Shortness of Breathe since Implantation

Hi there. I am 40 years old and had a Medtronic pacemaker implanted in February of this year. I was told I had Sick Sinus Syndrome and Bradycardia, I would like to say that i feel better but I have traded one set of symptoms for another. My pacemaker is set at 65 because I'm younger, but I would like to know WHY AM i SO SHORT OF BREATHE??? Im really sick and tired of feeling winded after I walk across a parking lot or store, or when I'm at work running from one patient room to another. I NEVER had this problem before the pacemaker. I'm really frustrated that my cardiologist and my electrophysiologist just won't listen! They tell me I need to see a pulmonologist but I know I was fine before my implantation. I'm going to see my cardiologist in two days and would like to know if there's any concrete things I can tell him about my shortness of breathe. My son is 19 and is going with me because he wants the Dr. to know that there's something wrong going on here. I NEVER was this way. Any advice is welcomed.
Thank you and God bless you.

11 Comments

Tachycardia?

by TRL28 - 2012-11-11 08:11:16

I am having the same issue with any excertion. At my last appointment I had a tredmill stress test done and I was reaching my Max HR quickly and the pacer would switch modes and drop my ventricle rate from 160 to 80 drastically. Could this be your issue or are you unable to get your HR up with activity?

Rate Response

by ebfox - 2012-11-11 08:11:44

Hi NY,

Do you know whether Rate Response is turned on? If you don't know, that would be the first question for the doctor/ pacer tech. It would not be unusual for them to implant your PM with RR off, however since you are winded it may need to be turned on. Rate Response will sense movement and adjust your pulse upward in response to the exercise.

It sometimes takes more than one visit to get it adjusted properly for your level of exercise.

EB

There are a myriad ...

by donr - 2012-11-11 08:11:48

...of settings that can cause your symptoms.

They probably stuck the thing in you w/ the standard factory settings & they don't really fit you. There are a couple people who will be by in the next few hrs to a day or so who will chime in w/ some good advice.

Two questions you should answer ASAP for them are

1) "What was your normal Heart Rate BEFORE the implant?"

2) "what is your HR when you are SOB when walking?" If it does not go UP, you have another problem besides Brady!

Don

ep

by daisy41763@yahoo.com - 2012-11-11 10:11:34

If your ep isn't helping or your ep guy.. I would feel free to seek a second opinion..
My first cardiologist was not helping at all with my condition of cardiomyopathy. So, I found someone else. Remember they work for you, you pay them don't be intimated or afraid to see someone else. And it really wouldn't hurt to see a pulmonary guy either..

Me too...

by WJW - 2012-11-12 01:11:26

I had a Boston Scientific K174 model PM implanted at the end of June. Prior to the implant my life was normal and I could do just about anything. I've known for over a decade that it was 'when' not 'if' I'd need a PM due to a 1st degree AV block that progressed to a 2nd degree AV block. I was skipping too many beats per minute. At the same time I felt normal for whatever 'normal' is to each person. Since the PM implant I've had numerous instances of suddenly sweating, a feeling I couldn't breathe, extreme and sudden fatigue, and a feeling of being lightheaded. I've seen my cardiologist team twice and will be scheduled for a stress test shortly. While I know I needed a PM I can honestly say, at this point, my quality of life instantly changed for the negative when the PM was implanted. I have faith that my cardiologist will get to the bottom of my problem and change the PM settings to get me back to having a normal quality of life.

Try a few tests

by ElectricFrank - 2012-11-12 03:11:25

1. Check your resting HR after giving it time to stabilize.
2. Now do something that gradually increased your HR toward the SOB point. What you want to do take your HR often enough to see what happens when you reach that SOB point.

One common problem that TLR28 mentioned is having the Upper Tracking Limit set too low. As your HR passes the set point the pacer will enforce the limit by skipping beats. So your HR can suddenly drop by 1/2. Right at the point where your body is needing the blood flow the pacer slows your heart drastically.

