Medtronic- 3 "Taps" on my chest- Reoccuring

• by Joe4Pacematic
• 2018-08-27 19:29:53
• Complications
• 1170 views
• 1 comments

Anywhere from 1-50 times a day, I get a "tapping" sensation that happens on my chest. It occurs in the same place, just below (or at the very bottom) of my heart, and it always happens in pairs of 3 (is that correct grammar, "pair" if it occurs three times? lol).  It is a strong sensation, and almost feels as if someone were poking me with their pointer finger on my chest trying to get my attention. It is not painful by any means, but is concerning that something is happening and I do not know exactly what it is. 

There is no discernable pattern as to when it happens. Occurring while at rest, while exercising, sitting, etc. When asking my cardio thoracic surgeon, he thought they could possibly be PVC's but would need to monitor it during the instance to know exactly what it was. My insurance will not cover a temporary external heart monitor, so we cannot determine exactly what is causing the sensation from a pacing report. 

I have a Medtronic, dual chamber pacemaker. Because I am nearly 99.999% dependent (my heart rarely beats a single beat on it's own) we cannot really read the pacing printout, because I'm always pacing. I had a new tricuspid valve (porcine valve) installed at the same time as my pacemaker seven years ago. 

Has anyone else experienced this tapping? Sometimes if I breath all the way out so my lungs are completely empty, I can feel it happen then. My doctor didn't sound very concerned about it, but it's not his heart... haha- It's been happening more frequently recently, so I wonder if my diet, exercise, sleep, etc is affecting this... Any feedback, ideas, answers are greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone, happy pacing!