JUst got a pacemaker Fridayand I am new to this forum

I have so many questions and really felt like when I left the hospital they were not all answered. I am 36 and had a sinus node modification for SSS two weeks ago. My sinus node did not recover at all and I was beating from my AV node about 80% of the time. I felt awful these last two weeks! Since I got the pacemaker I have felt better except for a few times when it still feels like my AV node is taking over. When that happens though my heart is beating around 80-90 beats a minute. Will that pacemaker only work when the rate goes under the set limit? If so what do I do about these higher rates. I have a ST Jude rate responsive pacemaker. Anyone know???

3 Comments

how pm's work

by Tracey_E - 2009-05-04 06:05:41

A pm mostly sits back and watches your heart. When it pauses or gets too slow, it steps in and generates a beat. Therefore, it won't slow your heart down. If your heart goes faster on its own, it can't stop it.

Rate response means it's sensitive to your activity and raises your hr with activity. Sometimes this has to be adjusted before it feels right. I'd ask to have the settingis checked. It cam take a few tries to get it tweaked.

New pacemaker issues

by ElectricFrank - 2009-05-04 11:05:41

You are likely experiencing a common problem. When a pacemaker is initially implanted they commonly leave the settings at the factory defaults. Those are settings that will work for most people, but won't be anywhere near optimum. They will adjust the setting more nearly to your needs at the first checkup.

Some busy clinics will schedule the first checkup several weeks down the road, leaving you uncomfortable in the meantime. If this is happening call them and ask for a checkup at about the 2 week point.

Don't hesitate to press for answers to your questions. That's what they get paid for and you deserve it.

good luck and welcome to the forum,

frank

thanks for the advice

by nat36 - 2009-05-07 09:05:33

Thank you for answering my question. I am still having what feels like junctional rhythms above the pacemaker setting so it is not stopping them. I will ask if there is anything that can be done for that. I have an appt in three weeks but if it gets too bad will call for one sooner.
I went to the movies last night which is really the first thing that I have done since the pm surgery last Friday. This will sound really strange but it seems like the pacemaker raised my heart rate during the movie. Could the vibrations from the loud sounds in the theatre have triggered the rate responsive feature? It was around 90-100 throughout the whole movie. I guess having this pacemaker is going to take a lot of getting used to it. I am so scared that I will pull out my leads and have to go through the surgery over again. I got the pm under my muscle because of my age (36) so it is still really sore. I sure don't want to go through that again! Some things I have read say don't raise either arm above shoulders and some things say only arm with pm. Which is it?

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