Pacemaker Club: Hitting a wall?

Hitting a wall?

by Linnie
2021-04-04 13:04:18
Exercise & Sports
1025 views
4 comments

I wanted to report that now, 6 months post PM and 2 weeks post 2nd Covid vaccine, I feel much better. I've done some 2.5 mile hikes around town, with my pulse staying at about 90. While climbing 500 feet, my pulse did get to 150, but then recovered to 90, as I leveled out. My question is, as I am finishing the hike, my pulse comes down to my set 60bpm with my oxygen at 99% and I feel very tired. Is there a wave to the recovery rate that after you have high pulse numbers, does it takes you back down making you feel tired?

4 Comments

Yes

by AgentX86 - 2021-04-04 14:36:05

These are all settings that have to be optimized for you and your lifestyle. In particular, there are settings that deterine how long your heart rate stays elevated after it detects that you've stopped and others that control the rate on the way down. You just need to get this tweaked to your needs (read: "your wishes"). This is a qualiy of life thing and unless there is a very good reason (it's hard to think of one), these RR parameters should be set to the way you want.

Settings

by runpacer - 2021-04-04 15:50:16

Is there any way we can tweak our own pacemaker settings without having to make a EPcardiology appointment?

No

by Persephone - 2021-04-04 17:36:32

No, thankfully there is no way for us to modify our own settings. Depending on your health team's practice, the doc may not have to be present (which could speed up your appt date), just the clinic tech and perhaps the PM rep.

That said, telehealth approaches are expanding, so maybe there are opportunities that I'm not aware of.

No

by AgentX86 - 2021-04-04 19:46:47

Though as Persephone notes, you don't usually need to have an EP appointment. I can call my device tech for an appointment at any time to tweak things. She will forward the changes on to an EP for review.

There is not a chance that you'll ever be able to change settings yourself. There is also no chance that it'll ever be done remotely either. Think: hacker. Nope. Not going to happen.