Palpations?

I am a new member at 39 years old. I am very glad I found this club and I have some concerns. I had a pacemaker put in Aug 9th due to Bradycardia. I have been feeling fine thru recovery but today, my husband noticed palpation's while checking my pulse and heart rate is around 60 and up since I've been laying back taking it easy today twice I felt like pressure went to my head and got a little dizzy. Im nervous and not sure if palpation s is something to worry about. I went to ER two weeks ago due to unexplained swelling like water retention and found out my heart rate was very low and was send to ICU and it was a shock to me because I had no idea Ive had bradycardia all my life and it explained why i had faint and dizzy spells all my life. Hope someone had this experiene and its nothing for me to freak out over. This is all new to me. Thanks.

11 Comments

Palpations?

by Stbryblnd - 2012-08-22 09:08:38

Before surgery, my heart rate was between 30 to 40 when relaxed. I have felt palpation's all my life but I got concerned today because I have not felt them since the pacemaker was put in and unsure if that is even normal. The whole new pacemaker thing has me a little nervous but not to point of anxiety yet.
What Im getting with this palpations today is I would have a normal steady heart rate then I would have three beats extremely rapid then it goes back to normal beat again. Trying my best to desribe it. Hope that makes more sense,
I didnt ask Dr what my pacemaker is set at. All I know is it varies from 60 to 100. I have a temporary pacemaker card while waiting for the real card to come in the mail and I dont know what all these numbers on there mean. I feel like a idiot cuz this all happen so fast and unexpected so Im learning all about this. ;o)

P.S. Not sure why you put SAHM. so in case no one knows what it means, it means im a stay at home mom and not working right now. ;o)

Misty

A question to help us craft a complete answer

by donr - 2012-08-22 09:08:55

SAHM: What is your base rate set on your PM?

Is 60 above that base rate? (Some call it the lower limit.)

Palpitations is a general term for anything weird in your heart rate. Can you husband describe them any better? Do they seem like all your beats are not regularly spaced? Like occasionally one is a little longer pause than the rest?

Note the effect on you after discovering the palpitations. You got nervous! Let's call that "Anxiety." You are unsure of the Palpitations.

The odds are about even that you had them pre-PM & never even noticed them. Did you notice them BEFORE your husband found them? It is not at all unusual for Hosts to start sensing palpitations AFTER they get their permanent bionic guest. Goes w/ the territory.

At this point, don't FREAK OUT. Chances are that what you are feeling goes w the territory. If you can get an answer to my question, I can give you at least a partial answer right away & perhaps calm your jangled nerves before you start answering the telephone when it isn't really ringing,

Don

A possibility

by donr - 2012-08-22 11:08:12

Misty: I knew exactly what SAHM meant - it was the shortest salutation I could come up w/ from your screen name.

For starters, don' t feel like an idiot because you don't know the language yet. You will learn it in due course. Why should you? You got ambushed by aliens from another dimension who stuck a metal spheroid in your chest & turned you loose in the world to go out & gain control over other humans! At least they didn't have a slimy worm crawl up your nose or in your ear to take over your brain!!! YucK!

Sounds like your base rate (Lower limit) is 60. That's the Heart Rate (HR) that your PM will not let your heart drop below. That sounds about right. The 100 - that seems too low for the upper rate - not necessary to know that right now.

Here's my guess: You are feeling what they call "High Rate Episodes." They are probably at a rate of about 150 - 175 BPM. Did they feel about three times as fast as normal? Or ten times as fast? At about three time normal, it's no big deal - they will show up on your PM's data dump at your first check out by the aliens as just that - "High Rate Episodes." When you have lots of them & they run a lot more than three in a row, someone may raise an eyebrow & grunt, but that's about all. They may also call them Tachycardia, w/ the location of them listed as Atrial or Ventricular. Tachycardia means your heart is beating faster than normal. If they were about TEN times as fast, they call them Fibrillation & if you get much of that, they will do more than raise an eyebrow & grunt - they may shift in their chair a bit - or if you have too many of them, they will get excited.

