QUESTION

MY MOM HAD A PACEMAKER PUT IN ABOUT 5 MONTHS AGO. WE WERE OUT SIDE MOST OF THE DAY RACKING AND BURNING LEAVES. WHEN SHE WENT TO BED SHE HAD TO GET BACK UP DUE TO FEELING JITTERY, SHE GOT UP AND TOOK HER BLOOD PRESSURE AND IT WAS UP AND IT SHOWED HER HEART WAS/HAD BEEN OUT OF RHYTHM . HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD ANY PROBLEMS LIKE THESE. THANKS & GOD BLESS,
WANDA

3 Comments

symptoms

by Tracey_E - 2014-03-11 08:03:18

When in doubt, go to the hospital.

All a pm is going to do is add beats when the heart is too slow. If the heart is too fast, the pm will only watch. The the heart is irregular the pm will try to smooth it out but again, if the heart throws in extra beats or fibrillates, the pm will only watch. It gets easy to assume everything that happens is the pm, usually it is not.

Did she get dehydrated when she was outside? Or maybe overdo it with caffeine? If I have even two cups of coffee early in the day, I'll be all jittery and racy well past midnight. I would still get her checked. Better safe than sorry.

Get checked out

by Theknotguy - 2014-03-11 12:03:23

TraceyE is correct. Get her checked out. The PM records what is happening. So if the outdoor exercise put her into a-fib it will show it.

If she hasn't been doing exercise and then starts doing outdoor work with a lot of arm movement (raking leaves) it can throw her into a-fig - especially if she is predisposed to it.

In a-fib the PM will only watch unless it has a setting for a-fib and the setting is turned on.

You didn't say what her conditions, as far as the heart is concerned, so we're just guessing as far as extra beats, SOB, etc.

Like TraceyE said, get checked out.

Theknotguy

Check it out

by gleesue - 2014-03-11 12:03:55

You don't say why your mother got the PM. But what is important is what is stated above. A PM does not fix A-fib or other arrhythmias, but it can help. I got my PM in August of 2012. I had Bradycardia and A-fib. The spikes were causing the A-fib. I was cardioverted 3 times the previous year before PM and only once since. The point is the PM will help but won't stop arrhythmias.

Your Mom is probably fine and may have other episodes like this. Probably not a big deal, but I agree have it checked.

Jerry

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

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