Pacemaker Club: Resting heart rate much higher than normal

Resting heart rate much higher than normal

by michelejj
2018-08-17 11:46:39
Complications
1081 views
2 comments

I had my implant 7/19 and then had a lead reposition on 7/20. My original issue was bradycardia. I know from my recent check up that my paced rate is 75, so I shouldn't dip too far below that for very long. Until recently, my heart was staying at 75 when I was at work or just sitting, but the last few days my resting rate hasn't gotten below 85 and is often over 100. There is a lot going on in my life right now (both good and bad), so I realize stress could be part of it. But, I'm definitely not used to my heart rate being that high! I'm still in my 6 weeks post-surgery and am wondering if my lead moved again.

2 Comments

High heart rate

by AgentX86 - 2018-08-18 11:45:12

Is your EP aware of this? Have you had an EKG with your resting heart rate this high? I'd be concerned about atrial flutter. This is exactly how mine presented itself (RHR of 80-100), though it's unusual that the heart rate is this low when in AFL. All of us in this group are, by definition, unusual. Get it checked ASAP.

pacing

by Tracey_E - 2018-08-19 13:06:10

Do you have av block? If yes, then your atria was always going faster but the signal wasn't getting through to the ventricles so your pulse was artificially low. Now the pacer is stepping in every time the atria beats and making sure the ventricles beat too so the heart stays in sync and your pulse is where it should be. It's not uncommon to have a faster rate for a while until the heart gets used to being in sync. It feels fast at first! After a while, it just feels normal. My rate was 40's then 30's, then in the 20's the day I got the pacer. After I was paced, it never went under 80 for months, felt like I'd been mainlining coffee.

They don't generally worry about it as long as it's under 100. If you spend a lot of time over that, they can prescribe meds to keep it down. When they interrogate the pacer, they can tell how much time you are spending with a high rate because it's all recorded. Do you have a home monitor? If so, send a download then call and tell them you did it so they know to look. Otherwise, give them a call to see if they want you to come in. When the same thing happened to me, my doc was not at all concerned and it eventually leveled out.

Stress will throw you off, for sure. You might want to limit caffeine and be sure to stay hydrated. Do you take magnesium? If not, ask your doctor about it. Most of us don't get enough.