rtamrv-sick sinus syndrom

I had a pm with two leads in
Dec. 2011. I feel great when I am doing light housework or cooking. When I take a walk or use the treadmill I am short of breath all the time doing it. Am wondering if I expect too much or just that out of shape. I am 80 yrs old and just slowing down. I know I will have to check with Dr but just wondered if any one else had this problem. I love to do yard work and that really takes more energy than I can muster up.

2 Comments

I'm 2 yrs ahead of you and going strong

by ElectricFrank - 2012-03-20 10:03:48

There are are two things to consider.

The first is what sort of heart condition you have. A pacemaker won't fix blocked arteries or make major changes in CHF, but for electrical problems it can do wonders for you.

The second is the setting of the Upper Tracking Limit on the pacemaker. At our age they tend to use one of the rule of thumb calculations to decided what our target upper HR is. They then use it to set your pacer. This can have the effect of "suddenly hitting the wall" when exercising. It's not uncommon for them to set the limit to 120BPM or even lower. The problem is that when you hit the limit your heart starts skipping beats and can cause SOB.

I''m 82 yrs and have my upper limit set to 150. I don't go there but I want to be the one to decide. Makes all the difference.

So ask the doc what yours is set for. Even better ask for a copy of the Interrogation Report at your next check up. They should be willing to set yours to at least 135 and ever 140-145 should be OK.

I'm slower that I was when I was in my 60's but still have hiked around at 13,000 ft in the Rockies.

frank

You Are Not Expecting Too Much

by SMITTY - 2012-03-20 11:03:10


Hello Rtamrv,

If I had read the comments you already have I would not have written mine. But I do these off line so some times smarties steal my thunder before I get done. But its done so you will get it anyway. I just hope I don't contradict one of the ohers.

No I don't think you expect too much. My guess is your pacemaker needs some settings adjusted. Or, of course it could be something else, and like you said you will have to check with your dr.

But your PM has one feature that may not be activated, or some of its settings may need to be fine tuned to solve your problem. The feature is called rate response and it is supposed to increase your heart rate when you start physical activity, such as using a tread mill. The next time you get on the treadmill take your pulse before starting and then take it after you have walked a minute or two. If the RR is on your heart rate may have increased considerably.

I'll be 83 in May and in 2009 I was having a similar problem and turning on my RR solved my problem. Of course it may not be a solution for you but it is about the easiest thing that can be done to try to solve a problem like yours and that in itself makes it worth a try

Good luck to you,

Smitty

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