irregular beat

I have had an av ablation and am 100% pm dependant. I had real bad symptoms with the afib that all most made me crazy. When I got my pm in two years ago I haven`t felt any wild thumping in my chest at all. All I can feel is my pm pacing my ventricules. Feels like a normal heartbeat, although I am still in afib. Thursday night my body kinda got jerked around real bad and I could feel my heart out of rhythm for about 1 hour or so. I have not had that problem since I had my pm. Has anybody got a clue to what might have happened

Thanks,
Ashley

2 Comments

Irregular rhythm felt

by BABlocker - 2007-04-23 01:04:58

Ashley,
I also have an AV Node ablation and I am one of the unfortunate ones that can feel everything, from PACs, PVCs to afib and flutter, all of which I experience.

Sometimes I can simply feel a vibration in my heart area when I am in afib and sometimes I feel the same chest pressure, shortness of breath and dizziness I felt before the PM. I also experience aflutter, and this is my understanding of how the PM works.

In general, the PM will allow natural atria beats to come through and will just "sense" these. With each atrial beat, the ventricles receive one "paced" beat, and the ventricular rate will increase to your highest rate (mine is 140).

When we are in afib (I am still paroxysmal, and have become persistent despite predictions that I would), the atria stops being tracked as it is beating greater than 400 bpm and it can trigger the ventricles to be paced at an undesirable high response rate, so, the PM "Mode switches", that is, it stops tracking/sensing the atrial rate and just paces the ventricles. I know when I am in afib, because my heart rate drops to its preset lower rate of 75, and theoretically it is supposed to increased my ventricles based on my demand for energy. I find that my heart rate stays stuck at 75 when in afib, and I am breathless, dizzy and feel that chest pressure.

When I am in aflutter, the PM does not recognize the rhythm as abnormal because it is regular and it can't distinguish between an increased heart rate due to exertion or due to the flutter, so it will pace my ventricles to the top ceiling of 140 and then my PM will begin pacing me down below 140. Fun, huh?

So, I feel all of that. I began having increased arrythmias/symptoms the last 8 weeks so have reluctantly agreed to an antiarrythmic (Immediate release Propafenone/Rhythmol), and it seems to have helped some. A dosage adjustment is probably in the cards when I see my cardiologist in May.

As for Premature atrial contractions, and premature ventricular contractions, I feel these as beats sandwiched inbetween my normal sinus beats (after 2 years, I am adept at distinguishing normal sinus, PACs, PVCs and atrial flutter. AFIB I can distinguish sometimes as I don't always feel the symptoms as intensely.

Perhaps your irregular beats are premature beats, which although quite uncomfortable for some (myself included), in a structurally normally heart are not significant long term in terms of damage to the heart. Perhaps you had a short run of Atrial Flutter (was it inappropriately fast and regular?)

I hope that sharing my experiences might shed some light on your issues.

Good luck to you!

Warmly,
Barbara Blocker

Sorry about that

by joeoo99 - 2007-04-24 04:04:34

I have had Atrial Fib since 1991. In the year 2000 it went to the point where it just wore me out. Hard to breath, lack of energy, just tired all the time, dizzy and so forth. I began coumidin and tried most of the the meds for that. I have had three ablations for AF. The second one gave me Atrial Flutter and the third one gave me PAC's. So I have them all now, I am taking the last of the meds to correct that problem. It is working about 70 percent of the time.
I talked to my doctor about a PM and he said they don't cure AF and wanted me to have another Ablation. Seems like no matter what you do there is always a problem when it comes to AF and Flutter and Pac-Pvc. I really don't think the doctors know how to treat it. Medication maybe in your future. You didn't tell us if you are taking any Meds now. I wish you luck and hang in there.

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