Palpitations

I received my Pacemaker in February of 2015 due to having vasovagal syncope.  I've had no significant issues since then, but a month or so ago, I started having heart palpitations everyday.  I had an EKG and also the Nurse Practitioner transmitted from my pm and said no afib was detected.  I wore a holster monitor for 48 hours and just returned it today.  I don't have the results of that yet, but the palpitations are making me very nervous.  Anyone else experience this and what is a good solution?

4 Comments

Palpitations

by cath19 - 2017-06-27 08:33:34

Hi I had my first pacemaker in 1991 now on number 6 .. I suffer from vasovagal syncope and sick synus syndrome .. even though I have the  pacemaker I can still get all the syptoms such as palpitations, my heart surgeon did say for some reason woman are more symptomatic if they have done checks to make sure pacemaker is controlling things well then try not to worry, whilst it is unpleasant there is not much to be done about it, I used to think that I would be like the bionic woman when I first got mine however though it improves quality of life which I am grateful for , it is not a complete cure it is a type of management system and even that has limits, hope it eases a bit for you

Palpitations happen

by Gotrhythm - 2017-06-28 13:49:46

I'd be willing to bet that at least 50% of the Pacemaker Club membership experience palpitations. The fact that we are sitting at our computers answering your post should be proof that it's possible to live and continue to function despite them.

Robin's advice is excellant. Remain as calm as you can until they go away. Panicking, fighting, resisting, will only make them worse and longer lasting. Being scared palpitations might come on practically guarantees that they will.

There is good news in all this. People are often scared by palpitations, fearing the thumps and bumps mean the heart is about to stop. You however don't have to worry. You have an insurance policy called a pacemaker. If worse comes to worst and your heart pauses too long, the pacemaker will kick in and keep your heart going.

Remembering that the worst ISN'T going to happen should make Robin's advice to "relax and let whatever is going to happen, happen" easier to follow.

 

Similar

by Sarbear - 2017-06-30 11:54:39

Hello,

I am paced for a similar issue and have felt what I thought were palpitations pretty regularly since.  In my case what I thought was palpitations ended up being the pacemaker kicking in, but the feeling made me feel woozy which made the pacemaker kick in and it became a neverending cycle. In your case it may be entirely different, but knowing it wasn't something harmful was half the battle for me.  Relaxing and breathing has been the most helpful thing for me.  

Thanks for the Comments!

by Nbleisey@gmail.com - 2017-06-30 18:43:05

I appreciate your reassurances!  They have helped a lot.  

 

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