For the moment, just note them & if it gets no worse than what you have experienced, don't bother to waste time freaking out - all it will do is excite you over nothing. But mention them at your first check up by the aliens in their disguised mother ship.

BTW: I'd bet you a buck to a bagel that you have had them - you just did not notice them. That's OK, also - now you know you are normal, w/ stray weirdos among your heart beats.

You want to know what the numbers mean on your card, send them in here & I'll (or someone else) will interpret for you.

Another BTW, SAHM. If you are not working raising a husband & several kids, you are lazy. My wife worked her tail off for nearly thirty years raising us!

Don

Me Too!

by ldl - 2012-08-22 11:08:28

Same with me..i just had my pm put in on thurs and found out 2 weeks earlier i needed cause of bradycardia..i'm still in the sling and don't go back to the doc till monday..its good to find someone here that has no clue about this yet either!! i have felt a few flutters since its been put in butdoesn't feel serious..talk to the doc about it monday..i always felt dizzy and out of breath easy but thought that was my normal..it was a fluke when they found it for me too.i am 53 and am at home too.

Reply for Idl

by Stbryblnd - 2012-08-23 01:08:05

Welcome to the club and its cool we both had it put in on a Thursday morning haha. Hope you are healing and recovering well. Im so grateful that I found this club so i can talk to others that have a PM. Im the only one in my family with one so far.. My Dad and Grandfather passed away due to blocked arteries and they didnt know til too late. Im thankful that all my tests show my heart has no blockages or anything. Just bradycardiac Which Ive had all my life and had no idea. Any time I was sick to my stomach and had to vomit, I would faint and it was my worse fear from then on every time I had a stomach bug or something.If I had to do heavy straining or lifting, I would get light headed and out of breath. Then this past year, If I stood up too fast I would get very lightheaded and dizzy and feel like Im going to faint but I had NO idea it was my heart. What brought me to the ER two weeks ago was that my ankles started swelling with fluid on a thursday and by Sunday I woke up with a swollen face and eyes had fluid bags and swollen eye lids so Hubby said thats it, we are going to the ER. I almost rejected his request but thank the good Lord I listened to him and went to ER anyway because then is when Dr found out I had bradycardiac cuz my heart rate was 30 to 40.Dr send me to ICU for a night and day then put me in a regular room the next two nighst to run more tests. It scared me so bad because I live two hours away from my family and friends.. they kept me for four days, ran tests and ruled it as Bradycardiac and they let me transfer to Houston Methodist hospital where Dr Zacca did my PM surgery the following thursday morning, Aug 9th. Im amazed at how quickly I began to feel better and the soreness is getting better each day but its sore in the muscle areas on my left side.. if I over do myself.. its more sore so I know when its time to put my arm back in that sling and take it easy. Hope you have a speedy recovery and all goes well for you at your check up Monday. I go back for my next check up in 3 more weeks and he is sending a home monitor home with me then so he can check my readings from my PM from home.. Pretty interesting. ;o)

Misty

Reassuring

by baronvont25 - 2012-08-23 02:08:16

I am getting a defibrillator (ICD) put in on September 5th and am very nervous about the whole thing. I have read this string and feel a little better about the whole process and knowing that others are just as nervous and unsure, helps me to cope. I don't think I am as worried about the surgery part as I am with the going about the everyday life afterwards. I have a 2y/o and infant at home and I love to play with them and do my share of the parenting, but I know there will be a period of time where I am going to have to feel like an invalid and recover. I am glad I joined this site and I apprecaite reading the posts. I am sure I will have loads of other questions after the procedure so I am sure I will be on here looking for answers quite a bit. Thank you.

Tell your gutless husband to...

by donr - 2012-08-23 07:08:00

...come in here & ask the question himself! Using as a post title "When can my wife have sex?"

Apparently your surgeon didn't address that issue. Few of them do - they are also gutless.

Not being Dr. Ruth or Dr Laura, I'm hard pressed to give you an answer w/ a straight face. I'd say, as a non-professional, that if it does not require swinging from a trapeze or leaping from a dresser across the room or playing Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler, that when ever YOU feel like it. Just mind the restrictions on weight lifting & shoulder raising.

