RR today's adjustment :>)

I had RR turned on about 5 weeks ago. The Rep recommended it because i was being paced at I think 84% of the time at min which was set at 60. i was fine for walking, hiking, and biking. However as soon as I ran my HR went to 150 and stayed 150 was/is max pace setting. Pace had no effect, after 3 training run called the cardiologist office was told DO NOT RUN. they set up a appointment with the Medtronic rep and put me on the treadmill hooked me up stress test with EKG/HR/the works. The Medtronic Rep did a PM interrogation at the same time. I also had my garmin HR Monitor on. as the treadmill started all looked fine i kept telling them crank it up i need to be running for you to see what i am talking about. Finally got them to push the speed up and just like i said 150 here we go.. So PM rep turned RR off HR went down. Of course that is /was not the answer i do need RR otherwise i am back at 60 85% of the time . SO RR back on Adjustment made. I took it out for a test run did a couple 2 1/2 miles runs. I am a happy man. Hr went up and down as it should did not up from 60 to 150 w/in 60 seconds. On a side note Garmin HR monitor Matched beat to beat what the interrogation report and ekg was showing..

Looks like Hartford Marathon 1/2 in Oct 2014 is a go :>),

Love my Cardiologist she is the best. As for my X- EP who put the PM in, prior the surgery said. I am a runner i can/will do whatever it takes. like i said that was before surgery. After surgery he said thanks for the cash see you around. Of course those were not his exact word but... his office and after care, oh wait, they have none.

again love my Cardiologist and PM Rep.
PS also had night time setting lower to 45, down from 60 (at my request) going back in about 5 weeks to make sure all is working out. Was told just call if you think you need us to look at something before that...

7 Comments

RR

by Grateful Heart - 2014-07-17 09:07:39

Glad you got the adjustments you needed and can resume running, good for you.

Grateful Heart

Great example

by KAG - 2014-07-17 11:07:35

of being your own best advocate and getting your device programming optimized to support you.

Amazing how a small tweak in the programming can make such a huge difference. Sometimes it's not easy or straight forward but with persistence it is doable.

Way to go, enjoy your running.
Kathy

RR

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-18 02:07:03

That's great news! Happy to hear that you are doing better. Do you know, by any chance, which RR settings were changed and how? Might be interesting for other members, because problems like yours are reported here quite regularly.

Inga

i think

by wjs1954 - 2014-07-18 10:07:46

it was the Activity threshold setteing (after doing some online medtronric research) that was changed. My Cardiologist is going online with record within a week or so, the info should be there i will take a look to be sure and also see what it is set at. If that info does not show on line I will call them in a couple weeks. Just hate to call them for just infromation, they are always nice but it is a one doctor practice that is always busy....

Thanks!

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-19 02:07:31

That would make sense. In your Medtronic device one can also change how fast the rate increases and decreases (time for acceleration and deceleration). Maybe that was something he changed, too, because you were getting to 150bpm in no time.

It's interesting that you have no problem with biking as your pacer only has an accelerometer sensor, which needs upper body movement to sense activity. Unless you do mountainbiking, you usually do not have much upper body movement when biking. When on accelerometer only, I could hardly ride my bike because the rate wouldn't increase.

Inga

Activity Threshold settings

by IAN MC - 2014-07-20 08:07:45

wjs 1954 .. I look forward to hearing how you get on in the Hartford Half Marathon . I do hope that your new settings can cope with longer distances !

Inga .. I am interested that you could not cope with cycling at all and yet some of us with just the Medtronic accelerometer sensor can cycle reasonably well .

Does it not depend on what degree of chronotropic incompetence we have ? If we were all the same then there would be no need for different Rate Response settings.

If you look at the definitions of the Activity Thresholds :-

LOW - Responds to most body activity, including minimal exertion
MEDIUM/LOW - Limited response to minimal exertion, responds to moderate body movements /greater exertion
MEDIUM/HIGH - Limited response to moderate body movements and exertion
HIGH - responds to only vigorous body movements and exertion

Because my sinus node still functions much of the time I only need the occasional helping hand from the Rate Response so I have the a AT set at MEDIUM / HIGH .

This really works quite well for me whether I am running or cycling . I did a 30 mile bike ride yesterday and ,although I struggled on some of the hills to keep up with my Lycra-clad companions, it really wasn't too bad.

I guess that if you are 100 % dependant on the Medtronic accelerometer then it would be a different story !

It helps a lot that many British roads are in a bad state of repair so the bumps and potholes lead to more upper body movement.

Ian

Medtronic accelerometer

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-20 09:07:13

Hi Ian!

I was on a Sorin accelerometer, not Medtronic. But even the Medtronic techs told me that accelerometers in general do not respond well to cycling, theirs included. In January, when I had to decide whether to get a Medtronic Adapta or a Biotronik Evia, I asked Medtronic again about cycling, and they said that cycling would most likely be a problem with their accelerometer. So, I'm beginning to think, as you suggested, that it might have a lot to do with the degree of chronotopic incompetence. With SA and AV-node ablations in the past, I need the sensor support all the time, for basically every little movement I make.

When doing a bicycle ergometry at my cardio, I could get my Sorin accelerometer up to 120bpm in the end (I think at 125 watts). Not too bad for an accelerometer actually. But when I rode my bike leisure time, for instance around a lake close-by, my heart rate hardly ever went above 80. And on a bicycle ergometry I would never reach the max programmed rate, although I got there easily, within less than a minute, when I ran or just walked at a brisk pace.

I'm glad that you are doing so well with your Medtronic accelerometer. My impression is that most members here, who need the sensor, encounter problems; you and WJS are the first ones I hear from who are doing well when cycling.

Inga

You know you're wired when...

You can finally prove that you have a heart.

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I have had my pacer since 2005. At first it ruled my life. It took some time to calm down and make the mental adjustment. I had trouble sleeping and I worried a lot about pulling wires. Now I just live my life as I wish.