Upset with upper limit of 130bpm

Hi all, 

i am 33, and 11 days ago had a Boston scientific dual chamber pacemaker fitted. Had a checkup today and told my lower limit is 60 and upper limit is 130bpm. My issue was bradycardia and complete heart block. I'm really upset that my upper limit has been set so low. I explained this to them and they said see how I get on and if three months down the line I am struggling with exercise then they can tweak it! 3 months is a long time for me! Gym is my life, I daily get my heart rate up to 180ish and am now worried this will be the end of fitness for me! Please can someone help me understand will this 130bpm upper limit affect my exercising? Thank you

4 Comments

It's a process.

by Hamsquatch - 2017-03-17 15:41:34

I completely understand your frustration, I had my ICD implant at 28 (31 now) my low rate is set to 40bpm and my high is 150bpm. From what I understand my heart rate can in fact go above 150bpm if my device detects exercise, I guess it can tell the difference between exercise and arrhythmia just at 150 it starts monitoring to make sure my electrical activity is normal. 

I dont know which country your in so don't know what your insurance situation is. 

If you are big into fitness in nutrition maybe try low intensity cardio and just keep your nutrition right. 

Its a process, I assume you will have the PM for the rest of your life so it's going to take some time to figure it out. We live in a immediate society, everyone wants it their way and they want it NOW. For some of us it's just not realistic. 

Upper limit of 130

by ellenmary - 2017-03-17 19:27:17

I am 5 weeks post-op and also have the generic 60/130 PM settings. I was also told to wait until I had it for 3 months and see how I feel doing my usual activity.  (I walk for exercise, garden, and play rock drums.) We all have different bodies and different levels of activity, and from what I gather from reading this forum, adjustments are frequently made.  Yes, it is a process.  I am being told to be patient, not my strongest attribute. But patience it is, since this little bit of technology is supposed to keep me healthy.  Just got up to 25 minutes on the treadmill, not long enough and still no incline. I am trying to hang in, you can too! Hopefully it will all work out for both of us!

Upper limit 130

by Jessbyrne - 2017-03-19 13:23:48

I've also had problems with getting back into running and the upper limit on pacemaker. After two months they've decided to give me a stress test with a view to raising rate.  Please see my post on the Exercise forum and TraceyE's great advice. 

 

Hope this helps 

Jess

Upper limit

by TBrous&Chip - 2017-04-03 18:54:02

Upper limit 130.  Too low.  When exercising and get 130 heart rate it is like hitting a brick wall.  Cardiologist agrees to raise upper limit to 150.  I am a 65 yr old with total heart blocked  with no other health issues and no weight issues.

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