From 18 to 65%

I had a new pacemaker implanted 3 weeks ago.On the old pacer I was pacing 18% of the time.Now on the new pacer I'm pacing 65% of the time.Why would there be such a difference?
Also Since Friday I have been having times of real bad dizzy spells.Went in to the doctor this morning and rest lower limit from 60 to 70.Anyway just had another dizzy spell and do not understand what could be going on.When doctor checked the pm it did not show anything on history....but since old pacer was set at 70 he increased the new one.Thanks Don

2 Comments

settings

by Tracey_E - 2009-06-01 03:06:32

Your settings affect how much you pace. If you had the old one set at 60 but they put the new one at 70, that could easily explain the difference because it's working more.

Dizziness could be the settings, but don't just assume it's your heart. It could be a lot of things not related to your heart.

Vertigo or Light Headed

by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-02 01:06:19

There are 2 types of dizziness that are often confused and have entirely different causes.

The feeling of being Light Headed where everything starts to get sparkly and you feel like you are going to pass out is caused by a reduction of blood flow/pressure in the brain. This generally has a cardiac origin although anxiety or panic can dilate blood vessels enough to momentarily lower BP. This is also the feeling that sometimes happens when we suddenly stand up.

Vertigo is having the world go around with loss of balance (like most of us did as kids when we whirled around to get dizzy) is caused by a disturbance in the inner ear. This can be from an inner ear infection, sinus congestion, and sometimes dehydration. It has nothing to do with the heart or pacemaker.

If you are describing it to a doctor it is important to be clear which you are experiencing. Many of them don't know the difference.

frank

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Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.