feeling heart beats

Hey, Sorry for all of the posts but I have SO many questions... :)
Is it normal to feel your heart beat? If you have read my last few posts you know I have been having some serious issues with my pacemaker (implanted just yesterday) well I've been in bed most of today and a while ago when I went to lay down, I felt very distinctive heart beats. While not painful they were disconserting. They were steady but fairly intense and went on steady for several minutes. It felt as if someone was flicking my heart (like a finger flick using your middle finger and thumb) Is this normal? I realize the pacemaker is to keep the heart beating regular but for that long a period of time......well it just didn't seem quite right.Anyway - as I said I AM new to all of this. Thank you in advance for your response.
Dami

9 Comments

Stormy

by Grateful Heart - 2014-05-09 09:05:48

After we have our PM's/ ICD's implanted, we are so much more aware of our hearts than we were before. I still can't lay on my left side for long, but when I do, I can feel my heart beat too. Even pre ICD, I could hear my heart beat through my pillow at times.

When you feel that, just turn over and it should go away.

I would be more concerned about your temp. Keep an eye on that, you don't want to risk infection.

Don't worry about all the questions.....we all had them when we were new.

Grateful Heart

Don't panic

by 2219kg - 2014-05-09 10:05:07

It is normal to feel your heart beat. Your pacemaker is turned up for the first couple of months as well. I'm right ahead of you in this journey, I'm just weeks out from getting ky first pm. I remember the first few days feeling my heart beat and feeling concerned but that has since gone away. It will get easier. Good luck.
Kelly

thanks

by stormynw - 2014-05-09 10:05:40

Thank you Grateful Heart. I believe some of us do feel things more, maybe just more sensitive to the nuances of our body. The good thing though, it is beating :) and believe me I am definitely keeping an eye on my temperature. The last thing I need is an infection. Like I said if it does go up I will most definitely go into the ER. Take care,
Dami

It's Okay

by Sunnydaze - 2014-05-10 03:05:25

Stormy...don't worry about asking questions, you're at the beginning of a new "adventure", one you will relax into over time. I don't think there are many people with Pacemakers who don't have an overload of questions in the beginning. It's good to have a place where there are "people" who truly understand what you're going through, with first hand experience, and are willing to share their experience, and help set your mind at ease. Our Cardiologists, unless they, too, have a PM, can't completely understand what we go through. It's kind of like a male Obstetrician telling a woman about labor.

I felt my heartbeat about as you described right after my PM was implanted nine years ago. I can't say it really alarmed me, I was glad my heart was beating about twice as fast as it was before the PM. Lying in bed, in just the right position, I can feel my heart beating...I think I would feel it even if I didn't have a PM. I just reposition myself, and I don't feel it anymore.

I think your bigger problem is running a fever, that could be a sign if an infection...that you don't need. Don't let that go,on for long before contacting your EP, or Cardiologist.

Take care. Try to relax. Your PM is your new friend. Sunny

thank you

by stormynw - 2014-05-10 08:05:04

Thanks, Sunny, people on here have been great :) It does help that they ALL have been through this before. Because even with them it is still a fairly lonely journey. My biggest issue now is how much it is still hurting to breath! It feels like a cracked rib but I've had two x-rays and nothing has shown up.

Same Feeling

by PeteFindlay - 2014-05-10 11:05:55

Wow, what a great forum! I've only been on a couple of days, and already finding answers.

I had my pacemaker fitted 4 days ago, and have been conscious of exactly the same feeling. Pulse rate is a rock-solid 59 at rest - driven by the PM - which is a little faster than it used to be, so I guess I'm just getting used to it. Reassuring to know it's not unusual.

Hope your pain breathing resolves itself soon, Dami.

Pete

Don't Worry

by NiceNiecey - 2014-05-10 12:05:59

Thanks for writing Dami.

I had the exact same problem. Eventually, it lessened and basically stopped. There are still times when I notice my heart beating but it's nothing like it was that first month post PM.

All the best,
Niecey

more in tune with pace

by Hot Heart - 2014-05-11 10:05:16

I also was worried when I first got my pm that I could constantly feel my heart beating, and it felt like it was beating too quickly. You will soon get used to it!

Had to smile

by Gotrhythm - 2014-05-11 12:05:40

When I got my pacemaker, for the first time in years, I COULDN'T feel my heart lurching around in my chest.

For the first time in years, I felt peaceful. It seemed like a miracle. After a while, it dawned on me that the pervasive anxiety I had dealt with for years was not caused by a neurosis. It was my heart!

Getting a PM was the opposite of anxiety-producing for me, but I can see why being able suddenly to feel the heart beating could be unsettling for some.

BTW, If I put my mind to it, today I can feel the heartbeat, and the occasional PVC grabs my attention, but mostly these days, my heartbeat is something I ignore.

Hopefully, soon your heartbeat will be so regular and uninteresting, you'll be able to ignore it too, and get busy enjoying your life.

You know you're wired when...

Microwave ovens make you spark.

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