loss of pulse

More info"\:I'm 11 days post op from a revision of leads 6 days after the original. I'm normally a very fit 72 year old with no heart disease history. One episode of black out 17 days agod and I have 2 leads in my heart.diagnosed sick sinus syndrome.I've started walking 15-20 minutes each day to in crease my tolerance. this morning I came in from the walk and was taking my pulse when I lost it ie couldn't feel it for a second and felt a flushing feeling in my head. My pulse rate then resumed normal of 72. My anxiety level is off the wall fearing another lead shift.

1 Comments

A suggestion as to cause

by donr - 2014-01-17 06:01:31

Maple Leaf: Consider the following - there is an arrhythmia called a PVC (Premature Ventricular Contraction). It is EXACTLY what it says it is. The ventricles contract before they normally do, causing you to have a very weak beat when it occurs. Not at all uncommon.

If you are not used to them & especially if you've never felt one in a pulse, it feels just like you skipped a beat - but you really didn't it was just wimpy.

For the uninitiated, they scare the crap out of you. so bad that they can leave you crapless for days - it's that dramatic & scary.

I can tell you that it is impossible for you to skip a beat w/ your PM. It will NOT let you. That's what it's designed to do - fill in the beats that your heart misses.

I agree that you could well have a flush of adrenalin that causes you to do as you described. That's what adrenalin is for - to alert you & excite you so that you may grab a slingshot & successfully take on Goliath - or lift a John Deere monster tractor w/ dual rear wheels off the farm hand it has fallen on.

PVC's will NOT kill you. I have them by the thousands every month. BUT - I had a string of two or three in sequence last night & got that rush feeling you are talking about. I sat there & told myself over & over "Your heart can't stop or miss a beat - your PM won't let it happen." But it still got to my subconscious mind & agitated me no end for a few minutes.

Look, you've just gone through a traumatic situation w/ that PM. At this point you are authorized to be a bit apprehensive & easily agitated.

If I can help you further, pls write.

Don

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