Pacemaker fitted 3 months ago - still getting feeling faint symptoms ?

What to do

by Good Dog - 2022-04-13 10:40:46

Well, it sounds as though even if your PM is working properly, the settings may not be optimized to remedy your problem. If the last doctor did not know what to do, then he should have referred you to someone that would. Frankly, I do not think you are going to get any satisfaction by going back to the same doctors that couldn't remedy your problems the first time around. I think that you need to search for a new doctor (EP) in a hospital system outside of the one where you have been seen. Remember that only half of the doctors out there finished in the top 50% of their class. At this point I think that if you have to drive a long way to find someone that can fix you, it will certainly be worth it. Thing is; even if the doctor cannot help you, they should at least investigate to the extent that they can determine what the problem is. That may take some time, but you just cannot accept; "I don't know what to do".

I wish I could be more helpful and I feel bad for you, but just don't give-up until you find the help that you need!

I wish you the very best!

Sincerely,

Dave

blood pressure?

by Tracey_E - 2022-04-13 11:26:29

Sometimes feeling faint can be a combination of heart pauses and drops in blood pressure. If that's the case, the pacer only fixes half of the problem. Diet and meds can help with the other half. A tilt test should be able to confirm if this is what's happening. 

What is your blood pressure?

by Gotrhythm - 2022-04-13 13:33:53

Do you have a home bp monitor? Check your bp when you are feeling faint.

As TraceyE says, pauses can cause a drop in bp, but it can also happen for other reasons. Most electronic bp monitors will also give you a read out of your heart rate. You can easily see if your heart rate is what it should be (i.e. if the pacemaker is eliminating pauses) at the same time you get a bp reading.

If you don't have a home monitor,you can easily get one at most drug stores and online for under $100--sometimes much less. I prefer the convenience of the wrist model, made by Omron It has a blue light to let you know when it is positioned properly. But there are a lot of choices out there.

Just so you know: "your pacemaker is working fine" only means that your pacemaker is working as it is programmed to. It doesn't mean your pacemaker is programmed in a way that is ideal for you. 

Feeling faint.

by Selwyn - 2022-04-13 17:27:51

Octavia, so sorry to hear that you are still not feeling well and you are not getting anywhere with the professionals. 

In the UK, you are entitled to a second opinion on the NHS. It really is not good enough for a doctor to say they are not sure as to what to do, as Gooddog also says. You need to find a GP that is more dynamic! There is always someone to turn to in general practice, even if it takes time.

There are numerous causes  for feeling faint, most are not concerned with your heart. Whilst  a cardiologist may know some general  medicine, perhaps you would be better off  talking  to a more general physician or experienced general practitioner? 

Clearly, no one has complete medical knowledge... that is why we have specialists.  I would be tempted to go back to your general practice and either find another doctor in the practice or discuss a suitable referral from the 'Don't know doctor'.

The health care system in the USA functions in a different way to the UK system, so the  advice given  is not necessarily transferable.  In the UK we also have tertiary centres of excellence for cardiology, where other cardiologists can refer you to. I have been referred twice to different tertiary centres of  excellence, where people know more and more about less and less. 

I hope this helps you before spending any money for something that you may not require.