Still light headed

It's been a week since my PM insertion, still feeling light headed, also when i check my pulse it seems to be running around 80. They said it was set at 60, my rate before was in the mid to low 40's, i was diagnosed with SSS. Does it take your heart time to adjust to the leads? (being a foreign body) I also feel flutters as well. I really appreciate everybodys input! A great site, i'm an RN and feel really dumb! :)

5 Comments

Thank You!

by mdobeck - 2015-02-11 01:02:31

Thanks so much for the information!
Yes you are correct, i would tell them to call their MD, but as a healthcare worker, we don't take our own advice well!

I did go to the PM lab and they turned my sensor off( what ever that means, i guess it would raise my heart rate with movement), I was able to raise my own heartrate with exercise, they did see a few SVT's and said that might causing the light headedness!

Again, thanks so much! I'll keep intouch!

Hi mdobeck

by IAN MC - 2015-02-11 12:02:43

Now as an RN what advice would you give to a patient who was lightheaded and experiencing flutter feelings ??

Would it not be along the lines of " If you are worried about it, go back to your doctor " ?

My thoughts are :-

- you shouldn't be feeling lightheaded after a week but some people seem to . Your whole body is now being swamped with oxygen compared to your pre-PM days when your HR was in the low 40s so you will feel different . Some people get used to it far more quickly than others

- 60 bpm is a normal lower setting and your PM puts in extra beats if your HR tries to drop below that

- your current 80 bpm level is within normal range and is nothing to worry about, the PM can only increase HRs and cannot lower them

- if you have SSS it is probable ( but not definite ) that you have some degree of chronotropic incompetence i.e
your HR doesn't increase with exercise the way it should. So your PM may be set to put in extra beats when you move and this may be contributing to your 80 bpm readings

- your flutters may also be increasing your resting HR to 80 bpm. If I were you I would ask for another ECG to see what is going on.

Best of luck

Ian

HR

by wjs1954 - 2015-02-11 12:02:51

if min is set at 60 PM will keep your rate from dropping below that. Meaning if your normal rate is higher it still will be but when it would have dropped below 60 before now 60 is as low as it will go if 60 is/was set for min.. mine is set 40 at night 50 during the day for min settings and that is where it keeps me unless i am up doing something,,,,actually just checked my rate sitting at work 50, guess i am not working hard enough : )...

heart rate

by judyblue - 2015-02-12 08:02:44

after I had my pm put in, my body and psyche must have been traumatized because my heart rate stayed between 90-100 for weeks. Then is started to slow down. I also had times of very fast flutter. After wearing a heart monitor, doc said I had some SVT's or PVC's and not to worry unless it got worse which may or may not happen. In 17 months, it has not changed. I guess we now need to pay close attention to that organ in our chest- more than before!

Same story

by Charlotteis - 2015-02-12 09:02:54

Hi there, it's been 7 weeks since I had my leads reinserted. I am still lightheaded - nothing crazy just a little, and my BPM are usually between 80 and 100. My Ep isn't worried and suggested that maybe my blood pressure is too low and should be monitored ...

You know you're wired when...

You get your device tuned-up for hot dates.

Member Quotes

To tell you the truth I never even give it a second thought. While growing up it never stopped me from doing anything and to this day my girlfriend or my kids need to remind me that I have one!