Light headed and fatigued

Hello all,
I have had my pacemaker for nearly 2 years with no problems. I am 100% paced, since having a 3rd degree block followed by a torsade des points. After all that, I went happily on my way grateful to be alive. Recently I have felt exhausted and light headed a lot of the time, so I went for an impromptu pacer check. I found out that my heart was skipping beats, speeding up, and slowing down at random times.

I will see my cardiologist in 2 days, but I honestly don't know what to expect or what questions to ask! I am not on any heart meds. Just a low dose aspirin every day. Have any of you had this happen? Would love to have some info before I see my doctor. Thanks!

1 Comments

changes

by Tracey_E - 2016-02-23 12:02:10

As we age, our bodies change. I've had that happen 3 or 4 times in the 20+ years I've been paced. Usually they've taken care of it with adjustments to the settings. When I started having some racing, I went on a low dose beta blocker.

They can program how quickly your rate drops so that it comes down normally after exercise, but doesn't have sudden drops.

You shouldn't be having skipped beats. They can adjust the timing between beats. If it's pvc or pac, that's extra little half beats that your heart is doing on its own. They're harmless and generally not treated.

If the racing is a problem, medication like what I'm on can stop it. If you aren't feeling it and if it doesn't last long or get super high, it can be watched rather than treated.

Questions to ask...
When it speeds up, how high does it go and how long does it last?
Why is it skipping beats when you are paced?

You know you're wired when...

Your heart beats like a teenager in love.

Member Quotes

I just had this miracle implanted two weeks ago and I’m feeling better.