Pacemaker Adjustment

I had a pacemaker installed two years ago ( (St. Jude's Zephyr XL DR). I noticed a significant drop in energy afterwards rather than improved energy as the cardiologist had promised. Finally he made some adjustments last week -- after which my energy level dropped even further! Twice this week coming home from breakfast, I became extremely exhausted after walking only 10 to 12 blocks. I was also sweating profusely. Admittedly it's hot here, but no hotter than it's been for the past two to three months, and I was walking at a fairly leisurely pace. I went back to the cardiologist. He told me both my heart and pacemaker are fine and that what happened could not have been due to the adjustments. I find that hard to believe since the problem occurred within three days of the adjustments and had not been happening before. So now not only do I not have the energy I had before I received the pacemaker, I have less energy than I did a week ago. I don't know what adjustments he made, only that he told me they would make it easier to exercise (ha!) and would extend the life of the battery two to three more years. Can anyone give me guidance? The sudden bouts of exhaustion seem too coincidentally close to my cardiologist visit to be unrelated. Thank you.

3 Comments

Its Possible

by ljharper62 - 2017-10-06 20:20:49

Have you checked with your primary doctor as well? Although the timing is suspect the exhaustion could be caused by something else. 

I know for myself personally I tend to pigeon hole myself in the "heart" box or "diabetic" box and I tend to think everything that goes wrong with me is related to one or the other but that isn't always the case.

Don't Stop Trying

by Artist - 2017-10-08 00:06:51

I am skeptical when a doctor connects battery life with the changes in pacemaker settings. If your problems persist and no other things seem to be related to your low energy,  keep airing your complaints with your cardiologist.  Pace maker settings should be optimized so that you feel better and your heart functions better, without factoring in battery life. If you still don't get results from your cardiologist, consider getting a second opinion or having a stress test so that they can pin point how your heart is responding during exercise. 

Time for a second opinion

by Gotrhythm - 2017-10-08 16:48:37

I'm bothered that it took 2 years for the doc to change your settings if you weren't feeling good.

Like Artist, I'm also suspicious of "battery-saving." 

Here's the thing, lots of cardiologists and even some EP's, are doing their best but have little knowlege of the fine points of pacemaker programming. 90% or more of heart patients do okay with with "recipe" programming and it's certainly more efficient for the doctor, who can see more patients with less work. 

Depending on the cause of your malaise, reprogramming your pacemaker might not make you feel better, but it shouldn't make you feel worse. But I have to disagree with Artist on one point. Doctors are as likely as the rest of us to focus on one thing and be unable to see any other solution. If your cardiologist hasn't been able to help so far, there's no reason to think he will suddenly get a bright idea about how to treat you. Go somewhere else. 

From my experience I suggest a teaching hospital if there's one anywhere near you. They see more of the usual cases and will work harder to get to the bottom of your issues whether pacemaker related or not. They also have the resources to fine tune your pacemaker if that's what is needed.

When standard of care isn't cutting it, you have to advocate for yourself.

 

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