PM Activity - More While Sick?

Has anyone noticed their pacemaker going off significantly more while sick?  I’ve had rather upset stomach this weekend, fatigue,  dizziness, etc. (maybe the flu?) and have noticed my pacemaker kicking on quite a bit more than usual.  Is that normal?  

I know most people can’t feel theirs “turning on” but I can most definitely feel mine and it’s adding to an already queasy feeling.

2 Comments

Stress

by Gotrhythm - 2019-05-21 15:02:16

Anytime the body is under stress, and infection certainly counts as a stressor, the heart has to work harder, so it would come as no surprise that one's pacemaker might pace more. In your case, your sinus node is fine, so when you have a fever or illness, your heartrate could be a little faster than normal, making your pacemaker have to pace the ventricle more just to keep up with the upper chambers.

That being said, do you know for a fact that what you are feeling is the pacemaker "kicking on?" I mean, have you watched an ECG and correlated what you feel with the appearance of the little pacer line?

Stress can also cause more PVC's and PACs. And while being able to feel the pacer working is pretty rare, PVCs are common and easy to feel. When I have an abundance of PVCs, it can definitely make me feel a little nauseated.

Hope you feel better soon.

You're not crazy....

by MathTeacher - 2019-08-22 22:14:42

I don't know about mine going "off" more often when I'm sick, but I definitely feel mine, at least once a day.

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker interferes with your electronic scale.

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I, too, am feeling tons better since my implant.