Steady heart rate

How do you feel?

by Gotrhythm - 2017-12-03 14:08:43

I don't know whether it "should" or not. I'll leave that question for others far more knowledgeable than I.

To me, the question about any settings is are they working for you? Do you feel good and reasonably able to do what you want to do, or are you struggling? 

Settings can be changed. And sometimes what seem like small changes can make a big difference in how you feel. 

Don't ever feel like your supposed to just accept a setting because that's what the doctor gave you. 

Jim

by IAN MC - 2017-12-03 14:36:39

Your heart rate should definitely increase when you exercise. If it doesn't you will become breathless and tired fairly quickly.

Your pacemaker cannot keep your HR at 60 when you are exercising .... so , assuming that the measurements are accurate , then there must be something wrong with your heart .The medical term for it is " Chronotropic Incompetence"

The good news is that your PM has a Rate Response function. You probably need it switching on which will then increase your HR when you exercise

Best of luck

Ian

replacement time??

by zawodniak2 - 2017-12-03 22:29:41

Depending on how long you have had the PM you may be in the EOL mode which preserves battery life until the PM is replaced,,,It is time to get an interrogation..

                           Rodger

Heart rate and exercise

by Selwyn - 2017-12-04 12:09:42

If you exercise, you need more blood to your muscles, this means your heart has to pump more.... so cardiac output = heart rate x  stroke volume ( stroke volume being the volume of blood pumped by the left ventricle after one contraction). 

Your heart rate must increase with exercise. Ah, but from what level? Pacemakers have a 'rate response'  with differing mechanisms to activate and time cycles to ensure your heart rate goes up with exercise. The rate response may be set to on or off. Check with your PM dept. ( on/off, fast medium slow onset/offset). Your lower limit  resting heart rate is set on the pacemaker. 

Drugs, such as beta-blockers, affect the heart muscle and will slow your heart and stop it responding to exercise ( I have had the pleasure of sacking my beta-blockers for the third time for this reason). 

Illnesses can affect your heart's ability to respond to produce an increase in cardiac output.

I assure you, the result of a poor cardiac output ( CO = HRxSV ) is breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness on exercise, and sometimes collapse.  If you are not short of breath when you exercise you are OK- forget about your heart rate. Some atheletes have a resting heart rate in their 40s, and on exercise they are running with a heart rate of 60.

Selwyn