Breathless 2 weeks after PM Implant

Hello:  I had my Pacemaker installed 2 weeks ago for Mobitz Stg 2 heart block.  I have been fitted with a medtronic double lead. Everything is healing nicely bruises on their way out and no discomfort now. This last week I have been feeling quite out of breath, and thus haven't realy ventured far out of the house too much. Sleeping is problematic as I can feel my heart thumping away. Prior to surgergy I walked 3 miles a day with my pooch with no problems.  My heart rate is varies from 74 - 94 when I have taken my blood pressure.  I have my first diagnostic check up in 12 days time.  Is this something that could be fixed at the diagnostic clinic do you think?

2 Comments

healing

by Tracey_E - 2019-03-01 12:55:50

If you are getting breathless, write down the times and ask to be seen. It's not uncommon to need to tweak the settings. They send us home with a good guess. 

The thumping could be that they turn it up a little high the first few weeks until the heart gets used to being paced and the leads settle in, or it could be that your rate is higher than it was before. Depending how low it was before, it can take some time to get used to a normal rate. We tend to be hyper aware of everything the first weeks. 

Breathless and hyperaware of heart beat

by Rosalie - 2019-03-02 16:54:13

March 2, 2019

I had Medtronic Azure implanted in January 2018.. I had similar symptoms, very jumpy, uncomfortable and at bedtime, like you, i thought i would jump out of my skin. Before pacemaker I underwent open heart surgery ( for to mitral valve replacement) along with a myectomy for hypertropic ventricular septal muscle. After surgery i had junctional rhythm and eventually 2 nd degree heartblock. 

I am an athletic woman who swims 3 miles a week and walks 3 miles a day. The symptoms i described and which you described seem to be common. My heart rate had dropped to resting heart rate of 37 bpm at night so one can imagine pumping my heart to 78-80 at rest was unsettling.

i would say it took eight months  for my heart to settle down. Awful feeling! When i reported to my EP doctor that i felt awful, he responded, " everyone feels better. There must be something else wrong with you." Only after joining this forum did I learn that many patients had very similar reactions to pacemaker. I even told my EP doctor of this forum. EIGHT months is a long time to adjust and I must say i had felt very discouraged and felt better before the open heart surgery. I can swim a mile again each day and i feel better when i exercise. I learned at cardiac rehab that ( prepacemaker) during exercise my rhythms would once again be sinus rhythm, not junctional rhythm. I am assuming that i have the same response to exercise now, not dependent on pacemaker during exercise), but at rest, just sitting around i am pacemaker dependent. Personally, i wish i could feel normal every day, but i don't.

i guess in summary i would have to concur with other respondents, your body needs to find homeostasis and this willmtake time...sorry. Good luck!

 

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