Neither your heart nor the PM is going to care one whit - they'll just keep functioning at what ever rate the body requires.

I've seen this question asked many times & been tempted to ask the questioner "What were you doing in the recovery room? They had you in a full size bed, didn't they?"

On to the other questions:

Thou beist not an idiot. Just a newbie w/ lots of questions, like all of us were when we started out down this long road back to what we hoped would be normalcy.

Forget the ten years bit. You NEVER know what will happen! I was set for ten yrs & had a lead break at 4 yrs then at the 7 yr point my battery croaked.

All the surgeries are similar. They cut along the same scar. After the third, they put in a zipper w/ a dangling little pull tag that says "YKK" on it. Actually, the battery replacements ar easier - they don't have to go grubbing around in your upper chest under the collar bone to get to a vein to thread a couple leads - all they do is open the pocket & replace the PM. The battery is sealed INSIDE the PM & it's just a change out of PM's.

Your Dr. should have told you when you MAY drive again. I'm sure that you CAN drive right now. I'd really not like to be driving along w/ you constrained by a recovering shoulder. Also depends on TX law. Do you know what it says?

A Question for you - how soon did the Dr. say you could strap on your .44 Magnum revolver & go out in public? After all, you do live in TX, where everyone walks around packing. Whoops - I got confused that's us GA Rednecks - sorry.

Don

Thank you Don

by Stbryblnd - 2012-08-23 12:08:30

Your post made me smile.. thank you.. and you are right... Im def do have a JOB at home and its a full time, never ending job around here haha. Its been driving me up the wall not being able to jump up and get at it with the housework and laundry like I usually do because I was told to take it easy for a few weeks. I went for my one week check up this past Thursday and he said everything looked great.. keep my arm down and take it easy. Easy is not me! haha. But hubby is doing a good job at helping me out and its just going to take me a few more weeks and Dr will tell me GO FOR IT then I can do my full time job again. Thanks for your words of comfort and I feel much better knowing that what I felt today was nothing to freak over. Thank you so much for responding and making me not feel like an idiot. I also have a few more questions if you dont mind me asking.... I was told I ll have to go through surgery again within ten years to change out the battery. Does it hurt like it did the first time? I really dread it but I keep putting it out of my mind cuz ten years is a ways away and praying my PM lasts for a good long while. This was my first surgery ever and it realy scared me. I have the newest St. Judes PM and the Dr said it was one of the top of the line so I hope it lasts me a good while. When is it okay to drive even tho one handed? Probably risky but what if I need to run to the store? haha. Also, one more question.. im embarrased to ask and hope not too personal... Do I have to wait and not have sex til after im fully healed or is it okay? Thats my husbands question. I should make him become a member on here and ask that himself! haha. Thank you so much for all your help and input. Have a great night.

Misty ;o)

Don, You are so funny!!

by Stbryblnd - 2012-08-28 02:08:09

Sorry, took me a few days to get back to my favorite website. I love it here already! I laughed so hard about the swinging and jumping off the dresser thing.. No, I am NOT that kinky and crazy.. hahaha.

How did you know I like guns? Wow.. amazing.. My husband has his CHL and carries, so he is my body guard. I do have a .380 that I love to shoot but im not carrying yet. I am already trained to pass the test to get my license but haven't found the time to take the class and get my license but hope to do so someday. ;o) When i do get my license and carry, it will be on my right hip.

Heres an update about the palpation's..... I have not had any more since that day so I guess my heart was just testing the PM seeing how much it could get away with it lol

I am feeling better each day. In fact, today, I forgot about the PM arm restriction and hubby caught me carrying in a few bags of groceries from the car and boy he was fussing at me and took the bags and told me to go to my room! LOL.

