22 11:06:44
The most common reason for SOB with exercise in someone with a recent pacemaker is that the upper HR limit is set too low. The default factory settings are usually 70 (lower limit) and 120 (upper limit). With an upper limit of 120 it takes very little exercise to reach the limit. After that SOB comes on rapidly.
I suggest getting in touch with whoever is doing your pacer checks and find out what your settings are. Don't let them put you off until some checkup weeks or months away.
It may be as simple at that. If not I agree with Tracey to ask for an exercise stress test on a treadmill. For this problem I wouldn't go for a chemical stress test. You want to have the results of real physical exercise.
Finally, ask for a copy of the pre and post checkup report. This gives a lot about the settings and also how your heart is responding to the pacer. Several of us here can help you understand the results.
best,
frank
See Post...
by chip - 2009-06-23 10:06:45
Detter - Please see my recent post it just might help you with the SOB issue.
Causes of SOB
by SMITTY - 2009-06-23 11:06:51
Hi Detter,
Go to http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/shortness_of_breath/causes.htm to see a list and discussion on 1398 medical conditions that can cause Shortness of breath.
I'm sure at least 99.5% of those items are not the cause of your shortness of breath, but that is one reason I avoided being specific on a cause. Also, I disagree with Tracey and Frank that you should ask your doctor for a stress test. Sure a stress test is in order when the doctor thinks the patients symptoms indicate a heart problem that may be identified by a stress test. But there are many heart problems that can cause SOB for that do not call for a stress test.
Of course I am from the old school where the patient left it up to the doctor to decide what tests I needed. That doesn't mean I never asked the doctor if such and such test may reveal needed information, but I have walked in and said I want a certain test run.
I was purposely vague in my earlier comment about what your symptoms may indicate because I didn't want to cause you unnecessary concern. Specifically, I've had the shortness of breath and sweating with a little physical activity and in my case it was due to coronary artery disease. In other words I had some blocked or partially blocked arteries. One time it took pass surgery to provide help and some of the other times stent implants were required.
I can say for certain no pacemaker setting change ever helped my SOB.
SOB and sweating were not always the only symptoms I had, sometimes I had chest pain, and sometimes I had nausea to go along with the SOB. But the SOB has always the common denominator for my cardiac problems.
However, be all that it may. I'm tired and I plan to let this be my last comment. I'm tired physically and I'm tired of seeing diagnosis being made by people when only a tiny speck of information is available, I'm tired of seeing recommendations that a specific medicine should be tired or discontinued or that the dosages of a medicine needs to be increased or decreased.
Now I'm not saying these things to try to get someone to change their way of commenting. But I'm saying it because too many of the comments I see being made are without what I think is a solid foundation.
Last but not least, I want it understood I'm not saying Frank does not know he is talking about when it comes to pacemakers. If there is a pacemaker guru in the Pacemaker Club, in my opinion, it is Electric Frank!
Good luck to all of you.
Smitty,
SOB
by Tracey_E - 2009-06-25 05:06:21
Smitty, I totally agree with you for the most part. None of us are doctors and we shouldn't be giving medical advice. Note that my advice included "call and ask to be seen" :o) But if getting SOB starts immediately after getting a pm or having the pm adjusted, and it's only on exertion... odds are good it's the settings and not some other disease we've suddenly come down with since the last pm check.
I've had 5 or 6 stress tests over the years after I started getting SOB at the gym. Each time the stress test showed something that they were able to fix with programming, usually that I was bumping my upper limit again, another time was a funky combination of chronotopic incompetence and wenckebach which was also.. ta da... fixed with programming :o) So, I'm only speaking from my own experience but I know I'm not alone in bumping that upper limit or needing the sensitivity on RR adjusted soon after implant. If you're young and otherwise healthy, the upper limit of 120 they send us home with isn't gonna cut it. It's not always the answer, but it's a place to start.
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settings
by Tracey_E - 2009-06-22 09:06:00
Take your time getting back into shape, try to resist the urge to rush it. You've got the right idea doing a bit every day. Your body's been through a lot and it'll take some time but you will feel good again! If you are getting SOB too easily, that is most likely settings. I'd call and ask to be seen. It's very common, and usually a simple fix. If they can't figure it out what it is when they interrogate your device, ask for a stress test so they can watch what happens when you exert.