Young Fit and Healthy but Still have PM

ANYONE ELSE LIKE THIS ON HERE?

I'm 27 had the pacemaker for a year and it is still a huge mystery as to why I needed it. I just know that it had to be put in to stop serious slow bradycardia.

I am fit, very healthy eater and freaking confused as to how I ended up with this PM. It would be great to hear other similar stories.

My heart is fit and can handle long runs / used to before pacemaker! I'm about to go for a checkup and would like to have an idea about what to say in regards to tweaking and changing settings. I want my fitness back !

I wasn't aware PMs could be tweaked until visiting this site. I get the impression many people on here know exactly how a PM works and what settings are and things.. I thought that was only for the cardio guys to know?

Thanks

Nick

9 Comments

good read...

by highdesert - 2014-05-31 02:05:27

http://www.heartpoint.com/pacemakers.html#anchor510098

Idiopathy

by Grateful Heart - 2014-05-31 02:05:49

One of my Doctors told me it's an idiopathy....he said that means we are idiots....we don't know what caused it.

I laughed so hard not expecting that response. It was refreshing and honest. They believe it may have been caused by a virus that attacked my heart....but I guess there is no way to confirm it.

So you may not have an answer but it sure is great to have a fix. Mine was also all electrical, no plumbing problems.

You will learn a lot from this site. Glad you found us.

Grateful Heart

electrical problems of the heart

by bluebowtye - 2014-05-31 02:05:58

Hi, I just got my PM about 3 months ago. I have 2nd degree Mobitz type 2 heart block. I am 52 and was fairly fit and active before and had no idea I had something wrong with my heart. I learned that the "plumbing" part is excellent but the electrical part is not, thus the need for the PM.

Unfortunately they really do not know what causes your heart to have electrical problems. I asked what I could / should have done differently to prevent it and was told absolutely nothing. It can happen to anyone at any age. Some people are born with it. There is no cure and getting a PM is the only fix. The main function for pacemakers is they keep your heart from beating too slow, as in your case with serious bradycardia.

As Kathy says it is important to get a copy of your interrogation report and let your Dr. know you are having problems exercising and they can probably adjust your settings. I do not have that problem.

It freaked me out at first too learning I had to have a PM. I was in total shock but the more research I did and the more I learned about PM's and my condition in particular the easier it was to deal with. This site is great. It has a lot of good information and the people are very friendly, knowledgeable and supportive. It was very comforting talking to other people dealing with the same or similar situations and hearing their stories and knowing I was not alone with this.

Good luck, I wish you the best. I am almost back to doing all of the things I did before my implant and don't really think about it as much as I used to or let it consume my life. I hope it gets better for you too.

Take care,
~Sheila

just went two days ago

by wjs1954 - 2014-05-31 11:05:09

for 90 day checkup.

Had Bradyardia and SSS i guess, also had passed out half dozen times over maybe 10 years.

anyway at the checkup the tech said i was paced i think 81% of the time but also was just at min 81% of the time seem my heart did not want or like to go above 60 most of the time. So she checked with the cadiologist turned on RR, they said that should make a difference for me. going back in two months. They said i should feel the difference biking running and even when up walking around.....

So many

by KAG - 2014-05-31 11:05:32

with similar stories. I'm older, 59 now, got my PM a year ago too. A few weeks before the install I had no idea I had any heart issues and was fairly active. What a shock. I have total AV block, otherwise my heart and plumbing are great. The PM is made to fix that problem so I'm lucky. There are all ages with PMs, many marathon runners, cross trainers, gym rats. Most are back, or at least close to their previous activities.

Yes, you can optimize your PM. Your profile doesn't say what brand and model you have. They all are slightly different in the features they have.

It's important to get a copy of your PM's interrogation report. It has all your settings in it. The only reason for tweaking any settings is if you don't feel well when doing your activities.