I am also deaf but I read lips and speak very well for a deaf person. I have 10 percent hearing with hearing aid on in my left ear but right ear is completely deaf. I went to see my family and my deaf best friend this past weekend and a few times while talking to her in sign language, I accidently slapped my PM area when signing MINE and OMG it hurt!! It was funny tho and after a few times I finally remembered NOT to hit palm on my chest to sign MINE so I just sign it but not touch my chest lol. Thought this would make yall laugh. Also another deaf thing. PM starts beeping when battery is low? So does my hearing aide haha.. Gonna be interesting trying to determine which battery is low..huh. lol

You mentioned you had a lead break.. HOW did you break it? My doctor said he screwed mine in but not sure if he meant screwed the leads in or the PM itself. I hope I dont break or pull out my leads.

Also, I am starting to go all day without my arm sling cuz I finally remembered to keep my left arm down.. But, at night I must sleep with the sling on because a few times when I slept without it. I wake up with my arm tingling and numb like its asleep and kinda hurts from me putting my arm up above my head.. Im still not able to sleep on my favorite left side yet and I miss it!!! I sleep on my right side with my body pillow and put my left arm over it with sling on and seems to help.

My question for the night is...... Since I am feeling better and waking up feeling refreshed and all.. Will it hurt if I do housework even tho its only been 18 days since my surgery? I am so ready to be able to put my left arm out and play hokey pokey and put my left arm out and shake it all about! lol ;o)

Misty





So we are amused, are we?

by donr - 2012-08-29 08:08:41

Hey there, SAHM! Glad you are doing so well!

Glad that you are not the kinky one - Hubby does the trapeze bit, eh?

Stepped into the one on guns - Had no idea you were one of us! I don't, but keep a loaded shotgun at bedside. Even had a need for it one night at 3 AM when house alarm went off. Our house is designed so that no one can get near our bedroom door w/o unknowingly exposing their back to me. That was an accident, but does give one a nice advantage over any bad guys who come in house uninvited. Turned out to be a false alarm, but was able to coordinate w/ sheriff's deputy as she approached front door. Unfortunately, she was only armed w/ a 9 mm.

Don't know about you, but we live about 45 min from the county Sheriff's office & they do not have many patrols out in the middle of the night. Guess they depend on us to protect ourselves & they will clean up the survivors.

Back to PM's. And Leads. Mine just broke. No reason ever determined. Most likely scenario - had a micro-crack in insulating sheath. Body fluids are about as hostile and corrosive an environment as you can find, so the entire lead just slowly corroded over a near 4 year period & just snapped. We had warning that it was defective for several months before it broke.

The leads all screw into the PM itself & have little locking screws to ensure that they don't come out. Apparently there are two different types of tips on the lead where it attaches to the heart wall. One variety screws into the wall, the other has barbs on it like a harpoon or an arrow. Sounds like your EP saved money by going to Home Depot & getting screws for yours.

Housework after 18 days. Do what you can. Just don't violate your Cardio's restrictions on elbow over shoulder & weight lifting. Granted, those are somewhat arbitrary, but they are what he/she set.

I am not deaf, but courtesy of 28 yrs + in Uncle Sam's Army, host a pair of hearing aids. My hearing is pretty bad - they describe it as a profound hearing loss. Have a friend whose hearing loss was/is so great that he was legally deaf. He rec'd a cochlear implant April a year ago & now can hear reasonably well again, He goes in for a second implant in Sept & is really looking forward to potential improvement in 4 months after he gets the second one turned on.

What caused your deafness? Are you a potential candidate for cochlear implants? They don't work for all hearing losses.

Don

Easily amused here..lol

by Stbryblnd - 2012-09-02 03:09:33

I lost my hearing at 2 months old from spinal meningitis and was in NICU for a month with a high, high fever that damaged the nerves in my ears. Mom didnt know I was deaf until I was three. WOW. Wonder how she did NOT know? lol When Mom had my hearing checked and found out I was deaf, she put me in school at 3 years old to learn how to talk. read lips and sign language and I can do all three! YAY. I consider myself blessed. The dr told Mom when I was sick that I would end up being blind, paralyzed or worse and all I lost was my hearing so I ll take that in a heartbeat. ;o)



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A pacemaker completely solved my problem. In fact, it was implanted just 7 weeks ago and I ran a race today, placed first in my age group.