Pacemaker

No not normal but quite common among arrhythmia sufferers

by Gemita - 2022-03-18 06:18:25

PWR, welcome.  Although some of us may experience near faints (pre-syncope) with our pacemakers, it is certainly not normal or something to be ignored.  If you haven't already done so I would speak to your doctors about this and keep a diary of the date/time when it happens and what you were doing at the time, so that your doctors can check this information against your pacemaker downloads to correlate with any rhythm disturbances.

Your doctors may arrange some longer term monitoring to look for any irregular rhythms to see whether these need treating.  They may also monitor your blood pressure for 24 hours to see whether sudden blood pressure falls are occurring to cause your symptoms.  Additionally they may look at your pacemaker settings to see whether these need adjusting.

Pre-syncope/syncope can occur even in those without pacemakers/electrical disturbances and can be triggered by so many different things, from electrolyte disturbances to stress, dehydration, medication, to more serious health conditions which is why you need to speak to your doctors to get some checks.  Focusing on my breathing and keeping well hydrated (tepid water) helps with any pre-syncope episodes that I get.  I hope your symptoms pass quickly 

Pacemaker

by PWR - 2022-03-18 08:41:10

Thanks for your reply/comments Gemita I'm one of those people who doesn't open up and talk about things like I should, suffer in silence so not to worry family, finding this forum is a bit of a life line.

Still to much to look forward to in life to keep continuing to worry about what might happen, going to be a first time grandfather later in the year and very much looking forward to it I've taken on your advise and booked an appointment with my doctor.

Excellent news

by Gemita - 2022-03-18 17:52:52

Please pop in any time you want and share any concerns with us.  You need to stay well for the new one later in the year.  Hubby and I have 6 grandchildren and one great grandchild.  They keep us busy and poor but we would be lost without them

Normal?

by Gotrhythm - 2022-03-19 14:00:41

I'm guessing but what I think you want to know is, Are occasional near-syncope spells just part of having a pacemaker and something I should learn to live with?

The answer is no. Syncopal and near-syncopal episodes may be common but they are not normal under any circumstances. The anxiety they cause you is your intuition telling you something isn't as it should be. 

You might be wondering if something has gone wrong with your pacemaker that is causing the spells.

Again the answer is no. Pacemakers rarely malfunction and there are many safeguards in place to make sure they are working properly. The truth is pacemakers are incredibly reliable, and practically indestructable.  However, they can only do what they are programmed to do. It's possible your pacemaker still needs some adjustment to better deal with your particular kind of heart block.

The takeaway? Listen to your intuition. It's saying you need to tell you doctor what's going on and get some help to deal with these spells.

Near-syncope has many, many possible causes, some that relate to your heartblock, but many that don't. The answer might be easy, but it might take a number of tests, and some trial and error.

Be prepared to be patient with your medical people, and hang in there until you get a handle on this thing. As you say, you still have a lot to live for. It's not time to give up and accept a sort of half-life, never knowing when you might do a face-plant.

Pacemaker

by PWR - 2022-03-20 07:05:37

Thanks for your advice Gotrhythm, the face plant comment made me laugh I had one of those incidents just before my pacemaker was fitted it hurts.