target heart rates?

I will be able to go back to swimming next month, and I would like to know if anyone's target heart rate during exercise is the same as it was before their pacemaker implant?
No matter what I do now, my heart rate never goes above 65!
Thanks

4 Comments

heart rate & excercise

by aldeer - 2008-05-28 10:05:59

"missiesmom" I am also a swimmer, and it most likely
has to do with the settings on your pacemaker. Before my pm and while on many meds, my heart rate would never go above 74. With my pm, the setting is low 60 and high 130 and while swimming or walking, my rate will go to 110. My doctor had a runner who was on some of these medications, and his heart rate would not go above 74. The pacemakers allow us to do more with the settings. Of course, I am no longer on the meds that would not let my heart rate go up. My pacemaker is a Medtronic. I hope that you will find what works best for you... aldeer

Sounds a checkup is in order.

by ElectricFrank - 2008-05-30 01:05:34

I would request a checkup and if possible have it done by the pacemaker manufacturer rep. It sound like your pacer may be in the fail safe mode which operates at a fixed rate of 65.
There is a tendency sometimes to have HR be a bit lower with the pacer. I wonder if it is because the pacer is producing a more efficient heart contraction.

frank

Heart rate

by Mitch - 2008-05-30 09:05:56

I second the above comment, get it checked by a mfg. rep. if you can. I get my hr up to 167 on the bike which is exactly where it was prior to the pm.
When it was first installed I had several problems and had to go to a Medtronic rep. He told me that the Dr. had done a very poor job of setting it up, in fact he said it was "an out of the box instalation" He told me it will usually take 2 or 3 trips to get it working best for your life style. By the way I'v had mine now 1 year and am 73, Cycle up to 300 miles per week.

HR Range

by richan - 2008-05-31 07:05:04

Hi missiesmom,
Hi swimmer. It is great to hear from another swimmer. I have been involved in Masters Swimming since the early 1970's. Got my PM in March of 2005.
So, what brand and model is your PM? Mine is a Guidant 1280 - 2 leads. After several visits over about 1.5 years with my pacemaker lady, I think she has fine tuned me about as far as this gizmo will go. They can set your HR limits (mine go from 55 to 160 BPM) as well as a bunch of other settings. My print-outs have shown that I have sustained up to 150.
As I recollect (like Mitch) they put it in you with the "default settings" just to get you started. Usually, you have a visit with your cardiologist kinda soon - this is where the "tuning" begins. As I understand it, they don't want to do too many adjustments in one visit because they won't know which adjustment helped you and which one didn't help. Hence, the multiple visits to get the gizmo to "fit" you.
When you do get back to swimming would you please comment on any changes with swimming - pre-PM vs post-PM? If so, how did/do you adjust your swimming?
Happy swimming! It may take you a little bit to get your range of motion.
Richan

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Member Quotes

Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.