If you only have AV block and your sinus node is working OK then the key parameter is your upper rate. Many times this gets set to low and needs to be raised. If you have problems with your sinus node then you probably have Rate Response turned ON. Depending on your model there are sensors and algorithms to determine when your HR needs to go up, how fast, etc... There are usually many parameters that can be tweaked for this. Sometimes they'll put you on a treadmill when tweaking the settings.

I'm a retired engineer so after I got over the what the Xo!@ happened to me, I got a copy of the Clinician Manual for my model. More info is better to me. You don't need to do that though. With a copy of your PM's interrogation report you can get help on this site. There are people here who could probably design their own PM and probably know more about them that many PM techs.

Keep asking those questions, knowledge is power!
Kathy

new PM

by maryannpm2 - 2014-05-31 11:05:34

Hi. Just had pacemaker 5/22. I'm 54. Low heart rate, passing out in April. Was in third degree heart block. Thought due to beta blocker I was taking for many years. Got off bb and back to normal. Symptoms came back..back to hosp in 2nd degree heart block and bradycardia. Couldn't figure out why so PM. Still in shock and very emotional. Going back to work next week. Anxious about that.any advice? Thanks.

Thanks for clearing this up

by NickMartin - 2014-05-31 12:05:49

Guess I didn't know how much of the matter I needed to take into my own hands.
I don't want to sound ungrateful for the PM, because I really am. It is just that they have no idea why my heart was skipping beats as they detected nothing actually wrong with it. So a vague diagnosis isn't really giving me the best starting point for my own research.

Cheers

same here

by GC27 - 2014-06-01 10:06:29

Nick,

I was also fit. I loved running and weight training, not get me wrong, I wasn't Mr. America either but in good shape. I was running 8 miles twice or three times a week plus the weights. In February I became ill. My heart rate was dropping really low, I'm talking about 30's and it was skipping beats all together.

Suddenly, while in the hospital, my heart just started beating normally and all tests came back looking good. I then made an appointment with a cardiologist. At the appointment the cardiologist performed test on me, and again all came back good. I was sent home with a heart monitor, I felt confident since all the tests were returning fine. I was thinking that maybe it was only a "glitch" and that I was fine. The next day I returned the monitor and was to obtain my results within 2 weeks. Within an hour the office called and straight out said i needed a PM ASAP! The next day I had the PM implanted, I was diagnosed with bradycardia.

I was shocked, I'm only 27 and fit, I said to myself. I've had my PM for about 2 months now and it's been difficult, I got the PM at the end of march this year. The cardiologist can't specifically explain to me why this happened, which can be frustrating. I did some research google Athletic Heat Syndrome, if you haven't already. Either way good luck the more important thing than knowing is being healthy, I think. I wish you the best if you want to ask something, just hit me up on here.

I Got My Answer

by valley01 - 2014-06-02 08:06:53

I got my PM 10/1/13 for bradycardia (I was 43 and athletic) but I had been struggling with sudden onset uncontrolable high blood pressure for a couple of years before that. Just 1 week prior to my PM implant my Potassium dropped seriously low (2.1) and my heart went into tachycardia and I had to have an ablation. I had a slow heart beat (mid-upper 40's) for the last couple of years - in hind site probably mostly to do with the 5 different blood pressure pills I was taking daily - with no problems but after the ablation it dropped to 30bpm and I was having a hard time functioning, felt like I was constantly on the verge of passing out. More tests determined I had Primary Hyper Aldosteronism - Conn's Disease which caused the high blood pressure and low potassium. It is a very treatable disease by removing the affected adrenal gland which I had done 3/6/14 and no longer need blood pressure or potassium meds. Long story short - if we had caught the Conn's prior to the tachycardia/ablation incident I would have had no need for the PM. As it is now my PM rarely kicks on as my HR is running 65-75bpm at rest.

You know you're wired when...

Jerry & The Pacemakers is your favorite band.

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I am just now 40 but have had these blackouts all my life. I am thrilled with the pacer and would do it all over again.