pacemaker settings

before my first pacemaker in 2001, i had to be careful when and what i ate, because any sinus pressure (from burps, flatulence, etc.) would cause sinus pauses. exercise after a meal was out.

my first two pacemakers seemed to make me more tolerant of digestive goings on.

this third pacemaker, which has the same settings as the second, doesn't seem to be like that. i'm constantly troubled by what feel like pauses and bumps and just a variety of heart feelings.

i asked if we could make the settings a little less reactive, but the clinic said i should have the digestive stuff checked out. i got an endoscopy yesterday and i may or may not have problems, but my real discomfort is the heart not the stomach.

i can be sitting quietly and then get up and my pulse jumps up. uncomfortable.

my question is, is it reasonable/possible for my device settings to be changed to make this ceaseless discomfort be eased.

(i get some pvcs, which are uncomfortable and the techhnicians swear that no matter what i feel with my finger on my pulse, i'm not really getting pauses.)

thanks.

3 Comments

Hiatal Hernia?

by BOBTHOM - 2018-11-21 22:26:08

I get a feeling of pressure just behind my lower left rib.  The present working theory is a hiatal hernia, which, they can do nothing about.  But I feel it worse after meal especially if lying down on my back.  Not sure there are any settings that will offset physical pressure but standing up to quickly may be helped by the rate response setting if your device has one.

Good luck!

thanks for the feedback

by JOEM18B - 2018-11-22 02:35:37

i have a medtronic adapta dr pacemaker. my clinic is at stanford. they've always been fine, but this time i'm having a little trouble getting my questions answered.

i'm talking to a non-stanford cardiologist about getting an MRI in spite of having non-concompliant leads,  so maybe i'll ask him about this.

my endoscopy revealed a little hiatal hernia, so that 's part of the equation.

bottom line: my heartbeat seems a little erratic and it seems to be caused by gastric distress, and i wonder if i can make the pacemaker a little less sensitive so it doesn't react to every pending burp;

cheers.

thank you. excellent advice.

by JOEM18B - 2018-11-22 14:23:37

will be persistent.

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

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I had a pacemaker when I was 11. I never once thought I wasn't a 'normal kid' nor was I ever treated differently because of it. I could do everything all my friends were doing; I just happened to have a battery attached to my heart to help it work.