Weird beats

Be still my heart :-)

by Gotrhythm - 2018-03-22 14:26:13

Everybody's different. After I got my pacemaker, for the first time in years, I couldn't feel my heart beating ( I loved it!) but lots of people notice their heart beat as never before.

PVCs are normal and probably everybody has them, but some people never notice them until they get a pacemaker.

The bottem line? Feeling your heart beat isn't really a sign of anything much.

Go by how you feel. If you feel good, don't worry about the occasional odd beat.

Gotrhythm is right, as usual

by bposter - 2018-03-22 14:50:13

I have always had a lot of beat awareness, since long before the pacemaker, but it's definitly increased since implant. It seems to me that the wires in your heart give your body a better sense of "where" the beating sensations originate, possibly bringing more aweness. That's purely speculation, but it's my current assumption.

Weird Beats

by RoseO - 2018-03-22 17:49:26

I had a Medtronic Micra implanted in my left ventricular Jan 29, 2018.  I am aware of beating several times a day.  It doesn't seem to matter what I am doing or time of day.  I am hoping that it just something that with time will become less noticable to me.  Happy healing.

Right after I got my pacemaker

by Theknotguy - 2018-03-23 12:51:10

Right after I got my pacemaker they set the voltage a little higher to make the heart adjust to the pacemaker.  Sometimes I was able to feel the "tickle" as the pacemaker started the beat followed by a real hard thump of the beat.  Sometimes it would wake me up at night.  

After a couple of months they reduced the voltage and I it is rare for me to feel my pacemaker.  I was sitting in the exam chair and the pacemaker tech said, "I'm going to reduce your voltage now."  He tapped a couple of points on the pacemaker read unit.  I never felt a thing and life went on as normal.  

Hope this helps. 

give it a year

by dwelch - 2018-03-29 02:41:56

it may take one or a few visits so months to a year to get dialed in.  It takes some time for your body to build scar tissue on the leads which can change the electrical properties.  the pacers are so much better now than my first one...so there is the settings side of it and that will take the first one or two visits.

Then there is the mental side of this, quite possible this was always going on but now that you have a heart problem that is to the point you need this device you are mentally extra aware of your heart, every little beat that doesnt feel right you are questioning, is this right? is this normal?  it is normal to be anxious when it does something different.  you might have rate response turned on for example so that when you stand up or move or something it kicks in a little extra rather than wait for your bodys built in pacer to tell the pacemaker hey lets speed up a little.

You are likely experiencing a combination, some worry combined with a new pacer and new paced rythm.  Just one "did I feel a beat" can cause anxiety that can then cause a rate increase, making more beats you can feel..

When anxious, take your pulse, if there is a beat there you are stil alive, whew...Take it for a full 60 seconds, dont short cut to 6 or 10 or 15 or whatever.  the pacer can make them shorter or longer for periods of time, measuring over a longer period of time like a minute will give a better average number.  know what your high and low limits are, if above or below, take it again for another minute.

When in doubt call the doctors office...

In my case with pacer number one ( I am on my fifth one now) I went from feeling all the beats to feeling none of them, it was very distrubing and an empty feeling inside.  Was constantly taking my pulse because I could swear my heart had stopped (which it obviously hadnt I wouldnt be aware enough to be afraid to then want to take my pulse).  the anxiety eventually passed, and I mentally and physically got in tune with what the pacer provided...you will to..