Heart Block Questions

If anyone has experience with 3rd degree heart block I would appreciate some feedback.

I have been diagnosed with it and have a pm but only have blocks 2-3 times per year. Why is that? What makes it happen? From reading other posts hear it sounds like more people than not have the block all the time and pace all the time. My pm has yet to kick in and my last episode was the night before surgery.

So I am lucky...but confused. I understand that the electrical system in my heart doesn't always work....but why? How come it happens? Is it something I am doing at the time to make it not work? I was sitting on the couch in August when one of the episodes happened, then driving the car the other, then taking a shower the other. So I just don't get it.

Is it just a fluke when it will or won't happen? Is it related to anything else?

I just don't get it. The EP told me she couldn't tell me because it happened so infrequently but that I should just walk away feeling lucky. And I do...I am....but I'm still confused.

Any ideas? Thanks

8 Comments

heart block

by deerehunter - 2009-11-08 06:11:31

I can empathise with you as I have several heart issues and have a pacer as well. I would explain my symptoms to the dr. and they would install a haulter monitor and as luck would have it i would not have a episode till the day it was removed, I thought I was going crazy. Then this past few months the episodes would get more and more frequent and some of them showed up on the monitor enought that he had a loop recorder inplanted and in less than a month they had recorded enough data form some known episodes and some I was not aware of the last episode I had was it enough to warrant the pacer I was diagnosed with 2 degree heart block, sick sinus rythum, sinus arrest and baradycardia. I really don't know why the symptoms were not constant however as I said before they were getting more and more frequent as of late. The pacer has helped me I have not yet had any episodes and notice that I have more oxygen without labored breathing. The dr. said that the heart would pump befor filling completly full of blood.
As far as heart block I do know that 3 degree is the worst. It is when no atril impluses reach the ventricles thus needs a pacer to maintain normal heart rythum. Good luck there are a lot of people on this site that are quite knowlagble and helpful they have given me a lot of help as I just received my pacer 2 weeks ago but feel pretty good now. Your freind the deerhunter

Same Questions...

by asher - 2009-11-08 06:11:46

My daughter passed out on the 22nd of December, 2008. She was pretty much fine before that, playing on a traveling basketball team before this happened. For the previous couple weeks before that she would complain about being dizzy after practice but we just thought it was because she needed a drink. Anyways after she passed out I took her to the ER and they sent us home with a halter monitor after all the other tests they did. We turned it on Christmas Eve and they said we probably wouldn't hear anything until Monday because of the holiday weekend. About 2 hours after that we were on the phone with the dr. saying they had to life flight her to Salt Lake City for a pacemaker implant. Her AV node stopped working and the bottom of her heart wouldn't always beat (3rd degree heart block) they were going to keep her in the hospital until Monday and then do the surgery but it kept getting worse and worse so they ended up doing it the morning after Christmas. She only paces 3% of the time today and is back to playing basketball. It was the scariest moment of my life and still is. Every little thump I hear in the house I still always have to see what it is... I know I didn't answer any of your questions, we've had the same ones....I just wanted to share that you're not alone in this...

Your lucky Wenditt!

by GMan - 2009-11-08 06:11:47

If I understand it correctly:

*A heart block is like a short circuit
*2 things happened to me
*The 1st block was just a fall asleep thing while sitting, I got up was dizzy went outside then was OK
*The 2nd block...about 1/2 hr. later was different
*I went straight down...like turning out the lights...everything out...doc said it lasted 5/sec. then jumped up like a puppet on a string
*Picture this...a puppet on a string that you let go straight down, wait 5 seconds, then pull back up THANK GOD I WASN'T DRIVING!!!
*At this point my beat went down to 35 and stayed there so it was PM time.
*I understand that the block will never happen again if you have a Pacer
*The avg. guy on the street will not be able to prevent a block like we will
*Anybody out there correct/add anything I said
*a block causes the heart rate to go down thus the Pacer is added to keep the HR up
*Somethings missing in what you said???

Gary







blocks

by Tracey_E - 2009-11-08 08:11:08

You can be born with a block and go undiagnosed, you can get it from infection or medications, sometimes they don't know why you get it.

When you go into block has nothing to do with your activities at the time. Some arrhythmias are induced by foods like caffeine, otc drugs like sudafed, lots of things. But that's not usually associated with blocks, I believe blocks are random.

I have never heard of a case of third degree block that only happens once or twice a year and if it did only happen that rarely, I can't imagine that you'd be symptomatic. That doesn't fit in with my understanding of what a block is and how it works but I'm not a doctor so what do I know. So, I'm confused on your behalf.

So what do I do?

by wenditt - 2009-11-08 08:11:57

TraceyE and everyone else,
First-thanks for responding...but I am still confused.

So now what do I do. I think it's important to my psychological recovery if I could just understand. And I don't...and I don't know where else to turn. I am resisting going on Cymbalta for the panic...the side effects just seem so terrible and I just don't feel like I need another thing on my plate. I am taking Xanax and I'm feeling more confident. But I'm not there yet. I still feel my pulse at night when I am trying to settle down. And that's when the anxiety gets the worse....the "am I going to wake up in the morning" feeling. So I try to tell myself good thoughts. But I still feel stuck. I feel like if I just understood then maybe I would "get over it" already. I have a baby so I can't take the meds at night-I sleep too hard and don' t hear the baby...not good.

I'm irrational sometimes, panicky etc.... the "smart" part of my brain knows that what I have is not life threatening (that's what they told me), and that the pm is a proactive approach...a backup if you will. But I still don't get it for the exact same reasons you mentioned TraceyE.



panic

by Tracey_E - 2009-11-08 09:11:52

It's ok to feel your pulse at night, it means your heart is beating, and thanks to your pm it will keep beating. You probably felt it before but just didn't pay attention to it. I count sheep to the beat of my heart when I can't sleep, sounds silly but it works for me. ;o)

Have you considered a second opinion? Get another doctor, show them your records, tell them why you're confused. Tell them your understanding of a block and that your symptoms don't fit the description.

I understand your need to know, but the important thing isn't the label on your chart, but knowing that whatever the problem is, it's fixed. You could have a block or pauses or sick sinus or bradycardia with no cause or whatever, but a pm is the fix for all of them. If your heart tries to skip a beat for whatever reason, the pm will be there to step in and help.

good idea

by Tracey_E - 2009-11-09 02:11:11

Let us know what the next doc says! Good luck getting some closure.

Getting my records

by wenditt - 2009-11-09 06:11:39

I have requested copies of all my records for the pm hospital stay and checkups thereafter. I plan on seeing another dr...even for a little more peace of mind.

Thanks everyone.

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