10 to the hour

I had a PM fitted at the end of May for bradycardia and sinus pause. Since the PM has been fiited I have experienced my heart beating hard at ten to the hour a few hours during the day. It always happens at the same time and it feels as though my heart it beating very strong out of my chest (not any faster just stronger) and sometimes it feels like it misses a beat and makes me cough. It settles down after a few minutes and I have even asked my husband to feel my chest when it's happening to see if he notices the difference and he can feel it too. 

When I first went back to the department two weeks after my PM was fitted they told me that I was simply feeling when the PM was kicking in because I am young and that I would stop noticing it as time went on. However, I have felt it every single day since and I have even felt this happening straight after a work out and it's happening at ten to the hour every time so I'm not sure I agree with this?

I was wondering whether anyone else had experienced this at all or something similar? I have a follow up in a couple of weeks time but it would be good to know if anyone else has had the same problem or if anyone knows what it could be? The only other thing I could imagine it could be is the PM testing itself maybe

Thank-you!

Wickesy

3 Comments

Something your heart is doing, independent of pacemaker

by Gotrhythm - 2019-08-01 17:35:25

What you're describing is pretty typical of what I feel when I have PVCs.

Why you would have them at ten to the hour, I don't know. I do know that Holter monitor tests have shown i have many more PVCs than I am conscious of. Yours could be happening at other times too, but that's just when you feel them. But don't ask me why you would only feel them at ten of the hour. LOL.

I have noticed sometimes for a week or two or even a month, the PVCs will seem to happen at the same general time a day.

I can't know for sure of course, but I seriously doubt if the pacemaker is doing--or not doing--anything to bring on the sensations. I can't explain the time table but I know this: even with a pacemaker in place, our hearts are still capable of producing all kinds of odd-feeling beats from time to time.

Thank-you

by Wickes8 - 2019-08-06 06:32:55

Thank-you for your replu @Gotrhythm - this is really helpful.
I do feel like I must be experiencing PVCs after looking up details around these but I am unsure as to why I am experiencing them so frequently now as I had never experienced these before the PM. There is no common factor around the PVCs either. They happen very speradically. I shall ask them to interegate my device when I go to my next appt to see if they can see what's been happening
Thank-you again!

10 to the Hour

by IPGENG12 - 2019-08-07 21:10:15

At your next follow-up,  you may want to ask the cardiac nurse/doctor if the device you have does any self-diagnostics on capture thresholds at pre-programmed times during the day.  The device I have does lead impedence and threshold tests at least once/day,  but it can be programmed to do this more frequently.  The results of this self-testing gets communicated on the daily telemetry to the manufacturer (Biotronik).  Your device may have similar functionality and your symptoms may be from this self testing.

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I just want to share about the quality of life after my pacemaker, and hopefully increase awareness that lifestyles do not have to be drastically modified just because we are pacemaker recipients.