Exercise & drug side effects?

• by bunnykin
• 2008-03-11 06:03:05
• General Posting
• 1149 views
• 1 comments

Hi ICD/PM friends,
I need some advice and help; I have an ICD since 2004, (upgraded from PM in 2002) and been in and out of hospital past few years due to lead complications etc.etc.. To cut the story short after another surgery non-cardiac related,last October I've been trying to get back into shape by going back to my gym. I love to use the elliptical machine and basically I'm rather athletic person( I'm 56 female); Have been jogging till five yrs ago when all the heart rhythm problems decided to erupt. My question and problem now is, I can't seem to get a good exercise/sweat out, cos my heart rate refuse to increase no matter how hard I try. Max. if I'm lucky is 118bpm by which time I'd absolutely exhausted. I am currently on Flecainide 200mg. having been switched from Rhythmol 600mg by my EP only a week ago. My arrhythmia is not easily controlled. What is annoying is that when exercising my heart rate wouldn't go up but when I'm not doing anything physical the VT or tachycardia decides to come, they just appear with no activity! I wish that things were more normal... I am currently almost PM dependent, 99.8%. Could all this lack of energy plus sluggish heart rate be due to mainly the drugs I'm on?
If anyone out there can suggest anything that can help with my exercise program or bring up heart rate during exercise/training, I'd really appreciate. Many thanks.
Bunnykin