Diaphragmatic stimulation

9 days ago had pacemaker to improve cardiac output. As soon as I sat up in hospital bed I noticed twitching in my left side. My Consultant said is was diaphragmatic stimulation and may improve or get worse. It was not noticeable when standing or laying flat, only when sat up. I went back yesterday and they reprogrammed the device (I remember a change in voltage and programmed to the minimum stimulation of the left ventricle).

The cardiac arrhythmia nurse said if this does not work they need to refer me to my consultant, and it may require turning off the electrode to the LV or replacing it.  I have been home for 24 hours and I still get stimulation when sitting. It has changed from very visible "bumping" to fast twitching.  I am beginning to fear nothing can be done, and I don’t know whether to phone the hospital again. What should I do? I am 65 with severe heart failure. Docs are trying to improve my cardiac output and reduce breathlessness.

5 Comments

Me too

by Peg541 - 2012-06-08 04:06:29

My pacer is a few months old and once in a while while sitting I get the same feeling It is on and off though so maybe wait it out a bit? Although I hesitate to give medical advice here you have to do what feels right to you.
My twitching has passed to just once in a while.

Me too

by Peg541 - 2012-06-08 04:06:30

My pacer is a few months old and once in a while while sitting I get the same feeling It is on and off though so maybe wait it out a bit? Although I hesitate to give medical advice here you have to do what feels right to you.
My twitching has passed to just once in a while.

Mine Did It Too

by Many Blessings - 2012-06-08 10:06:36

Mine started doing it the day after I got it. They did an adjustment a couple of days later, and it went away. It started up again (very lightly) a few weeks later, but I only notice it when I'm lying flat or doing deep breathing exercises.

I had my 6 week check up this week and when they were checking things out and changing the settings, it went away again without them even trying, so there is hope for you.

Keep talking to your doctor and PM Tech to see if they can experiment around and get it to stop. They told me that sometimes It stops on it's own, or it may get worse. They also said, sometimes they just can't do anything about it and you have to get used to it (something they don't tell you prior to the surgery.)

I hope you get this taken care of. It isn't a fun feeling at all.

Best of luck

Diaphragmatic stimulation

by Tealady - 2013-12-04 06:12:18

I also wasn't told that this could happen before the surgery but it wouldn't have changed my mind! I love not being out of breath and so fatigued all the time...because I am out of shape I get some really hard thumping when doing lots of movements like housework and working at my tea business--not a tearoom but a business carrying everything for tea. I want to start walking the chubby little puppy dog but I will wait a little longer before doing so.

Diaphragmatic stimulation

by Tealady - 2013-12-10 11:12:57

My once in a while "thumping" has progressed to happening all the time. For the first two weeks with the left bipolar wire turned back on, I could only sleep on my left side....strange! In my sleep I would turn on my back and my right side and although I didn't wake up, I must have returned back to my left side many times during the night. I know this only because of how tired and deep sleep deprived I became. Now I am having what I suspect to be a "shock" coming from the pacemaker. I see my cardio/pacemaker specialist tomorrow to fine tune the left side lead wire and figure out why I keep getting shocked...if that is what's happening. I have had 7 or 8 pacemakers over the past 32 years and it's been interesting! With a complete heart block I absolutely needed the pacemaker! So I guess this is just a new chapter of my life...living with a pacemaker. A sense of humor helps!!

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker interferes with your electronic scale.

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