pacemaker

not the pacer

by Tracey_E - 2023-04-23 17:20:16

I would definitely get in with your cardiologist, but don't know that it's necessarily the pacer. If that's happening on exertion because your rate is not going up, it can be fixed with settings. If it's happening other times, they can do an echo to see if your heart function has changed. You also might want to see your GP, it's easy to blame everything on the pacer but many things can make us tired. 

Pacemaker?

by AgentX86 - 2023-04-23 19:06:26

Maybe but it's going to take a lot more from your cardiologist than a phone call and a brush-off. Your symptoms sound, to me  (NOT a doctor) like it could be heart related but not necessarily your PM. It's time for more investigation by your cardiologist. Don't tell him what it is (i.e. pacemaker) rather your symptoms. The "heavy legs" and brain fog should get his attention. If not, find another. If you are retaining fluid (ankles swelling) you need to be seen sooner rather than later.

pacemaker?

by new to pace.... - 2023-04-23 19:16:32

Like the others have said. Plus are you moving around as best that you can?  Drinking enough water. 

Could it be a side effect from any of your medications.  And at least for me certain foods cause some of those reactions.  You might keep a food journal , write down everything you eat including salt, herbs, spices.  And see if your problems happen after you eat certain foods.  Or even after your medications.

new to pace

my health problems the one doctor and us think related to my pacemaker

by redhills - 2023-04-23 21:31:11

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLIES AND I AM TRYING TO SEE WHAT MY HEART DOCTOR RECOMMENDS AND IF CAN'T HELP ME , I WILL HAVE TO FIND ONE THAT CAN.

It matters what you call it.

by Gotrhythm - 2023-04-24 13:19:18

The symptoms you mention are not "side effects" of pacemakers, any more than your house being too chilly in the winter is a "side effect" of a heating system. 

I'm not a doctor, but symptoms like yours are pretty typical indications that the heart isn't beating fast enough or strong enough to support exertion. Most of us here have pacemakers because our hearts don't beat fast enough. The pacemaker is like your furnace thermostat. When the temp in the house gets too low, the thermostat clicks the furnace on. When our heartbeat gets too slow, the pacemaker nudges the heart to beat faster.

Why am I going on and on about this? Because if you say your symptoms are a side effect of the pacemaker, I can just hear the tech reassuring you that, "Your pacemaker is fine." 

Again, I'm not a doctor and I can't say what's going on with you, but lots of times when their pacemaker isn't set to a fast enough pulse rate (base rate) or to speed up enough when you move more (response rate) patients have symptoms like yours.

LIke setting the themostat in your house, there isn't a right pacemaker setting. There's only the setting that's comfortable for you.

Tired heavy legs, brain fog/ confusion

by Penguin - 2023-04-24 18:14:38

I had both of these symptoms pre-pacemaker - the first when exercising - my legs felt like lead and tired very quickly. (I was in my mid forties, no other health conditions) and the second confusion when my heart rate slowed a great deal at night and I woke up feeling confused.

I agree with Tracey-E that if it is exercise related you could ask your cardiologist for exercise testing (heart monitor with pacemaker linked up whilst you walk on a treadmill) and see if they can provoke the heavy / tired legs for you whilst looking at how the PM performs. 

Are the symptoms the same as symptoms that you had pre-PM?  That's usually a warning sign. 

Good luck with your doctor.

Health changes over 2 years.

by Selwyn - 2023-04-24 18:39:01

Let's cut to basics.

If your condition is worsening over 2 years and your pacemaker settings are constant, then it is not your pacemaker that is the problem.  You have something else going on.  Perhaps, altering the pacemaker settings will help - help what? There is no point in beating a dead horse. 

I would suggest you need medical thought of a more general nature than that offered by a pacemaker expert. Experts can more easily say what is NOT the cause of your symptoms than what IS the cause of your symptoms. 

Drug Interactions

by Penguin - 2023-04-25 03:43:49

Selwyn has a point that experts are often better at ruling things out than pinpointing the problem.  

If you're looking to rule out causes and you've had advice / prescriptions / treatment from a range of specialists might it be worth going through the PIL for each drug you have been prescribed. You can put them into a drug interaction checker such as the one on the www.RxISK.org website.  Whilst an individual drug may not cause your symptoms in isolation (and you would need to rule this out too), certain drug combinations can have effects that are difficult to spot particularly if you have a range of prescribers who are only looking at the effect of their own prescription. 

Probably a long shot but if you've tried everything else....