I had this with my initial pacer. Fortunately I am an electronic engineer and whipped up an ECG of my own. They had my upper limit set to 120 so as I increased my HR on my exercise bike it would suddenly drop to 60. I was very demanding about setting the upper limit to 150 and leave it to me to keep it in range. It made a huge difference.

Another suggestion. It is possible to have a programming session with a Medtronics rep where they check you out on a treadmill. Again it takes some firm pressure to get the cardio to schedule it.

The whole thing about seeing a pulmonologist is ridiculous. They are just putting you off.

frank

ssr

by hedges - 2012-11-12 08:11:19

usually with ssr ,they do a av oblation that makes you pace maker dependent i felt the same way and had no anwsers for 2 years ,when they finally replaced the battery and found there was one lead ,not in ,so the had to replace the lead ,i find it fustrating that no one really listens to you. listen to your body and dont give up untill you feel better trish

SOB

by raman_PMC - 2012-11-18 01:11:16

I had my SJM CRT-D installed Sept 24 this year and first 10 days I showed constant improvement and then several issues popped up -- like SOB even walking 200 feet or climbing 12 stairs. Since the surgeon wants to wait 90days before making any adjustments, I am just coping. The very first anomaly was edema (fluid accumulation in the feet); obviously the RV which was ok hitherto was not doing its job -- I think it was due to the device doing a balancing act b'tn LV and RV pacing. The solution was to double my lasix and add potassium until the edema subsided. This works. My energy level is low, thanks to my being a diabetic as well and playing insulin-glucogen balance game watching out for low sodium, carb counting, protein etc etc, My SOB was brought on by side effects of insulin. I was okay for 11 years and in the past 6 months SOB showed up (who can I complain to? --really). All I can say is SOB, leg cramps are all part of the scenario -- getting old is simply coping with life with reduced capability -- AMA simply can only treat symptoms -- Just be patient as the newer devices have a lot more intelligence built into them and can be fine tuned by a good technician. My research shows that, if other heart functions are Okay you should feel better in a few months. Good luck.

this is not right

by Skipster - 2012-11-25 02:11:19

Maybe I should start my own post as
I am expierencing
what is being said here
e.g. SOB in 20 feet after receiving my Medtronic
but
I also have stage 3 COPD.
I have and use frequently a pulse oximeter
Age 61
Received implant one day before Thanksgiving 2012.

Before implant I would see 97% saturation at rest
failing to 94 with mild exercise.

Very rarely
if I did the 12 steps up from the basement too
quickly, I would dip to 88.
Even then the SOB was very short and I never felt like I simply could not breath, as is the current situation.

Now, if I walk 25 feet to the bathroom, I am
so SOB I feel I will not catch up
O2 sat falls to 80 sometimes lower
my rest no O2 level is 93,
Heart rate is up to 105 to 110.
RR is overreacting?

I now use O2 at 4L for any activity.

Due to the holiday no one will talk to me, I have
several appointments this week and hope it is
something
they can adjust.
This is not right.

BTW an attending physician mentioned to me
almost in passing
"so you're the one who flat lined in the OR yesterday"

Airleak

by DarthD - 2012-12-02 12:12:10

You may have an airleak. I was SOB after surgery and had this weird feeling in my chest. They did a chest xray and a subsequent CAT and said that I had inflamation and a partial collapse of a lung, this was apparently a side effect of the surgery. The condition went away on it's own.

Pacemaker Problems

by Wrennnn - 2014-02-20 03:02:18

I have the Boston Scientific K174. It replaced the medtronic Adapta. I was having problems with it sticking and missing beats when i exercised and when my heart rated reached 95 bpm.

With the new one I feel a little short of breath but feel like it is not quite right when at rest. It is set at 70 but feels different that before. It seems to allow me to exercise and seems to go up like it should with my exercise.

Just wondering why I dont feel as good at rest and what should my cardiologist do to correct this?

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