Cycling

I have decided to take up a bit of biking since where I live there are a lot of trails.  This evening they had been working on a part of the trail and it was incredibly bumpy. Little jerky bumps.  All of a sudden I felt like I was having a heart attack as I felt pulling inside my heart..  could it be that the bumps were creating pulling on the wires? In the end it felt that way as it stopped when the path smoothed out.

2 Comments

Bumps

by piglet22 - 2024-06-12 07:59:58

I suppose it is possible that high localised acceleration could tug on your leads and I would wonder about the wisdom of such bumpy trail riding.

Is it really worth the risk?

Your device may well have an accelerometer embedded that will react to movement.

I would get it checked and ask about suitable activities.

The leads can have tines fitted to keep them in place.

Here is a useful illustration

https://www.howtopace.com/basics-of-pacing-leads/

Bumpy roads and palpitations.

by Selwyn - 2024-06-12 10:03:38

All pacemaker leads have some extra length so as to allow arm movement  etc. Your leads, given the cycling position of arms, would not be pulling to be tight on cycling ( You should try swimming front crawl/freestyle!) .

It is almost certain that unless you were having an arrhythmia induced by the exercise, you pacemaker's accelerometer was stimulated by the frequency and amplitude of the bumps. You can have the sensitivities and onset altered to avoid this.  See what your upper rate limit (URL) is set to - the pacemaker with pace you up to the URL if the accelerometer continues to be activated. You may wish to have this lowered given your symptoms. 

I think I would want to talk someone  to make sure that I was not having an arrhythmia whilst cycling. I wonder whether your pacemaker electrophysiologist could interrogate your device to see whether you did have an arrhythmia, or if necessary have some monitoring.

You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

Member Quotes

Try to concentrate on how you’re able to be active again and feel normal, rather than on having a machine stuck in your body.