Yeeeeeeee!!

Got the green light today can now get on with my life looks like me and my little friend are gunna get on just fine :). PM 6 week check went well i seem to be down on my pacing % 38% top 35% bottom rather than the 47 and 49% a few days after implant dont qiuet understand the % bit does this mean my little ticker is better than it was or is it normal for this to vary from each check-up?. also my cardio is aderment that i stay in DDD mode as it is best for my symptoms lower limit is 60bpm is this ok long term as i read on one of my recient postings that DDD mode isnt one of the best modes to be in. I would like to thank the pm club for all the help and advise iv recieved iv got through my surgery and recovery so much better knowing iv a port of call for help and a moan lol thanks everyone its been a pleasure my new life now is worth living :))).

4 Comments

wishing you happiness

by Hope - 2013-04-15 03:04:41

Hi! So nice to know you are feeling positive and ready for moving forward. When you have questions, be sure you and your medical care take the time for you to have answers and for your questions and understand all instructions for your particular needs.

thanks

by kimbo - 2013-04-15 04:04:35

Don this has now made it much clearer and i now understand about the % thing better, im off back to the gym this week so will put my little friend to the test but before pm my heart rate was fine with responding to excerise if any thing would go into block from time to time if i pushed myself. i asked about the RR at clinic today they said they would be able to see from my next interrigation if i had problems which they dont expect if there is they can sort it wow how wonderful is this little box we have!! i feel great more energy and onward and upward i go!

take care

kimbo

Settings

by donr - 2013-04-15 04:04:50

Kimbo: Sounds like you are in fine shape. If you feel good the way things are, be very happy w/ the settings! That means they are right for you.

As far as the % pacing you are - that is merely the % of the beats for each chamber that are paced - out of every hundred beats, 38 are created by your PM the other 62 are created by your nodes. Please do not get excited by the % pacing number. Many of us are paced nearly 100% of the time & feel just fine. There is no award or recognition for a low pacing %. You could very easily have a high % for the upper chambers because the SA Node functions erratically - sorta like a clock that is irregular in its tick tock. No big deal. Ditto for the lower chambers - they may well be controlled by an erratic AV Node that cannot be consistent in its delay.

IMHO, your EP is 100% correct about keeping you in DDD mode I just read something last night while researching another question about that issue. DDD means that both top & bottom of the heart have the PM as a backup to the natural pacing functions of the two nodes. It gives much smoother & regular blood flow, better BP & fewer problems long term.

What you are telling me is that 35% of the time, your ventricles don't function on time - you need the pacing to even those out or you will feel like trash.

Your EP must not feel that you need RR turned on, so that is a good sign.

A little variation is normal for % pacing. But don't worry about it. Supposing you did NOT have the PM - can you imagine how you would feel if you needed more pacing & the little buddy was NOT there to give it to you?

As an electrical Engineer who lives w/ electronic devices let me give you a piece of advice to ponder: Your native heart failed you - plain & simple - it let you down! It just is NOT going to get better by itself. Someone designed & built a little electronic digital computer that can fix the failed heart. That little device is far more reliable than your native heart over the short run. It can measure elapsed time far more precisely & accurately than your native heart could when it was brand new & you were a naked, squalling baby! Short run being defined as about ten years. Further, it can easily be replaced w/ a newer, better device - your heart cannot! Supposing your native heart fixed itself? What guarantee do you have that it would STAY fixed? Not much - it already failed once, it could just as easily fail again. So as long as you feel good, don't worry about the % of the time the PM does your heart's job - you are far better off.

Glad things are going so well for you that these are your only concerns.

Don

THat's all...

by donr - 2013-04-15 06:04:15

...you need. To feel good. Don't worry about the rest.

Don

You know you're wired when...

You have a 25 year mortgage on your device.

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