Check up

It's been a little over a year since having to have as an emergency a Boston Scientific pacemaker . No prior issues I am 67 yrs with an active lifestyle. I am scheduled for a Echocardiagram as a routine check up in September. I had frozen shoulder for many months and physical therapy has helped. Suffered from anxiety in results of all this , now that's 90percent behind me. I was put on 25 mg of Metropol 6 months ago . I walk daily and stay active most of the day. Wandering what questions I need to ask on my next check up , besides asking about exactly why I am on Metropol and how my EKG looks. What do you all ask? I still feel weakness under armpit not sure if lifting weights would help me regain strengh or hurt me.

2 Comments

Check up

by Gemita - 2024-07-21 11:26:47

Laurette, it is lovely to hear from you again and to know that you are almost fully recovered.  Frozen shoulder or shoulder problems are nasty and I am pleased you have had some relief from your symptoms by having physiotherapy.  May your recovery continue.

What questions to ask and why the Metoprolol?  Metoprolol could be for high heart rates or high blood pressure.  As you know it is a beta blocker and can calm anxiety, palpitations, treat angina and heart failure.  It can be quite useful initially after an implant to take a beta blocker while our hearts get used to pacing. For example, I had tachycardia for several months intermittently after implant and my beta blocker certainly helped.  As long as it is a low dose and is keeping your heart rhythm and rate steady, it will be doing its job.  However if your heart is quiet and you do not have any irregular heart beats, high blood pressure, high heart rates, or any other reason to need a beta blocker, that could be your first question to your cardiologist/EP:

.  Do I need to continue with my beta blocker and if so, why?

.  Think about any symptoms that you are getting, describe these and ask your doctor whether your pacemaker records have confirmed any events (high heart rates for example), occurring during your symptomatic periods?  You could also ask about your armpit pain (which I also had) 

.  After your echocardiogram, you could ask whether your heart chambers are all of normal size, whether you have any leaky valves or any signs of heart disease?  Don’t forget to ask what your Ejection Fraction was because that will tell your doctor how well your heart is functioning overall.

.  You could ask what percentage of time you are pacing in the right atrium and what percentage of time you are pacing in the right ventricle?  Don’t ask too many question, just the ones that are important to you.

Hope everything goes well 

Check up

by Laurette - 2024-07-21 13:20:31

Thank you for your reply that will certainly help me. I am guessing the way I feel is my new normal. It's mainly anxiety but dealing with it naturally I only take one med and trying to keep it that way.

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