P.M check

electrical woes

by Tracey_E - 2016-12-06 09:07:15

First thing to ask is if they changed the settings at all from the last time you were there. Sometimes they decrease the delay that the pacer waits for the ventricle to beat on its own after the atria beats before it kicks in with pacing. This would cause more pacing because it's giving the heart less time to do its own thing.

That said, if you were pacing 20% ventricle before, that  means you were at least occasionally in block. It's pretty common for block to progress and most of us with block pace 100%. This is an electrical signal breaking down, which means usually the heart is otherwise healthy. If you haven't had an echo in a while, ask for one. It can tell if the structure and function have changed or if the change is all electrical. How do you feel? If your energy is the same and you feel good, then odds are the block just progressed, the pacer stepped in to fix it, and you are still perfectly fine just with a higher pacing percentage. 

Wow

by Grateful Heart - 2016-12-06 11:49:38

I'd be more upset with what the nurse stated:  "probably because my heart has deteriated."

She thinks guessing and "Probably" is now a diagnosis.

Follow Tracey's advice.

Grateful Heart

Deterioration

by Good Dog - 2016-12-06 14:20:32

I'll tell you that I couldn't agree more with the previous posts regarding the insensitivity of some of the technicians. I have a PM Tech that had scared the hell out of me for a couple of years until I finally realized not to pay any attention to her anymore. Mostly, she was expressing her opinion, which was often incorrect. I have to see her for my in-office PM checks, but whenever I have any serious questions or concerns I see my Doc (cardiologist/EP).

My feeling is that if the Tech doesn't have something positive to say, she should say nothing at all.  

David

Thankyou All

by katz - 2016-12-06 16:12:02

Thank you for your comments, made me feel a little easier . Thanks 😊