Most Recent Messages in Checkups & Settings

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Internet check ups

Does anyone know if you can check yhour pacemaker through the internet.....instead of using a telephone line? Seems like you could do it through high speed internet.

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Digital Wireless Phone Usage

I swiched to a Digital, Internet, Phone connection and call-in every month via a pacemaker "Tele/Trace" monitor. Medtronic sent me a small phone plug-in devise to make everything work. No cost, just call them.
What I want now is a monitor that will work with a cell phone so I can be free.

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upper limit

Can someone please explain the "upper limit" that I sometimes read about on these pages!
I understand(i think) the lower limit,where if your heart beats less than a certain number of beats per minute the P.M sends an electrical charge to make it contract and beat, but don't understand how your heart rate can be slowed by a p.m!

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Checkup Nightmares...

Has anyone ever had just a really horrible checkup for their PM?

Usually, I don't mind so much my experiences at the doctor's office, but every now and then I'll have a bad experience that causes me o dread my next visit.

One time in particularly happened just a few years ago, before my replacement surgery while I was still in high school. I had that particular PM for about 13 years at that point and it really needed to e replaced, so I was having very regular visits. Usua...

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First Check Up-Adjusted settings..

I had pm surgery almost 2 wks ago. They checked my pm and printed out the history and told me it only worked 1% of the time...the pm is just "watching".
The NP adjusted the setting to lower the voltage to save battery life by 3 yrs.
Since the appt, my upper chest every once in a while feels kinda heavy or tight. Could it just be from the "testing" today when the spead up my heart and checked things out?

Hope I sleep tonight...I've been anxious since surgery, knowing I have...

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Any way too??

Is there anyway to put in our messages the printouts of the interrogations we have had, for others to view so we can gain an understanding of what printout means? I have the ability to scan my printout of the interrogation and put on my computer and can I attach this to the mesaage some how?? Can we paste to a message or install somehow??
Thanks Perry

Also I have wrote other messages here and they seem to have not made it on this site anywhere? Did I save something wrong? Any sug...

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First F/U after PM Monday

Surgeon who performed my pm surgery said my heart went in to tachy (SVT) during attachment. (I would think that would be normal) I had the pm due to loooonnnngg pauses not SVT.

I've had SVT for 15 yrs and under control w/ no caffeine etc.

He thinks we should do an eblation due to possiblity of hidden WPW....I have had that ruled out by many cardios in the past. I have gone up to 230 twice and had to go to ER to get the shot to stop my heart and it restarted back to normal r...

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Just had my first PM check

And got the printout, like y'all suggest. No setting changes since it's still very new and there's not much history built up yet. If anyone would be able to help me read it, I'd appreciate it if you would e-mail me privately. I don't relish the idea of doing that via postings.

A couple good numbers... 1.3% atrial pacing, 6.4% ventricle pacing, which makes sense because my cardiologist said my atrium was doing just fine, but my ventricle wasn't always getting the message. I was thinkin...

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1st Checkup, Pacing 99% / 47%

Great Site!! I've learned a lot in the past 2 weeks since my pacemaker implant and hope to learn more!

I had my first follow up on Thursday, the tech said there could be a problem with one of the leads placement but they would wait and see and make changes slowly. If they have to turn something(?) up too high, it may quickly drain the battery - but it might work better on its own? Does someone know what she was talking about? My Atrial paced was 99% and Ventricular paced 47% -...

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Had my first week inspection

Incision is almost healed and they said it looked good. I had already come to the same conclusion, but glad to hear it anyway. First pm check will be in 3 weeks. So far I am VERY pleased with this new one. No events so far that I am aware of. I'm hoping some of it was pm induced by the old unit. Got my fingers and toes crossed!

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1st. PM check

I had my first PM ccheck yesterday. The Techo. said all seemed OK and It had been 20% of the time, he did not seem to want to expand on this apart from saying thePM was doing it's job. Any comments on this?
Arty

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Interrogation

Next month I will be going for my first in-office interrogation. I'm not sure what this is exactly. I'm guessing that they will hook me up to a machine to test the pacemaker.

I've had my pm for about two months now. I received it due to SSS. I saw the doctor two days ago and after talking to him I now know that I am having PVCs. I thought the pm was supposed to solve problems, not cause them.

I thought by now I would be feeling back to my old self, but I'm not. I st...

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1 week on a PM

This site is Great!
I really did not know what to expect with a PM.
So tonight I'm Googling "pacemaker/shortness of breath/blogs ... and I find you guys.
Biggest issue with me was bpm constantly in the mid 40's. OK if you are an athlete but believe me, I do not inhabit the carcass of an athlete.
So, basic rate is now at 60 bpm and all is fine. Big Difference in the way I feel, especially in the morning.
BUT ... I get up out of my chair and walk around and at that po...

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Dr wants to see me

I went for my pacemaker check yesterday. The woman that does it is really nice.(i see the same person each time) i've known since a few months after my pm was inserted that a lead was bent (i have 20 and that that would probably wear the battery down quicker. It will be 3 yrs in May that I got it and she said that the battery probably has 9-15 months left. Ok, I can deal with that. When they replce it I'll get a new lead and was recommended monthy phone checks for now but to still go the office...

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Question for Electric Frank

Hi Frank... just a question about my interrogation report on my pacemaker. It is a single lead to the right ventricular with a 3rd degree heart block. When showing a Ventricular High Rate Episode, is that the same as a VT? My first check showed 3 high rates, and the last check showed duration :04 Longest and MaxV 219 Pacing sensed 0.6% and paced 99.4% ....just want to learn all I can about this little device that is so amazing. Thanks...aldeer

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Pacemaker Settings

A week ago at my first checkup, Medtronic changed my upper pm limit to 140 and turned the rate response setting to on. When I brushed my teeth and washed my face this morning I was totally breathless ! Called Dr. who said that Medtronic was coming today so I went in. The "delay" setting has been changed from factory setting of 200ms to 150ms - their feeling is that atria is signaling before ventricles have a chance to empty so that blood may be backing up causing my feeling of having my heart in...

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Rate Responsive PM Setting

During my first pm checkup, I told the Medtronic rep that I was a type A personality and was frustrated with my lack of endurance and breathlessness and asked about my lower and upper limits. My lower limit is set at 60 and my upper limit is set at 120. Those values were set at implantation time. My rate responsive setting is not enabled and she said it was my decision whether to turn it on or not. She said that if I play tennis or really exert myself then it would take awhile for the rate to...

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When paced I feel palpitations. Is this normal?

Hi all,
I received my pacer Dec. 12, 2008 for tachycardia/bradycardia syndrome. It is set on a mode now where it paces every morning at 9:30am for a "test" (not sure why...) that lasts about 20 secs. During this time, without fail, I feel very strong palpitations, my heart feels like it is flipping over and I have to stop what I am doing because it is so unpleasant. I felt this same thing when they upped my heart rate as a test at my first checkup. (BTW the record shows that I have only...

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pacemaker checks

I have written about having anxiety after having the pacemaker Dec.2nd. I found out a week later that one lead was not connected.The anxiety started after my first pacemaker check. I have had 2 othe checks and the anxiety seems to get worse3 after evry check. Has anyone had problems after pacemaker checks? Thanks Carmen

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interrogation

Can someone tell me exactly what an interrogation is? I have seen it mentioned several times on this site. I've heard of PM checks but unfamiliar with the term "interrogation"
Thanks,
Jessame

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You know you're wired when...

You forecast electrical storms better than the weather network.

Member Quotes

I just want to share about the quality of life after my pacemaker, and hopefully increase awareness that lifestyles do not have to be drastically modified just because we are pacemaker recipients.