1st checkup - what to ask?

Hi fellow pacemakers,
I will be going in this Friday for my first pacemaker checkup. I had my Medtronic dual lead installed on 08/07/2011. Reason for mine was infrequent fainting that was caused by low heart rate(28 BPM) when it was checked in the emergency room. I had gone for over five months between fainting episodes. During that time I wore a heart monitor that eventually showed the problem.( I do have 4 stents that were installed five years ago)

I have done fairly well. I did have some slight dizzy spells and occasional higher heart rates during the first few weeks but those have subsided, but not completely, only occasionally.

What questions/actions should I ask and expect? I will be seeing the PM representative and my cardiologist.

Thanks for this website and all of you who provide so much information and support to us new guys!

2 Comments

ask

by biceps72 - 2011-09-27 10:09:30

1.when does your PM kicks in-- my guess is 60 beats/min..PM can speed up heart rate but not slow it down

.2. ask if your rate response is turned on-- if you exercise does your heart rate increase?

3. ask the % of time the PM is working in the atrium and ventricle

4. ask an estimated battery life at present settings. Probably 8 years or more.

5. ask anything you like actually

questions

by Parrothead57 - 2011-09-27 10:09:53

Hi cedric,
Welcome to the club. Some questions I would ask are:
Is my rate response turned on or off?
What are my upper and lower limits set at?
What percent am I being paced upper and lower?
Tell them exactly how you've been feeling. Are they going to change any settings? Which ones? Ask for a print out of the report. It probably won't make much sense but you can ask the experts here if you have questions about it.

I'm sure some of the others here can add to the question list. Hope this helps.
PH

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