Uneventful - feeling disappointed

Had my long awaited interrogation today. Medtronic Tech tested the device and said it’s working perfectly .

i have 2 lead device and an AV block - she said 2:1 so I am told ?????? 

paced 100% . Set at 60 and 170.

i came with hopes there is some magic setting that would help my heart rate go higher when I am active.

right now in the most intense activity my rate is like 115 -120 max and I feel washed out . 

I brought all that up - has some specific data I had collected and had the same type of data from last Summer pre pacemaker - a dramatic difference .

the Tech and doctor said there is no adjustment that would help me .  They said a setting called Rate Response would be of no benefit. 

Thought I was on to something ......guess not . 

4 Comments

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by WazzA - 2019-12-11 19:10:24

I guess your EP & Dr know their stuff.

My own EP changed mine from 60bpm up to 65bpm and  was able to switch on a setting ( DDIR) which has helped me after I said I was still feeling breathless, Here's a linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-lMhDQTq7w  which might help explain it & other settings. I am paced at 84% upper lead & 0% in the lower lead. 

I guess it must be your condition which has determined that they cannot help.

Maybe so

by Pacer2019 - 2019-12-11 21:09:14

I’m just trying to figure out why pre pacemaker my heart would get up near max when excreted now it won’t get over 125 when exerting - maybe there is some other issue unrelated to heart electrical system - 

 

Disappointed

by Gemita - 2019-12-11 21:37:05

Dear Pacer2019,

I am disappointed for you. I know what it is to go to an appointment all geared up and then come away with less than we expected. I had hoped for better news, but all is still not lost. This is just another stage on your long journey back to health.  Just go easy on yourself for a while and build your strength gradually.  I am sure you can still enjoy an active life - albeit at a slower pace.

But we must try to remember that a pacemaker can never be a "complete" fix since whatever caused our hearts to fail in the first place cannot always be reversed.  A pacemaker therefore can only ever be a support.  I feel too many of us expect our pacemakers to perform miracles (me included) and no doubt one day there will be a pacemaker and program uniquely suited to each one of us but I think we are still some way off to finding our perfect match.

From the tone of your post it would appear that your doctors may have failed to fully explain your condition at the time of diagnosis and what a pacemaker can and cannot do. I know precious little about an AV 2:1 block but I have been told that elevated blood pressure and blood glucose levels can cause conduction diseases like AV blocks.  Of course reversing fully any damage from other conditions may not be possible but anything we can do to control them (if present) will help.

So Pacer2019, don't give up the fight to find the best solution for you

Thanks

by Pacer2019 - 2019-12-11 22:15:39

I really appreciate you taking the time to post and encourage me .  Today during the test they briefly cut my pacemaker off - my heart rate dropped to 40 and I felt like absolute garbage -  as I think about it I understand how much worse it could be without it . 

You know you're wired when...

You have a T-shirt that reads “Wired4Sound”.

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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.