Is there a temporary way to speed up heartrate?

I have bradycardia. My doctor hasn't recommended a pacemaker yet, but it looks likely. Most of the comments I've read at this site are very positive, patients tend to feel much better after getting a PM, and most wearers find them to be trouble-free. But a few people have commented that they actually feel worse with their new, faster heartrate and they wish they had left well enough alone. Here's my question:

If a doctor or patient is on the fence about whether to implant a pacemaker, is there a temporary, less invasive way to speed up the heart rate so I can see how it feels to have a resting rate that's 60 or above at all times -- waking and sleeping?
If there is an external device or safe medication that mimics a pacemaker and can be used temporarily, I'd love to give it a try for a few days to see how a faster heart rate round-the-clock will really feel. Does such a thing exist?

Anne

11 Comments

Temporary Pulse Increase

by oldearthworm - 2015-11-13 05:11:07

It would be wonderful, I think ....Maybe a medication ..but this can be risky, I'd think ..
My pulse has increased from 50 to 60 with the PM, and this definitely helps ..and having the old heart just stop for 6 seconds at nite .. not good ..

Anne

by IAN MC - 2015-11-13 06:11:51

I think you may be missing one of the main reasons that people get pacemakers for bradycarda :-

It is not just to find out if it makes you feel better; it is to prevent the possible complications which can develop from untreated bradycardia . These include frequent fainting, inability of the heart to pump enough blood / oxygen around the body, in severe cases even sudden cardiac arrest or sudden death.

Although it is possible to remain asymptomatic for years with bradycardia, on the whole It is NOT desirable to have untreated bradycardia especially as it can worsen with time.

Assuming that you are experiencing some symptoms now ,you do need some treatment, and unfortunately there are no drugs which are reliable enough in their action to be used to treat bradycardia.

There are temporary external pacemakers which deliver electrical impulses through the heart muscle but these are very uncomfortable for the patient and tend to be used for emergency situations.

Once you have a PM ,the setting for the resting heart rate can be changed until an optimum level for you is found.

I started off with mine at 50 bpm and had it increased to 55 bpm. I was surprised at what an increase in energy levels I experienced from such a small adjustment.

Best of luck

Ian

Ian, is it easy to adjust the rate?

by AnneD - 2015-11-13 07:11:23

Hi Ian, and thanks for the additional information. That was a well-thought-out response to my question, and very kind of you to provide your own experience.

How did the doctor adjust the resting bpm setting after your device was implanted? Can they adjust the settings without reopening the incision?

Anne

Fortunately Anne

by IAN MC - 2015-11-13 07:11:29

There is not a scalpel in sight , not a drop of blood is spilled !

Four stickers are placed on your chest, wires are clipped to them and a magnet is placed over the pacemaker ( on the outside ! )

Then the printer starts to produce enough paper to wipe out several rain forests.

The magnet hijacks your heart and they can adjust the settings if necessary by twiddling a few knobs on the computer .It is all very painless.

I am now on annual check-ups but these happen more frequently soon after your PM implant until they get the settings right .

Yes, it is easy to adjust the rate !

Ian

There is but...

by Theknotguy - 2015-11-13 08:11:14

There is such a thing as a temporary pacemaker but you wouldn't like it. They run leads up through the groin. Then wait a few days to see how things are going. Not a fun thing.

This site gets quite a few questions about problems. The vast majority of people with pacemakers don't have any problems or just minor problems. So you'll see a lot more "bad" press on this forum.

Of the dozen or so people I know with pacemakers, I'm the only one who has taken an active interest and participate on this forum. Most don't like to be reminded they have a pacemaker. One of the people I know doesn't know the manufacturer of this pacemaker, doesn't read his pacemaker reports, and really doesn't care to be reminded that he has a pacemaker.

Take Ian's advice. More importantly, do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

brady chardia

by srochon - 2015-11-14 01:11:49

Believe me, I have had a rough summer..........with the low blood pressure and heart beat, Had a Pace Maker put in last week, already feel normal! I forgot what it was like to move around with energy!! Its been so long. I am happy to have it, and now I can make plans for the winter, as soon as the check up is over. I'm gone, got places to go and things to do,. Sue

Not all stories are the same!!!

by athlete735516 - 2015-11-14 04:11:26

Hi Anne
I got my pacemaker for bradycardia in the end of October because my memory was starting to become affected. My "normal" resting heart rate before my pm was around 35 and I felt no symptoms but when it started to dip lower and lower at night (eventually down to 18) without me waking up, they decided to put in a pacemaker. I have a St. Jude pm and its settings can be changed by a computer called the Merlin which has a part that looks like a plastic doughnut attached to a wire and they put the wire over your shoulders so the doughnut will hang over your pm (they might have u just hold it there) but through that they can send signals directly to your pm without you feeling anything.

And not everyone has the sugar high-like symptoms after their pm is implanted, my pm is set at 40 so i only feel it when i am asleep and wake up with lots more energy but they will set it at whatever rate they feel is right for you.

HR too fast?

by Gotrhythm - 2015-11-15 05:11:31

I think you're worried about a problem that's really unlikely, but if it should happen, changing the HR on a PM is a piece of cake.

You sit in a chair. The PM tech hangs this sort of donut shaped dohickey (to use a non-technical term) over your shoulder so that it dangles above the place in your upper chest where the PM is implanted under the skin.

The PM tech punches some keys. If you're like me you feel better instantly (in my case they needed to speed it up but slowing down is the same process.) The tech takes away the dohickey. You say "Thank you very much" and depart. All done in less than 10 minutes. No fuss. No pain. Piece of cake.

Gotrhythm, you are wrong !

by IAN MC - 2015-11-15 06:11:34

Sorry but what you say is incorrect ; a PM cannot slow down a resting heart rate which is too high.

It can only help bradycardia.

I see from your Bio that you are a writer, fiction presumably ?

Ian

Ian, I think Gotrhythm meant this

by AnneD - 2015-11-16 09:11:55

Ian, This is how I understood Gotrhythm's post: if the doctor initially sets the PM's rate a whole lot higher than the patient's resting heartrate and the patient feels rotten as a result, the doctor to adjust the PM's rate downward to find a middle ground. It would still be set faster than the patient's untreated heartrate. I hope that's what he meant. And I hope it's true. :-)
Anne

Anne

by IAN MC - 2015-11-16 10:11:29

The joys of written communication !

Apologies to Gotrhythm if that is what she meant. I was confused by her wording re changing the HR when , as you obviously know, all that is changed is the minimum
level to which the HR can fall.

Thanks for pointing out my possible misunderstanding.

Ian

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