my dad diagnosed with bradycardia last week

Hello,

Recently my dad has been diagnosed with bradycardia and is advised to get a pacemaker implanted. he is 56 yrs old and had no heart condition before. But since last month he started feeling a little discomfort in the chest region. As now he is diagnosed with bradycardia, he will have to go under operation and it sounds scary. Though I checked online about the symptoms of bradycardia my dad has none of them except discomfort in the chest and low heartbeat of 40bpm. sometimes he is not able to sleep at night due to discomfort at nights in the chest region and little pain in left side of the body like hands n sometimes leg. Will he be able to ride bikes? as he loves riding his bike.

pls advise, I am really scared for my dad.

3 Comments

Bradycardia

by IAN MC - 2017-08-21 13:26:27

Hello Sinha : I can understand that you are concerned about your dad but there is no need to be " really scared ".

First of all , your dad DEFINITELY  has bradycardia because he has a resting heartrate of only 40 bpm. By definition that is bradycardia. A small number of ( usually very athletic  ) people lead normal lives with such a low heart rate but your dad seems to be experiencing chest discomfort which can be one of the symptoms of bradycardia. If left untreated he may develop other symptoms.

Bradycardia is always a secondary problem caused by something else . The " something else " could be many different things e.g.  drugs such as beta blockers, an underactive thyroid or very commonly electrical problems of the heart where the electrical signals to make your dad's heart beat are either slowed down or  blocked.

If things like thyroid problems have been discounrted then the ONLY  treatment for bradycardia is a pacemaker. There aren't any drugs which will reliably raise heart rate.

Having a pacemaker implant is not a major operation. It is  a relatively minor procedure. Mine took under an hour, was done under a local anaesthetic and I returned home the same day.  I no longer have symptoms of bradycardia.

Your dad will be fine

Ian

Bradycardia

by TAC - 2017-08-21 13:29:04

Bradycardia is when the heartbeats go below 60 beats per minute. Some young and very fit athletes can have bradycardia without any ill effects and need no treatment. I know that 56 is still young but your father has many symptoms. First, he will need a very comprehensive medical investigation to find the reason for his slow pulse. If the cardiologist recommends a pacemaker, is because the problem is related with the electric system of the heart and it will benefit from a pacemaker. The "surgery" to implant the pacemaker is a very minor surgery, usually the patient goes home after an overnight stay in the hospital. The benefits from the pacemaker will be felt immediately. In about a couple of months he will be able to return to his usual physical activities. The pain is usually minimal and the only rest he will need, will be for his left arm, which he won't be able to use 100% for 6 to 8 weeks. If the PM is all he needs to get better, he should be considered very fortunate.

thank u

by sinha - 2017-08-22 11:42:12

thank u for explaining things to me. Now my dad is under various tests and doctor has advised him to go for a pacemaker. The operation is speculated to be done in this week after having all the tests like blood test, x-ray, ECG, echo. The word pacemaker sounds scary as nobody in our family has it.

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