Bumpy Roads and Fluttering Heart

I have had my PM for 13 months and lately whenever I'm on a bumpy road (I live in PA so there is a lot of them) it feels as though my heart is beating very fast and that it is going to explode out of my chest. If I stop the car it goes away as fast as it started. I never wear the shoulder strap from my seat belt because it hurts my pacer site so much so I don't think it's from being physically manipulated.

I have called my doctor but trying to get a call back when you're dying is next to impossible.

3 Comments

re seat belt problem

by agneslaney - 2008-04-28 02:04:50

i was in one of the sites and discovered that you can actually buy a gel filled pad that slips onto your seat belt.
This pad ensures that the seat belt doesn't come in contact around the pacemaker site it costs less than 20 dollars. Better this protection than not having your seat belt on in this day of speed

SHAKING YOUR PACEMAKER

by peter - 2008-04-28 03:04:16

You are advised not to shake your pacemaker as it can cause the leads to fracture at the point where they are inserted in the device. Dont fiddle or twiddle with it either. You can have your upper rate tuned down to a lower figure say 100 bpm. I have met one person who has had it turned off. Cheers Peter

Fast HR on bumpy roads

by ElectricFrank - 2008-04-28 12:04:21

The problem is almost certainly the Rate Response setting of the pacemaker. This is an option which attempts to regulate your heart rate by sensing your level of activity. When you are walking your body is bouncing up and down and the rate response says "Oh, you are active and need a faster heart rate.
The problem is that the pacer doesn't know whether the bouncing is from activity or a bumpy road. At one point I could drive my HR up to 130 just by shaking the pacemaker with my hand.
There are two solutions to the problem. In many cases you really don't need the pacemaker turned on, especially with AV Block where your own pacemaker regulates the atrium, but the message doesn't get to the ventricles. In this type of problem all the pacemaker needs to do is sense the atrial contraction and use it to time a pacing signal to the ventricles. In this case you have natural HR control.
If you need the rate response then it needs to be fine tuned to your activities. This is a tricky task and needs to be done by someone who understands the process. A doctor or cardiologist rarely has this skill. The best person is the pacemaker company representative who knows his instrument the best. Another alternative is an Electro Physiologist or EP.
There have been a number of reports on the forum from people who have felt much better after having rate response turned off.

frank

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