Coffee and Heart Block W/ PM

Hey Guys, so I thought I'd ask the pros on this one....anyone have heart block / bradycardia and still have their morning coffee since getting a pacemaker? I really, REALLY miss mine :)

14 Comments

Thanks Ian!

by Runningmama - 2015-03-19 01:03:01

I was thinking that by enjoying my morning go go drink I would actually naturally raise my heart rate thus adding battery life to my pacemaker and in turn maybe getting a few more years to allow the cost of medical equipment to rise here in the states! Yea!

But seriously, thank you! I am going to have my cup and then tell the cardio about it in Monday during our check up. He's Irish for goodness sakes, you'd think he'd get it!

It all depends what day it is !

by IAN MC - 2015-03-19 01:03:52

There are certain things in life which are essential for normal living . These include alcohol, salt, sugar and coffee.

I'm not sure which ones are bad for you this week . I think salt is back in favour, sugar is a no-no , the jury is out on alcohol !

As for coffee , I've read this week that if you drink lots of it you are less likely to die from heart failure and stroke . It will also prevent Parkinson's and prostate cancer. Also, the more coffee you have, the less likely you are to get Type 2 diabetes

Regrettably some doctors try to scare us with their own prejudices . When they do, they need challenging !

So , Runningmama, where does this leave you ? Unless you know that coffee triggers off some sort of heart arrhythmia , which can happen but is very rare ,then I would have a large cup right now . ( but I may give you different advice next week ! )

Best of luck

Ian

Had some immediately after implant!

by Lurch - 2015-03-19 03:03:26

I commented several times to the Nurse on the day of my implant that I had not had my coffee yet (was required to fast prior to surgery). When I returned to my room following the implantation of my ICD she had coffee waiting for me!

I have not been told to avoid coffee, and recently saw something on the news that caffeine is now considered a good thing; of course, those things change every few minutes!!!!

Got to have my coffeeeeeeeee

by SaraTB - 2015-03-19 06:03:40

No-one ever said avoid anything. I have complete heart block. I tend to feel changes in heart rate, greater sensitivity since the pacemaker perhaps. Anyway, I have coffee at breakfast and lunch. I have found that very strong brews make my heart race, but presumably they did before, I just didn't notice. Had a really, really strong cup from a coffee shop a while ago and felt dreadful for hours, so tend to stick to my fantastic Aeropress. But I have coffee, tea, wine, beer, butter, you know, all the basic food groups. :)

Everyone Is Different

by Artist - 2015-03-19 10:03:04

Just start with moderate amounts of caffeine and see if it causes afib. Lots of things contain caffeine, dark chocolate, tea (often has more caffeine than coffee), Coca Cola etc. I love coffee and tried a mix of half decaf coffee and half regular and could not tolerate that. I substitute chocolate Ovaltene with a spoonful of instant decaf, mixed with almond milk and a tsp. of honey--it's not nearly as good as all of the imported coffees I used to love, but it is high in vitamin content and will have to do. Decaf herbal teas are another alternative. In my case, it is well worth not having my heart do a drunken Scottish jig or syncopated polka.

Yep

by PeteFindlay - 2015-03-19 10:03:22

One cup black coffee before hitting Crossfit first thing in the morning, another 2 cups before lunch... then I drop back to green tea for the rest of the day.

I haven't been warned off it by anyone, so just carrying on as per normal. Not noticed any dodgy feelings.

coffee

by AnaLena - 2015-03-19 12:03:02

I was never warned off coffee. In fact, I had it in the hospital the morning after I got my PM. And I continue to drink it. 2 cups in the morning and 1-2 cups in the afternoon.
I have heart block and nothing else.

However, if you have afib or tachycardia you might want to be very careful and start slowly.

Thanks!

by Runningmama - 2015-03-19 12:03:18

Nope, I'm just bradycardia with some intermittent stage 2 and 3 heart block type 2. Thank you all so much! I'm gonna try a half and half tomorrow and see how it works out...:)

Mama - WHAT does OUR EP...

by donr - 2015-03-20 06:03:43

....say about coffee????? You are in a study group. Did the Great Man from Emory tell you it was a No-No?

I'd ask him, not some crazy Irishman two days post St Paddy's Day.

We are all different when it comes to caffeine. I cannot tolerate it. My wife restricts my intake of God's gift to man - CHOCOLATE for just that reason. Too much & my heart does an Irish Jig - & I have at least 3/4 German genes; not a wearer of the green in the woodpile.

What's wrong w/ De-caf? Are you addicted? Sounds like it to me. Remember what happened to Walter Brennan in "The Far Country" w/ Jimmy Stewart. He got shot because of his coffee addition.

Donr

Ahem...

by Grateful Heart - 2015-03-20 11:03:58

Crazy Irishman??

Mama....I also drink coffee in the morning....no problems and yes, an occasional Irish Coffee....without the sugar. But like the others said....we are all different so check with your Doc.....or Docs.

None of my Doctors ever put a restriction on food or drink except too much sugar or salt for me and I haven't used either in years anyway.

Donr: Crazy Irishman?? You know I can't ignore that.

There is a triple chocolate cake with a big shamrock on it coming your way. :-)

Grateful Heart

Thanks Guys!!

by Runningmama - 2015-03-20 12:03:29

Thanks Guys!! I did the half and half this am and am proud to report that all is well!!!!

DonR, actually, coffee is part of the work I do. My client is the largest travel center chain in the world and their coffee roaster sends me all their new coffees to try and give feedback on, etc. and just as a friendly gesture..hate to let good coffee go to waste LOL ....So, it's nice to give my own opinion rather than someone else's now.

and if anyone gets a chance, I do recommend Boyd's Coffee, the 423 1/2 blend is really great.

Have super weekends!

Don, I have to see McGorisk Monday for the 4 month follow up and then El Chami in May...all is going well though!

If Grateful Heart even begins to....

by donr - 2015-03-21 01:03:31

...think I'll start a flame war w/ all the Irishmen around the world. SHE's crazy!!!!

Anybody ever read an Irish Ghost story? That's the kind of horror their retribution would try to impose upon me.

There are certain things you just don't screw around with, in increasing order of danger to your well being (somewhere in this list you must place the "Fighting Irish" of Notre Dame Football team - consisting of 4 ethnic Poles from Detroit, 3 ethnic Czechs from the steel mills of Pittsburgh, 2 ethnic Germans from bakeries in Chicago, 2 ethnic Swedes from the wheat fields of Minnesota, coached by a guy whose name no one can spell, with a Leprechaun acting as water-boy)

1) A water buffalo in a Viet Namese rice paddy,

2) An enraged Cape Buffalo in Africa,

3) A cornered, hungry 35 ft Rock Python,

4) Any woman scorned, whether you scorned her or not, and

5) The legion of Irish men & women in the world.

BTW: I checked out McGorisk on the web. He comes from either a family of plumbers in Des Moines, Iowa that emigrated from Scotland in the late 1800's or a businessman who owned the Irish company that built the lifeboats for the Titanic. Man-o-man, what a pedigree for a Cardio in Atlanta, GA

Donr

LOL

by Grateful Heart - 2015-03-21 04:03:41


Flame war with YOU.......never!

I'm not that crazy. :-)

All in good fun folks.

Grateful Heart

Decaf on occasion

by Seabreeze - 2015-03-23 09:03:14

I have avib so only decaf. Choc forget it. I tried a decaf starbucks-OMG my avib went crazy; even the decaf was like expresso to my system!

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I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.