Chest Congestion and urge to cough- pacemaker or imagination?

I had a pacemaker implanted on April 30th and they had the original settings on 50-130 bpm with CLS medium. I was feeling a lot of "heart in my throat" feeling and some pressure in the chest when I would bend over like when folding the laundry. At checkup they set the CLS to very low. I was still having what I would describe as "chest congestion with an urge to cough" much like I was getting over a cold but I haven't been sick. Next check up they turned off CLS and set hysteresis 45 and a jump to 70 when my heart goes below 45. I still have occasional chest congestion and urge to cough feelings. Is this chest congestion feeling something I am supposed to get used to or is it a bad thing?

 

Update: On 7/11/19 I had a device check. During the time from the last visit, I felt the chest congestion and urge to cough sporadically. I knew it wasn't the CLS because they turned that off. I was told on the 11th that my device did NOT pace the entire time I was on those settings, meaning that the chest congestion/cough was NOT due to the pacing. While I was in the office, I had a mild sensation of the chest congestion feeling and the tech said that it showed up on the screen as a premature contraction. He said it was nothing to worry about. So now I know that the feeling is not due to pacing. They put me back on the previous setting of pacing between 50 and 130 bpm with very low CLS. I have a Biotronik pacemaker with a right ventricular lead, one lead only.

3 Comments

I had to look up CLS...

by Gotrhythm - 2019-06-28 15:41:19

...So clearly I don't know much about it.

But, for what it's worth, I was reminded of what I felt when I used to have a lot of Pre-Atrial Contractions, PAC's. There would be a sudden feeling like the air wasn't going into my chest properly--sort of like when there's a lot of congestion with a cold, but more like something in my throat or upper chest that was blocking the air--and then, not a tickle, but just an overwhelming urge to cough which would instantly relieve the feeling.

Just a thought.

 

Thankyou Gotrhythm!

by Hollyhocks - 2019-06-28 16:00:28

That's the most anyone's told me that comforts me. I was worried that I was getting cardiomyopathy.

Oesophageal Reflux

by Selwyn - 2019-06-28 16:26:09

Reflux needs to be excluded. All your symtoms may be explained by this condition.

Better have it looked into. 

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