In the works

I'm a 28 year old mother of one. I'm in the works of being diagnosed with symptomatic bradycardia and have been hearing a lot about pacers.

My problems really presented themselves a year ago after my child. Chronic fatigue, zero energy. Tunnel vision, spots, dizzy, lightheaded, confusion. Most recently I passed out. I had a visit with a cardiologist about 5 months ago and he cleared me saying for a tall, thin, athlete my 60-45 HR was fine and he wasn't sure why I was having symptoms.
After having a holter my HR was avg 53 and lows of 37 with symptoms. ST depressions 54 times at -3.5. So I'm heading back to the cardiologist. I haven't worked out in 3 months.

My questions are at what point did they decide to do a pacer? What did you try first? Anyone else get it because of bradycardia to help symptoms? I just am at a loss as each lab and specialty is turning me away and I don't want to feel this way anymore.

11 Comments

For me

by KAG - 2014-08-21 04:08:08

I was 58 and went from being pretty healthy, though no athlete, to 50% AVblock. HR was dropping into the 40's, for me low. I never passed out but was probably lucky. The day I got my PM I went to total AVblock so I was very lucky I got it when I did.

I would think that you're feeling bad and passing out would be reason enough to get a PM. You can't control or know when it might happen and could really injure yourself or someone else if driving.

I hope you find someone who will listen to you.

For me...

by bluebowtye - 2014-08-21 05:08:28

I had 2 syncope episodes one night with no prior symptoms whatsoever. My husband called 911 and the paramedics came but could not find anything wrong with me. They strongly urged me to see a doctor which I did 2 days later. I had lots of tests and was told to come back in a week. She told me the echo showed my right atria was enlarged so I had to see a cardiologist right away. I saw him the next day and he did not think it was anything to be concerned about, but had me do more tests and wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours. I turned it in on Friday right before they closed and on Monday afternoon they called and said to get back in right away and not to drive. He was out on Tuesday, so I made my appt for Wed. I was diagnosed with 2nd degree Mobitz type II AV block and was scheduled for pacer surgery the following Monday. It has been 6 months now and all is good.

I agree with KAG that you passing out should be reason enough for the pacer and that's exactly what my Dr. told me although, except for the fainting, I never felt bad at all.

Good luck. I too hope you can find someone to listen to you and help you.

~Sheila

timing

by Tracey_E - 2014-08-21 05:08:41

They are turning you away and stalling because of your AGE. My biggest pet peeve!!!!!!! They don't hesitate to give them to infants or senior citizens with the same symptoms, yet they want to drag their feet on those of us in the middle. Don't be shy about being pushy. You have a child to raise. You have a life to live. There is a little hunk of titanium that can fix your problems.

My dr didn't want to do a pacer on someone young (I should have had it in my teens) so we waited until I couldn't stand it anymore. In hindsight, that was dumb! I looked at it as a last ditch solution when I couldn't take it anymore rather than the answer to my problems. My dr wanted to wait so I didn't push it. Then one day my hr tanked, I ended up in emergency surgery. Not the easy way to do it, btw. I came out of it with more energy than I ever dreamed of and I haven't really been still since. And I resented that no one told me I'd feel better, I pretty much slept away 2 years of my life when I didn't have to. I was 27 when I got my first one. I'm 47 now, healthy and active.

Do you know what causes the brady? Brady is more of a symptom than a diagnosis, by definition a heart rate under 60. So, all of us here have brady but there are many causes. I have heart block, where the atria beats normally but the signal gets blocked on the way to the ventricles.

Whatever the cause, the fix is all the same. No drugs will work, no other treatments are out there, it doesn't go away with time. The exceptions are some thyroid conditions and some medications. I assume you're not on any heart meds now that will lower your rate. Blood work will rule out thyroid, hopefully they've already done that. Only a pm will raise a low heart rate. If you can't get through the day, if you want to do things but don't have the energy, then it's time to get it. Technically your numbers are borderline, but if you are symptomatic, that tips the scales.

Good luck!!!

keep trying

by AnaLena - 2014-08-21 07:08:00

I agree; senior citizens are expected to need pacemakers, but if you have serious bradycardia with fainting, etc., you are the person pacemakers were designed to help--whatever your age. I'm 73; I live in Tampa-- lots of cardiology.
I had a sudden onset of symptoms, but they were severe. Severe enough to get me to a doctor's office--(I avoid docs). I am very healthy.
The doc (cardiologist) saw my ekg on Friday, juggled schedules to get me in for a nuclear stress test on Monday, echo cardiogram on Tuesday. The following Monday I had my pacemaker. That was at the end of January. I felt so much better, even in the hospital, that I was euphoric.
Keep insisting. You and your family deserve it, especially when the fix is so tested and so easy.

In the works

by Molllenora - 2014-08-21 07:08:05

Thank you all for your responses. I'm just really fearful of it all at this moment and the last thing I want to do is overreact or be dramatic, which is how I felt leaving the cardiologist a few months ago.

Did anyone have holter monitor results with ST Depression? My primary made it seem significant but I'm finding very conflicting data online. I know I should wait and relax until the cardiologist but alas, I can't.


One more tidbit...

by laughingarcher - 2014-08-22 04:08:36

As AnaLena says above, after getting my pacemaker, I felt so great in the hospital in Greece that I tried to convince my hubby we should go on to Turkey where we were supposed to be meeting our best friends! He (probably wisely) said nope, we're going home. I think at that point he himself needed a rest! ;-)

It'll be OK! :-)

by laughingarcher - 2014-08-22 04:08:52

It's normal to be scared with this kind of news, but it really will be OK! Keep breathing and take it one step at a time. That's all we can do in life, yes? You're doing the right thing by asking questions and learning what you can. Information is power!

