racing heart

I have a 3 lead pacemaker. Has anyone had a problem of their heart speeding up when in a car,truck, or on a lawnmower when the road or lawn is extemely bumpy? I just had mine checked and they said it was fine, but something is'nt right! I have had mine sense July 18,2007. I go from 65bpm to 130bpm within 100feet walking at a stady pace (not a hurried pace). any ideas to what might be going on??

2 Comments

racing heart

by djmann - 2007-10-30 04:10:23

Yes, that happened to me too. I have a dual lead Medtronic w/guidant leads since July 2003. At first I felt it but didn't know what it was. The pacemaker tech's found a "blip" on the test screen and the doc who reviews it was concerned so they had the heart specialist see me and he ordered an echocardiogram, which showed no problem, so after a few more errant blips, which happened over a period of months, a treadmill test was done, and they were able to "trigger" a racing heart event one time during the test, and deemed it a benign VT. Since the tests, the blips on the screen found by the pacemaker techs only happen 3 or 4 times a year now and so far no problem. It is a strange event for the heart to be at a resting rate and then all of a sudden go form 65 to 1 40 miles per hour like a racecar. Zoom.
I went to the healthfood store and started taking CoezmymeQ10 and Carlson's Fish Oil capsules, the blips on the test screen are less each time.Good luck, but have it checked out to be safe.

Racing heart

by jlarnold - 2007-11-11 12:11:37

I have had a similar experience. When you have a rate responsive pacemaker, it attempts to increase your heart rate when it senses that you need it - as when you are exercising. However, different models work in different ways - my old pacemaker sensed vibration - I was once a passenger in a car going over a road with raised areas at seams in the concrete. The vibration set up in the car made my pacemaker think I was exercising, and I could feel it increase the heart rate. I was told my new pacemaker is different in that it senses change in momentum. This works well if you are exercising in a bouncy type of manner like walking, jogging, etc. However, it is not as good if you are on an ellipse machine or especially on a bicycle. They keep getting better, but it is always nice to understand what you are dealing with. They can tune the device over a broad range of values - it is almost better to work with the manufacturer's rep than the cardiologist sometimes.
Best of luck - Jerry

You know you're wired when...

You can hear your heartbeat in your cell phone.

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Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.