Chest Pressure and Heart Racing

Hi!  I am new to the group.  Just got a pacemaker two weeks ago due to long pauses between heart beats and a low heart rate.  Today I went for a short walk and I was winded, dizzy, had chest pressure and felt like my heart was pounding through my chest.  I am a very active, fit 44 year old female and feeling a bit frustrated and uneasy about a slow walk causing such uncomfortable symptoms.  I ended up getting the pacemaker because of dizziness and chest pressure and now I am feeling the same symptoms again.  Any advice is appreciated.

 

 

3 Comments

Same boat

by TLee - 2021-02-08 21:37:34

I am approaching the 2 week mark, and I have had the same concerns & frustrations--that is how I found this forum, in fact. I am maybe a bit different, in that I am in & out of AFIB, and the pauses came as my heart tried to find its way back to normal rhythm. The pacemaker is for the pauses, not the AFIB, so I continue to have those symptoms. You don't say anything about AFIB, but I can tell you that my symptoms are very similar (dizziness, feeling of heart racing, shortness of breath), AND that they did seem worse after the pacemaker. I got lots of reassuring comments here, and I understand that symptoms can be aggravated by the procedure. It is a fairly minor operation, but your body is still bound to react. Also, I have not had any adjustments to the function of the pacemaker, and I'm betting you haven't either. I'm hoping that, as I get it more customized to my needs, things will improve. (I am re-phrasing things that I was recently told, so others may correct me if I'm wrong!). It is just great to know that I am not experiencing anything out of the ordinary, and that things should get better with time. I feel much calmer & more hopeful, and I really think you can too.  

Ditto

by Gardener58 - 2021-02-09 04:01:59

I have had a similar experience. 

Had pacemaker last Oct and before 6 wks pm check found I could hardly walk outside before getting v breathless, exhausted etc. This improved after pm adjustment to enable exercise. Had another adjustment at the end of December, which improved things again. Recently Afib has returned which has muddied the waters. 

I get the impression that it can take a while to get things settled after pm. Hope things improve for you soon. 

Thank you!

by Amy G. - 2021-02-09 16:32:59

Thank you for the feedback! I didn't even know that there were adjustments on the device. The only detail that was shared with me was that it was a Boston Scientific device set to 60 BPM. Maybe adjustments is something that is discussed at my follow up appointment? I don't seem to recover easily even when I am going minimal movement. I will make sure to ask my doctor about the device settings. Thank you. 

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Your anxiety is normal. It takes some of us a little time to adjust to the new friend. As much as they love you, family and friends without a device just cannot understand the adjustment we go through. That is why this site is so valuable.