Update/palpitations

Hi,
Haven't been on for a while so just wanted to wish everyone well and hope everyone is healthy and happy!

I have been having a total nightmare and I wont bore you with too many of the details but it has involved having to take a year off work due to ill health, my migraines becoming chronic (5 times a week) and having nerve block injections in my head (ouch) as well as a new cocktail of meds (yey) I have also been diagnosed with ME which is also loads of fun! And all just in time for my 30th Birthday this summer! But one should not dwell on the negatives.....I do have a year off work after all so its not all doom and gloom!

I do have a pacemaker related question for you, I wonder if someone can help? I had my pacemaker last May (and its wonderful), I had never experienced a palpitation before I had my pacemaker fitted, then experienced a few in the months post pacemaker. Now in the last three weeks I am having regular palpitations at rest that last between 5 and 7 mins and my heart is 130bpm, its a bit scary. I have been going to the gym and when exercising my HR is only about 113-120bpm. I contacted the pacemaker clinic (or the robo-ver cntre as I like to call it) and they have suggested i go to my gp for an ECG and they fax it over to them. But this is a snapshot and surrely unless im experrincing a palp at the time, this will show nothing?
Any thoughts welcome!

Love Robo-Ver x

7 Comments

Interrogation

by NiceNiecey - 2014-04-06 07:04:48

I'd have an interrogation of my device because, as you already pointed out, a 10 second EKG strip probably won't show a thing. These sorts of problems don't usually amount to anything except giving us a fright. I really think you need to see your cardiologist for a possible adjustment that allows your HR to get higher with exercise. That probably has nothing to do with your palpitations but it's a good time to ask Qs. You're coming up to your first anniversary so I suspect you'll have an appt soon. All good wishes!
Niecey

CAn you give us any...

by donr - 2014-04-06 09:04:14

.....clue as to what kind of Palps they were?

That would give us a better chance of helping you out - there are a whole batch of varieties, ranging from the benign to the extremely serious.

If you cannot give them a name, how about a reasonably decent description of what they felt like in terms of beat rate, etc.

I agree w/ you that an ECG will show nothing if you are not having them at the time. A download might give them a name, or it might just be a generic description, telling us nothing.

Donr

Thank you...

by robo-ver - 2014-04-07 07:04:06

...for your responses. I will definitely ask some questions at my one year exam but when it comes to the type of palp Im afraid I'm clueless Donr. They feel regular in beat range from 128-132bpm and feel very 'fluttery' (?) I guess this is no real help!
I'll go for the ECG and and ask for a referral to see my cardio at the same time.
Thanks for your input, I'll ask about exercise HR too, this is interesting!
Robo-Ver x

Not much help...

by donr - 2014-04-07 08:04:24

.....but for the newbie, to not know what kind of Palp is not unusual.

Even the cardios cannot tell what they are unless they hear/see one. Or - perhaps the PM download will give them a name for the palp.

They do not feel anything like they appear on an ECG printout as a general rule.

You have NOT told us your settings - lower rate, upper tracking rate, upper sensing rate. You are very specific about the rates at which they occur - what is your method for HR determination? Knowing the answers to these questions MAY help someone make an intelligent guess as to what they are.

Donr

ok here goes...

by robo-ver - 2014-04-07 10:04:29

(and I only know all this because I joined this site so soon after my pacemaker so I knew to literally interrogate the people when I go in for adjustments-they dont give print outs...no matter how much I complain)

Lower Rate is 50 (40 when sleeping)
Upper tracking rate is 140 sensing 160 (I think)
DDDR
(It was on Auto check (?) and was doing a pacemaker check every 12 hours automatically....soon got that turned off)

Boston Scientific Altrua 60

Now, I check my HR using an App (I know , I know) but I have checked it against a hospital HR machine simultaniously (my partners a nurse, we borrowed one) and it was giving identical readings even when HR was changing/moving about etc so I think its accurate!

Robo-ver

OK, Here Goes, back at you...

by donr - 2014-04-08 09:04:17

...Robo, I haven't the foggiest idea what's wrong. But I hope by giving the info I asked you for that someone who does have an idea will jump in & tell you.

Let me make a n observation or two to stimulate the discussion.

1) I detect a bit of a guilty conscience about checking your HR. DON'T - UNLESS you are fixated on your HR. Sounds like you are just trying to get good data because of the "Fluttering" Palp.

2) You report the Palp occurs at a HR LESS (128-132 BPM) than your UTR of 140 BPM. That tells me that it should not be an Atrial high rate episode. At least the way my Medtronic PM records them, they have to exceed my UTR before they are reported as that. You will find out at your next appt w/ the cardio. Hopefully.

3) You report them as being greater than your HR when exercising (113 - 120), so they are obviously something different.

4) You said they are "Scary." That tells me that they are, indeed, DIFFERENT from your normal heart beat, so you sense them & a bit of anxiety - disclosed by the higher HR- sets in. Unfortunately, I cannot tell whether the odd sensed HB or the high rate comes first.

5) The subconscious mind can lay strange tricks on us, so they may be nothing but a high HR caused by anxiety, triggered by sensing something odd in a single beat. (Not blowing you off, just recognizing all potential explanations).

6) They could be short episodes of A-Fib or Atrial flutter, but you'll have to talk to someone who has experienced that or knows about it. From what I've read in here, those are a possibility. BUT recall that there are a whole bunch of potential possibilities. Were they at a higher HR than your USR, that would make them more probable.

Good luck at finding a confirmed answer.

Donr

Thank you

by robo-ver - 2014-04-16 06:04:36

Hi again,

thank you so much for your time to respond!

I went for my ECG...surprise surprise, didnt have a palp while it took the reading therefore they have asked me to wait until July to have my annual check up! I guess Im OK with this as the palps have calmed down a bit the last few days so if things stay this way then Im happy to wait, if not though, I shall be back down there!

Anxiety can definitely have an affect (but this time, I dont think (think being the operative word there) it is the case. The palps start very very suddenly and stop just as suddenly, really take my breath away and I feel a bit dizzy and have to sit down. I have been doing a lot of yoga recently so try to concentrate on my breathing during these times too which seems to help!

Thanks again for your responses, it means a lot.

Robo-ver

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