rate affects BP.

Well I thought my settings were good. It appears that when I am up walking around at a normal pace, my heart rate is running 130. When my heart rate is at 130 my blood pressure goes up to 150/100. But when at complete rest my pulse is in the low 70's, and that's right at my lower limit of 70. With a heart rate of 70 my blood pressure is real close to perfect. I can feel my heart running too fast for normal walking. Any thoughts on this?

6 Comments

Heart Rate

by SMITTY - 2013-05-16 09:05:06


Hi Billy,

My guess from your description of what is happening to you is the rate response is activated in your PM. Since that feature is an option for some of us you might ask your dr about yours.

In the meantime I have used this trick to check out my rate response. Determine your resting heart rate and then "thump" (firmly but not hard enough to be uncomfortable) on your chest at about the bottom of your ribs on the left side for 20 to 30 seconds and then check your heart rate. If the rate response is on you will get a higher heart rate.

Either way you will have something to talk to your dr about.

Good luck,

Smitty

Too high

by billylittle - 2013-05-16 09:05:23

Am I wrong to think that 130 is too high for just walking? 8 thought it should be around 100. The rate response is on and it seems to work correctly when at rest or active. Just goes a little too high. Don't know why BP is going high with heart rate???

Keep Trying Until It's Right

by Many Blessings - 2013-05-16 10:05:13

Hi Billy,

I'm with Smitty. I bet it has something to do with your rate response too, but do call your PM tech or cardio/EP doc to make sure.

It may take a few setting changes to get it right. Keep trying and don't give up until you feel good. Everyone is different. What's right for one person, isn't right for another. And, what's supposed to be right for your activity level, may not work for you.

For whatever reason, they initially set my rate response for an inactive person even though I'm very active and moving all of the time. I'm hyper, so even when I'm not up moving around, something on my body is moving (foot, leg, etc.)

When they changed the rate response to where it "should" be set for an active person, I did absolutely horrible! I couldn't even walk across the floor let a lone climb the 2 flights of stairs at work. I noticed it immediately and didn't know what the heck was going on. When they changed it back to where it should be set for an inactive person, I did great again!

That's where it is now, and I've been on numerous hikes, and done great on each one. It's weird and doesn't make much sense, but it works for me. My rate is set at 80-150.

I don't have any issues with high blood pressure (mine is great), so hopefully, others will have advice for you there.

Good luck! Soon everything will be set where it needs to be and you'll be feeling good!

Rate response

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-17 02:05:26

Hi!

Smitty, this "thumping" will only work, if the rate response in this pacemaker works with a piezo crystal. However, most pacemakers today work with an accelerometer, and that means what will trigger it is if you move your upper body forward and back. I used to have a piezo crystal in my old Medtronic Kappa, and that reacted to things like when you ride on a bumpy road or even when you brush your teeth. Now I have a pacemaker with an accelerometer, and these problems no longer occur. My cardio suggested to do this "thumping" you described when I need higher rates (for instance when cycling), but it didn't work. So, I asked the manufacturer, and had an engineer explain to me what I already mentioned: that there is a difference between piezo and accelerometer. Just had to post this, because if people here try what you suggested and it doesn't work, I guess some will think their rate response is faulty.

I'm with the others on the rate response as an explanation for your rather fast rates when walking around. You're rate response is probably programmed in a way that it "thinks" that you're not well trained, so you need higher heart rates when you move around or exercise. In my pacer you can set this "level of activity" anywhere from very low to very high. If you have it set at low, it will respond quickly with high rates; if you have it set at high or very high, it will respond much slower. I have mine at high. Just ask your cardio about this next time you see him.

Best wishes
Inga

Agree with the others but

by jenny97 - 2013-05-17 09:05:24

overall fitness level and other medical conditions can increase the heart rate too. If one is out of shape, the heart rate tends to go higher during exercise and even normal tasks. Also, if you have something called POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), the heart rate might go high even if you are in shape. I'm a runner, but my heart rate often goes into the 160s when standing due to my POTS.

If rate response is not the culprit, you might check into these other possibilities.

Good luck in your search for answers.

Jenny

How do you feel?

by Grateful Heart - 2013-05-17 12:05:48

Could your BP go up because you are concerned? If your SA node is not firing you need the RR on to sense movement and increase your HR accordingly. It may just need another adjustment, go by how you feel.

As a reference, I have SSS and my HR goes to 126 or so upon walking. It goes from about 140-160 upon exercising which I have to try and keep below 150 since that is my upper limit and it doesn't feel good to go above that. I guess I need mine adjusted again.

Hope you get the settings right for you.

Grateful Heart

You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

Member Quotes

It's much better to live with a pacemaker than to risk your life without one.