BPM paced

Mine is lower

by BetsyQ - 2016-12-17 02:51:20

My low setting is 50 and they never tell me the high number.  The answer I always get when I ask is the pacemaker doesn't regulate how fast my heart beats, it just keeps it beating when it gets too low.  Which doesn't make sense to me when I read on this forum about people having it set on the high end.  So...I'm probably of no help to you.  Even having it set at 50 for the low number, I still wake a lot at night and I don't know why.

Good luck on finding some answers, I find this group to be much Moreno helpful than my EP.

Betsy

I agree

by Cajun Girl - 2016-12-17 02:54:54

I agree with you that the group is very helpful.  I've learned a lot reading here.

That's why I ask so many questions.  My current EP doesn't seem to know how to answer my questions.

TY for responding.  I hope more members will.

Cajun Girl

by IAN MC - 2016-12-17 05:50:32

I see from your Bio that you are  a retired nurse so you will have a clear understanding of the natural variation in people's resting heart-rates . Forgetting your PM , you will know that some people function normally on a  resting heart rate of 50 bpm or below ,others have HR's anything up to 100bpm  and it is normal for them !

If someone had a normal resting heart rate of 95 bpm , then developed bradycardia and were given a PM set at 60 bpm they would feel more tired than usual ( not enough oxygen being pumped around the body ) !!

What was your normal resting heart-rate before you had your pacemaker  ?  They probably asked you this when you had your initial settings done.

Mine, all my life  was 55 bpm but they set my PM base rate at 50 bpm . I did feel slightly more tired than usual and asked for it to  be raised to 55 bpm. I was surprised at what a difference such a small change made to the way I felt.

The lower the setting , the less the battery is used and sometimes they err on the side of having too low a setting to conserve battery life.  How you feel is far more important !

If I were you I would  persuade them to make some minor changes either way and see how you feel.

Ian

TY Ian

by Cajun Girl - 2016-12-17 11:16:21

To be honest, I never had a reason to check my resting heart rate.  I am going to go back and see some of my MD office reports, or maybe I have my sleep study report and can find that information.

Thank you!

Maximum PM setting

by BillH - 2016-12-17 13:10:33

Where are many different reason that PM are used and different modes that they can be set in.

Some people have sinus node that is slow and/or pauses. But they speed up as needed under exercise. In this case only on a minimum setting is used.

In other case the sinus node does not increase under exercise. Thus rate response is needed. Among other setting there isone the maximum HR can be caused by rate response. However, if the sinus node does kick in then it can go higher.

Another condition is that there is a heart block where the trigger from the sinus node does not get through the AV node to trigger the ventricles. In that case the the sinus node is monitored and the PM tracks this and triggers the ventricles. In that case there is a maximum tracking rate.

heart rate

by Gotrhythm - 2016-12-17 18:28:57

All my life before the onset of SSS, my resting HR was 72. For a long time my PM was set at a base rate of 65.  After a good bit of negotiating ( and support from this group) I got my EP to agree to 70.

The improvement in how I felt was almost as miraculous as getting the PM in the first place. And it was instantaneous. I didn't notice any difference in sleeping, but feeling awake, alert, and up to speed is much better.It's hard to explain how but things like driving, conversing, watching movies, especially funny ones, are easier and more enjoyable.

As a slightly humorous aside, until I became accustomed to the heart rate of 70, I would find myself zipping along at 45 and 50 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. I had to relearn to accurately estimate what speed I was traveling.

As for having EPs answer questions [eye roll] I see no reason he/she wouldn't be able to tell you what your upper setting is and why. The good news is that someone here can help you interpret all the technical stuff. 

Increased to 70

by Cajun Girl - 2016-12-17 21:16:55

Thank you so much for your response.  I do believe that being set at 60 and my life seeming to running constantly at 60 is a major part of feeling so tired.

I will need to see what the test show Monday and his response on Wednesday.

Setting

by JDOC - 2016-12-17 21:59:57

My original setting was at 60bpm.  It was going over several thousand times a day.  I had the Dr. move it down to 50 and then 40bpm ( the lowest they will allow).  It now goes off less than 1% of the time, too small to measure.  It also added life to the battery.  I think it's worth asking about.

Increase

by Diane C - 2016-12-19 14:46:05

My low rate has recently been increased from 60 to 65 to help with tiredness - it has made a difference! 

Good luck