Here's what I read about ST Depressions showing up on Holter monitoring:

"Our results show that 15% of patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension, who are free of clinical signs of coronary artery disease, experience episodes of ST-segment depression during Holter monitoring or exercise stress testing. Most of these episodes are asymptomatic ... Episodes of ST-segment depression are more common for women than they are for men, particularly during Holter monitoring."

This is from a 1998 (granted, it's a bit old) study you can read here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9797180

Do you have high blood pressure at all? Seems unlikely with how you've described yourself, but maybe? If so, the STs might be related to that.

Because your symptoms started after having your baby, I'd agree with TraceyE that thyroid could be the culprit! Pretty common for thyroid stuff to appear during and after pregnancy. Have they thoroughly checked you for that? You can read lots of good info on StoptheThyroidMadness.com.

If, once everything else has been ruled out, it's determined you do need a pacemaker, that will be OK, too! I got mine this year. I'm 52, thin and fit with no history of heart or any other health problems. I was actually on vacation in Greece when I suddenly could not walk up more than five steps without having to stop and take a bunch of deep breaths. A week later I had my pacemaker, thanks to the best EP/surgeon in Greece! :-)

Turns out I have a complete 3rd degree AV block, which keeps electrical signals from getting from my atria to my ventricles. The docs say I may have had this my whole life, or it may have been caused by a virus. Looking back, like you I also felt exhausted, dizzy, confused after the birth of my twins (24 years ago!) I wonder now whether my heart may have been having trouble then, too.

I'm going on five months since getting my pacemaker and I not only feel totally like my normal self, I feel better! The whole experience was pretty surreal, but now I hardly think about my new titanium friend!

So don't worry! You will be OK, too. With your pulse (mine got down to 33) your heart is still working even if it doesn't feel very good. It's highly likely that it will just keep plodding along, as mine did, so don't worry that it will suddenly stop. That's very unlikely, so rest easy about that.

That said, while you're working toward a diagnosis, you probably don't want to be driving your child in a vehicle, especially with your history of fainting! That's just too big a risk.

So! Keep reading, asking questions, learning. Take what you learn to your doctor(s), ask questions (there are no stupid ones!) and don't take no for an answer if your intuition tells you different! You must be your own best health advocate and you must take good care of your child's mommy! ;-)

Keep breathing and keep us here at PMC posted!

Hugs!

Demystification

by Gotrhythm - 2014-08-22 05:08:17

Bradycardia just means "slow heartbeat." It is defined as a resting HR below 60 bpm.

It's true that athletes in superb condition can have slower heart rates without having symptoms, but they can also have had a "normal" low heart rate for years, but when it drops even lower they start having symptoms.

Athlete or not, you have bradycardia with symptoms.

Fundamentally what a PM does is make sure the heart rate never drops below a preset number. Most people with PMs (the basic kind) have bradycardia.

Most people who get a PM for bradycardia, do feel better. Many athletes are able to return to their sports.

Thanks

by Molllenora - 2014-08-22 08:08:15

I have low blood pressure. Thyroid all came back great. I'm getting tested for Lymes Disease soon just in case.

My most recent reoccurring symptoms that have me really scared is minor confusion, loss of words and putting sentences together. Anyone have that?

Thank you all again for the support!

reply to "Thanks"

by Gotrhythm - 2014-08-23 02:08:03

"My most recent reoccurring symptoms that have me really scared is minor confusion, loss of words and putting sentences together. Anyone have that?"

I can relate. I had all that and frankly, it distressed me more than any other symptoms. In fact, the mental symptoms are what I noticed first. But I too was running into ageism. Because I was in my early 60's then, I got the shrug and brushoff. They didn't see any problem. I was obviously articulate and intelligent. But if I was aware of slipping--"Probably some early signs of dementia," they said.

In reality, what was happening was my heart rate dropping sometimes, and sometimes pausing, and sometimes going into long runs of PVC. As a result my brain was not getting quite enough oxygen to function optimally although I never actually passed out.

And yes, the pacemaker helped. A lot.

Thyroid, which can also make your brain sluggish, has been ruled out. I'd hate to see you get a PM you don't need, but be aware that women's heart concerns are not taken as seriously as men's. A heart condition is easy to dismiss as unlikely due to your age, but it's also easy to dismiss due to your sex.

You need to advocate for yourself.

Please keep coming back for the support you need.

Being your own advocate...

by laughingarcher - 2014-08-24 12:08:14

... is indeed very important and sometimes very hard! Some doc's just don't like it when patients do their own research and ask questions, which is pretty sad. But hang in there, 'cuz most of the time no one else is going to do it for you!

I also had the forgetfulness, confusion, searching for words. I'm in my early 50s and female, so I always got the "oh, you're aging and it's menopause" answer. When I told my doc six years ago (I got my pacer this past April) that I was getting short of breath, feeling tired all the time, and having the mental issues, she gave me the same old menopause line. When I asked about doing a stress test or something to look at my heart, she literally told me "Oh, stress tests aren't very accurate when it comes to women's hearts." And then she did absolutely nothing.

I feel so very fortunate that in those intervening six years I didn't have a car accident or pass out and fall down the stairs or hurt someone else. I also feel very grateful that, thanks to the doc's in Greece, I was still alive four months ago so that I could fire my doctor when I got back home. ;-)

As Gotrhythm says, the pacemaker has helped a lot with my mental fuzziness. Friends and family have commented that I seem much more "awake" and I'm a lot faster at my crosswords!

It makes sense. After all, my brain (as well as all my other organs) is now getting the oxygen it needs to work right. When your pulse is low, your heart isn't beating as often as it should be, which means the rest of your body is not getting as much blood (and thus oxygen) that it needs to function properly. The pacemaker fixes that issue.

Keep us posted, Molllenora! :-)

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

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