Missing beats

I have had my PM since May 18th, 2012. Once in a while I have a feeling I am going into Artial Fib. It just lasts for a second or two. Is this common or is it anything to be concered about? I go back to my PM doctor August 27 th for a 3 month checkup. It is extremly hot here and I have to stay in the house because of the extreme heat. If I go outside I have shortness of breath and extreme weakness. If anyone else has this problem please let me know. I don't know if I am supposed to be concerned or not.

2 Comments

A-Fib Post-op

by donr - 2012-07-25 07:07:09

I cannot tell you what you are having - cannot either read out your PM or see an EKG.

But - you did not tell us WHY you got the PM in the firs place. Knowing that would help.

I do not have A-fib - at least often enough to recognize it.

It's serious enough that you should probably call someone in your cardio's office & describe the feeling to them. If you wait another month, your anxiety level may go high enough that it will start affecting you & your overall well being.

It sounds like at this point you do not have enough experience w/ your heart & its interaction w/ your PM to sort these things out by yourself. Face it, post-op you will be hyper-sensitive to every little hiccup in your chest. All of them will cause a certain bit of anxiety - THAT you don't need! A little bit of assurance will go a long way at this point, giving you confidence that the PM does what it is designed to do.

The weather conditions will not help. How did you react to them before PM? You could well have a setting that needs to be tweaked w/o knowing it.

The key is in your last sentence - you do not know whether or not you should be concerned. Good source of anxiety beginnings.

Knowledge kills anxiety. We can help, but are not doctors - call yours to be sure.

Don

Whoops! Forgot to add...

by donr - 2012-07-25 07:07:10

Bodie - there is an event that can last about a second & be brought on by anxiety. They also follow PM implants. You may also have had them pre-op, but just did not notice them because you were not sensitized to what your heart was doing.

It's called a PVC - Premature Ventricular Contraction. It is EXACTLY what it says. For some reason, your ventricles contract a bit early & it feels funny to you. Like either a delayed or missing beat, or some other wierdity. They are "Harmless," in that it takes gadzillions of them back to back to have a deleterious effect. Often they will be followed by a belch.

When you have your 3 month checkup, ask to see a copy of your download report & ask then to show you where the abnormal beats are reported - A-Fibs & PVC's. If they happened, they will show.

IF PVC's do show, let not your heart be troubled - I used to have them by the tens of thousands per month & I'm still here writing you. Have too many, like I did & they affect quality of life & are debilitating. Just a couple is no big deal.

Don

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