Running question

Hello everyone,

About 3 weeks ago I had a pacemaker implanted. I am 38 and was very active in working out and running. I used to do 3 miles or so a day. I hadn't been feeling well since about February and have had no medical issues my entire life but was told that I have bicuspid aortic valve disease. I was cleared to start walking/running again and when I try to run I get winded quickly. Is this normal and do I just chalk it up to not being able to do much the last couple months? New to this site so thanks for the help!

5 Comments

Why...

by donr - 2013-05-04 11:05:00

... The PM? Lefty, a PM should not help a bad valve - that's plumbing. PM's do electrical for control purposes.

What's the diagnosis that got you the PM?
That will help people give you an answer.

Don

Sorry

by Southpaw - 2013-05-04 11:05:07

I was diagnosed with 3rd degree heart block.

Chalk it up

by golden_snitch - 2013-05-05 03:05:07

Hi!

"Do I just chalk it up to not being able to do much the last couple months?" That sounds very likely to me. With a third degree heart block the pacemaker has a pretty easy job as Don already explained. The only problem I can imagine that could be pacemaker related is that they set your upper rate limit to low for running. Some patients have it at just 120bpm or so, and especially when you're young and not well trained that is just not enough; you need something like 140-160bpm. So, that could be a problem for you, too, but other than that I'd keep exercising very regularly, and over the weeks there surely be progress. When I start running again after having not run for a couple of weeks, I get very winded, too.

@Don: No, the bicuspic valve does not necessarily mean that it's leaking. It just means that instead of three, the valve has only two leaflets. These are more prone to calcifying which makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood through the valve, so it needs to work harder. So, instead of a leaky valve, you'll have one that kind of blocks the blood flow. But this calcification doesn't happen in everyone with a bicuspid valve, and it usually takes many, many years until the condition gets so bad that the valve needs to be replaced.

That paints the horse...

by donr - 2013-05-05 12:05:02

...a different color! 3rd degree block is not something to take lightly. OTOH, it is easily compensated for by a PM. As long as the SA node is functioning fine, the PM has an easy job - just make sure that the ventricles fire regularly.

Not being a plumber, i'd suggest that a leaky (I assume that leaking is a part of that disease) could cause your heart to be inefficient & you to be short of oxygen & hence SOB.

Suggest you invest in a pulse oximeter to find out what kind of oxygenation your blood has when you get winded. Probably in the 80's or very low 90's.

Three weeks w/ the problems you have/had could cause you to rapidly lose conditioning.

Last -- In matters medical, & in particular when it comes to the heart, "The mental is to the physical as three is to one." I didn't say that, I plagiarized it from one of Napoleon's Marshals, who said it about 1806 or so & he said it about the performance of soldiers in battle. It also applies here!

I suggest that you talk to your cardio about your case & con him into arranging for a cardiac rehab course. It will work wonders for your morale, mental state while giving you confidence that you can do all the things you want to do.

God luck.

Don

3 reasons

by pacing94 - 2013-05-24 10:05:00

I would absolutely talk to your cardio about this. Three things could be in play.
1. Conditioning. Only takes a few days to drop out of the shape you were in prior to implant.
2. Heart is not functioning efficiently.
3. PM is set too low. And this was my experience also. I was 39 and active when I had pm implant. At each visit, Dr had to increase output on pm because I was healing and requiring more range. He explained these things are put in older folks who are not as active as I was, and out of the box they are set pretty low.
Talk to your doc.

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