Pacemaker Club: Need advice

Need advice

by jereomyj
2020-01-22 17:53:37
General Posting
759 views
3 comments

I am an avid runner ( always in good shape) and before I got a pacemaker my heart rate when I slept dropped to 35bpm.. I told my doctor before he implanted the device and he told me that it can be adjusted to 35 if needed.. it is set at 40bpm when I sleep..when I fall asleep about 3 hrs in it wakes me up.. since I have had my pacemaker I haven't slept through the night.. I have always slept before it was implanted.. now I wake up at the same time every night... please help

3 Comments

PM self-test

by vigour - 2020-01-24 05:57:48

I had a similar problem, and I managed to find common ground with my PM tehnician/doctor and he disabled self-test on my device. Now I have to check my PM every 6 months at hospital. Hope nothing happes with device or wires in mean time.

Medtronic

by Good Dog - 2020-01-24 09:04:53

I apparently misread your initial question and so my answer to it did not make much sense. In any case, I have deleted it and just wanted to provide an explanation. Sorry.

Medtronic

by AgentX86 - 2020-01-24 11:07:56

My EP had the automatic threshold test (not sure if that's the same as "self test") turned off because it was more hassle than it was worth. I've certainly never felt it.

Because of a high incidence of SCA after an AV ablation, he set the rate to 80bpm (I was in the 30s and 40s at night) which I didn't like at all (couldn't sleep) but could tough it out for a month. Better than SCA!

The plan was to reduce it to 70bpm after a month, then to 60bpm after another month. After first month it was reduced to 70bpm but I started having PVCs, which felt awful so he raised it back to 80bpm and as a compromise, set a nighttime rate of 50bpm. That was a good compromise, even though I still have intermittent PVCs once in a while.

Medtronic PMs, anyway, have a nighttime experience setting. You might ask about it.