Am I about to be Paced?

Alcohol and caffeine

by AgentX86 - 2021-01-18 14:52:58

At this point, you're probably doing the best that you can do.  There is argument whether either alcohol or caffeine has anything to do with chronic arrhythmias, though these can cause acute problems.  Alcohol will dehydrate one and will cause arrhythimia.

Skips of one second aren't any sort of a problem.  That's  single beat (at 60bpm) and a classical symptom of a PVC (premature ventricular contraction).  Everyone has these, some more often than others.  It is unlikey these will cause any problem at all.  It could be something else, of course.  I don't know what a skip of .1second means.  That's 1/10th of a heartbeat.  How does one tell?

First degree heart block means that it's intermittent.  It's not considered reason for a PM, yet, may be on the way.  How long was the pause?  Pauses tend to mean that you're on your way to a pacemaker but i'ts not inevitble. A pause of >4 or 5sec means that you're there.

skips

by cookiehead333 - 2021-01-18 15:19:21

Hi AC.  I am still new to all the terms and lingo so forgive me.  The .1 skip feels a quick pause. I dont have proof but only what it feeels like.  The sinus pause was confimed on the telemetry.  Not very scientific, but when I put my fingers on my neck vein, occasionally its missing a beat-I feel nothing for a full second.  

1 second pauses 12 hours(intermittantly) in duration is not serious?  Did many of you start with short pauses?

Wow a pause >4 sec would be terrifying!

timing

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-18 16:20:33

No one can predict the future, and it's true that some electrical conditions progress, but you are nowhere near needing a pacer at this point. One second pause and 1st degree block will merely be watched. The pauses have to be a lot longer and the block a lot more prominent before they will talk pacer. 

And if the day comes they say you need it, I promise it's not half as bad as it sounds. Most of us find the surgery easier than expected and once we heal, we forget it's there. It's not a death sentence or the end of life as we know it, it's just a little computer to make sure our heart doesn't pause or go to slow. 

Timing heart beats and other things

by Gotrhythm - 2021-01-18 16:24:16

If you're just getting used to this whole heart rhythm thing, then I'd advise you to learn about PVCs, Premature Ventricular Contractions. Sometimes when people feel a PVC a "missed beat." That's inaccurate. Technically, the beat wasn't "missed" at all. It just happened a little bit before it was supposed to. You know that there's normally a space between beats. After a PVC and before the next beat, there's normally just a little bigger space.

PVCs are so common, so often found in people with no heart problems at all, that they're considered normal. Pretty much everyone has them. And yes, they are easily felt pulse points.

Take AgentX's word. I do. He knows a lot about this stuff. If he says a tenth of a second pause isn't a lot, it isn't. A pacemaker was recommened for me when I began to have 4-6 second pauses during sleep.

I don't know about drinking alcohol, but too much caffiene will give me PVCs.

Should you keep an eye on what's going on? Sure. It's never too soon to start caring about the health of your heart, but I think you'll need a lot more information before it will be time to freak out.

BTW

by Gotrhythm - 2021-01-18 16:27:02

BTW, any question about pacemakers, whether you actually have one or not, is legitimate in this group. You came to the right place.

Missed beats

by AgentX86 - 2021-01-18 17:02:56

If all you feel is a single missed beat, there is nothing to worry about.  My EP (electrophysiologist) wasn't worried when I was having three second asystoles (no electrical activity at all) and didn't start becoming concerned until they went to five seconds.  One night it was eight seconds and I got a call from the monitoring company to get to the ER.  Some here have had as much as thirty seconds (gasp!).  The heart depends on essentially chaos to restart.  The longer the pause the higher probablility that it won't restart at all (sudden coronary death).  As Gotrhythm says, the crossing point to when a PM is needed is in the 4-5 second range.  Less than that, they'll just watch it, unless you have other symptoms, like (near) syncope.  One episode is more than acceptable.

As I said, at one second it's just a skipped beat, not a "sinus pause" at all.  As noted, skipped beats are usually PVCs which aren't skipped at all and are almost always (how about them 'a's ;-) benign. 

education

by cookiehead333 - 2021-01-18 17:19:49

You people are so brave.  I find your experiences nightmarish.  Thanks for the education and comfort.  I will read up on pvcs.  Since I cant moderate my alcohol, I am just going to quit.  

nightmarish??

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-18 18:10:31

Not. Even. Close. Go look in the gallery and do a search for my name. I am healthy and active and make a point of posting a lot of active/fun pictures to balance out all of the hospital pictures. Does my life look like a nightmare?? I have an itty bitty scar. I have check up/tests one day a year. The rest of the time I lead a full, happy life. No one even knows I have it unless I choose to tell them, it's not like it's tattooed across my forehead. Nothing about my experience has been a nightmare. Just the opposite,  I feel blessed to have a problem with a fix.

That level of negativity doesn't do you-  or anyone reading it who is living it- any good. Don't let your brain go down that path. 

Tracey

by cookiehead333 - 2021-01-18 23:29:14

I wasnt referring to your lifestyle at all.  Its mostly the stories leading upto the implantation, like the 4-8 second pauses some on this forum has experienced. Thats scary to me.  But sorry about the misunderstanding.

ah ok

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-19 10:33:52

Well, that's better. ;o) Apologies for the misunderstanding. However, I still wouldn't describe anything about the average person's experience as nightmarish. Of course there are exceptions, yes it's a blow and takes some time to accept, yes some days will be challenging, but most of us don't look back on it as more than a bump in the road. 

It's easy to get a skewed image when reading the posts here. Complications happen less than 1% of the time. Some of that 1% comes here for answers, the other 99%+ never has a reason to seek out a site like this. So that small percentage starts to look average. 

Scary? Not so much

by Gotrhythm - 2021-01-19 17:09:49

Actually, my 4-6 second pauses weren't scary at all. They happened while I was asleep, so I didn't know about them until they were picked up by a Holter Monitor test. All I knew was that I woke up so tired it was like I never went to bed, no matter how many hours I slept. Truthfully, I think I was in a bit of denial, and didn't want to believe I really needed a pacemaker even after I was told about the pauses.

You've come to the decision that you need to stop all alcohol. I have several friends who for realised that they just shouldn't drink, and that it just made since to stop altogether. Since you know that alcohol seems to be bad for your heart, you are taking charge of taking care of yourself. Congratulations.

I've known several people who just stopped drinking. No meetings, no nothing. Others have found AA, or other support groups helpful. Thre's more than one option. I urge you to get all the help you need.

Heart Arrhythmia

by TRASH ARTIST - 2021-01-24 17:04:14

 There are several different conditions where a pacemaker may be recommended, In my case it was Bradacardia which is a very low heartbeat. My heartrate got down to 30bpm, so there was no question that I needed  immediate surgery to save my life. 

But one thing to keep in mind. Many heart irregularities, including arrhythmia can be treated with medication. Before you come to any conclusion, take every test that is available and then you along with a good doctor can make an informed decision.