Twitches Near Heart

Hi,

I had a dual chamber pacemaker implanted almost two weeks ago. A day or two after the implant, I noticed twitching near the heart. The twitches are small, don't last long and are infrequent, but happen every day. Sometimes, I have them when I walk, sometimes when I am sitting or in bed. What could be causing this? Is it the pacemaker setting? Before the pacemaker, I was diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, VT, sick sinus syndrome, mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation and dysautonomia. Thanks in advance for your input. :-)

4 Comments

You may notice

by Theknotguy - 2013-12-15 11:12:11

You may notice some additional heart beats, twitching, and unusual feelings right after the PM implant. That's pretty normal. As long as you aren't feeling "sick or sicker" it's usually nothing to worry about. It's also normal to be more alert to your heart after having a PM. Your brain is saying, "Emma, here comes the BIG one!" But it usually isn't. You're more likely to notice these feelings when your are quiet or in bed. That's normal too.

I have a-fib. After I got my PM I'd feel the PM kick in and cause my heart to beat at a particular time. It was an unusual feeling to say the least. My heart couldn't just go about it's merry way, it had to march to the beat of the PM. It was a peculiar feeling at first but as my heart settled into the new routine I started to feel better.

Worse case scenario is you may need some "tweaking" on your PM. But if you aren't feeling "sicker" after these twitchings you'll probably be able to make it to your next PM checkout. If you're still concerned you can call you PM tech or your cardio's office.

You've only had your PM for two weeks. Your body hasn't had time to adjust to your new life. (It took me about 60 days for everything to settle down.) So give yourself a little time.

Hang in there. It gets better!

Theknotguy

Re: You May Notice

by golden0072 - 2013-12-16 12:12:36

Thank you for your reassuring note. I had a lot of pain right after the procedure, particularly in my back and shoulder. A member of my family was sick and hospitalized early last week, so I haven't had much rest.

The "twitching" is weird. I don't know any other word to use. It just feels like a "twitch". LOL I have noticed it when I walk, sit or am in bed. It's weird. You're right, though. I just need to give myself some time.

Thanks again for answering me. I really appreciate your support. :-)

Twitching

by Sparkie - 2013-12-20 11:12:27

I had a CRT-D implanted 4 wks ago and I also had the twitching. That is exacting the way I described it to the doctor. It had started after the meds subsided. ( a few days) St Judes Medical did a tweaking and it went away. I may get a few here and there when I over use my arm. You may want to get it tweaked. I did not feel a thing. Pretty wild this technology. Good Luck :)

Re: Twitching

by golden0072 - 2014-01-01 10:01:41

I did actually have some adjustment made. I was told that the voltage is usually set higher when the pacemaker is first installed. When I went to the pacemaker clinic the technician was able to reproduce what I felt. She told me that I was feeling the ventricular pacing, not the atrial pacing.

Adjustments were made, but I can still feel the pacing, at times.

Thank you very much for your input. :-)

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