Pacemaker

I have an Assurity MRI with two leads, right atrium, right ventricle. Pacemaker set at 80bpm. I get a heart rate of 80bpm when I first get up in the a:m but after a little activity it drops to the 50's and stays there even after doing yard work.

Does my pacemaker need to be readjusted?

2 Comments

Sounds backwards

by AgentX86 - 2019-07-15 15:59:51

How is your device programmed? How are you measuring your heart rate? Rate response? We need more information just to hazard a guess (and that's all it can be here, we're not your doctors).

How do you feel?

by Gotrhythm - 2019-07-16 16:10:21

As AgentX86 says, what you are reporting sounds backwards, but in and of themselves those heart rate numbers mean very little. Every setting is only a setting. What matters is how you feel. No matter what the numbers say, the first clue something is wrong is that you don't feel as well.

If you feel okay when the heart rate appears to fall to 50, my guess is something is wrong with how you are tracking your pulse. Electronic gadgets (watches, fitbits, pulse ox, etc) are notoriously unreliable for those of us with heart rhythm issues. Check your pulse manually.

If you don't feel good, something is definitely wrong. If your base rate is set at 80, then your heartrate should never go lower than 78, 79, 80. If your heartrate really is falling to 50 and staying there, I would expect you to be totally exhausted after 15 minutes of yard work. 

So, if you feel terrilble on exertion, and a manual check says a pulse of 50, it's definitly time to call your EP. But the truth is, if you feel terrilbe on exertion, no matter what your heartrate is, you still need to talk to the doctor.

 

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I have a well tuned pacer. I hardly know I have it. I am 76 year old, hike and camp alone in the desert. I have more energy than I have had in a long time. The only problem is my wife wants to have a knob installed so she can turn the pacer down.