Newbie question: can you feel it when your PM kicks in?

Some people are more sensitive

by Theknotguy - 2018-04-25 22:42:39

Some people are more sensitive than others and can feel their pacemaker.  You may be one of the fortunate (or unfortunate) ones.  It just depends upon your body makeup.

I'm one of the people who can feel their afib.  The doctors aren't really sure if that is a benefit or not.  The good part is I can tell when I have a relative benign episode of afib.  Bad part is when I have to get IV's.  After a short time they really hurt.  Afib with RVR was really bad.  

Right after the pacemaker is implanted, they keep the voltage higher.  When they did that for me, I could occasionally feel the "tickle" of the pulse just before the "thump" of the heartbeat.  I think at three months they dropped the voltage to normal levels.  Was sitting in the chair when they did it.  No muss, no fuss, didn't feel a thing. 

Now, (four years later) I mostly don't feel the pacemaker unless something unusual happens.  I have two programs that run on my Medtronic pacemaker to help control afib and I can feel when they kick in.  I can also feel when the techs do the testing on my pacemaker especially the ventricle testing.

So while your condition is unusual, it does happen.  Like I said, I mostly don't feel my pacemaker unless something unusual happens.   

Hope everything else goes well for you.  

You may be a sensitive one

by Vmurph - 2018-04-26 10:47:18

You’ve only had it two weeks. So it could be that everything is new to you so you’re hyper-aware of everything. Or you could be sensitive to every flutter and beat. I have felt everything from day one and that hadn’t changed in the last eight years. 

When I pace daily, I feel it. PVC’s, if I’m tachy or have an abnormal rhythm whatever it is I’ve always felt it. And the doctors will joke and say you are the lucky or unlucky ones as previously stated. My aunt has never felt hers do a thing. My dad is getting a device on Tuesday it’ll be interesting to see if or what he feels.

It’s still new and your body is still healing. Give it some time for them to get your setting the way they want them and you should get to a point where it becomes second nature and you get used to it one way or the other. But this is does happen to some of us. 

Good luck! 

On the other hand...

by Gotrhythm - 2018-04-26 13:38:13

Although some (rare) people do feel their pacemaker kick in, it is unusual.

It's much more common for people to suddenly feel PVCs and PACs (palpitations) after getting a pacemaker. It can be hard to tell if they were there before and you only notice them now because you're paying more attention, or if you really do have more after you get a pacemaker.

In either case, palpitations are considered normal and harmless.

Mention what you're feeling when you have your pacemaker interrogation. The tech should be able to help you determine what you may be feeling.