Running With SSS

running

by Tracey_E - 2021-05-19 19:46:19

Pacers kick in when the heart goes too slowly, yes, but they do more than that. They can sense we are moving and raise our rate for us. Sometimes my heart suddenly drops when I work out, the pacer kicks in and keeps my rate level. So, yes, I believe the pacer will help with your skipped beats. 

You don't want a cardiologist, you want an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist that specializes in electrical issues. Cardiologists are basically plumbers. We need electricians. Ideally, you want one that has a lot of active patients, or even specializes in sport. 

Skipped beats

by AgentX86 - 2021-05-19 22:05:11

Define "skipped beats".  What are they?  PVCs?  PACs.  If so, no, a pacemaker probably isn't going to help.  If they're sinus pauses, maybe.  PVCs and PACs really aren't skipped beats, though they feel like it.  In fact, they're extra beats. Pacemakers make hearts go faster.  They don't do much else.  You need to involve your EP in this.

More questions than answers Silverfox?

by Gemita - 2021-05-20 05:18:16

Yes, that is because, as you will know, we are all individual, with different health conditions and lifestyles and what works well for one may not work so well for another.

For me a pacemaker clearly works well to fill in the gaps most of the time but not all of the time.  Since pacemakers are not able to stop an arrhythmia (unless we have a pacemaker with a defibrillator that can stop a fast, dangerous arrhythmia) and since an ectopic beat like a premature atrial or premature ventricular contraction is an arrhythmia, a pacemaker is not usually able to help.  I say not usually since there are always exceptions and some members find their pacemakers make a positive difference.  I certainly am one such member who has had immense success with a pacemaker, seeing a vast improvement in all my arrhythmias from benign slow ectopic beats to more troublesome fast arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, both being better controlled by a steadier, higher minimum heart rate setting of 70 bpm and my pacemaker data has clearly confirmed this improvement.

As to your question, "If I get a PM, and I get my heart rate up to say . . . 130 BPM, would the pacemaker sense that my heart is about to skip and add those missing beat(s)?"  Not necessarily and as AgentX86 says, you would need to understand what exactly you are experiencing - the actual arrhythmia that is occurring?  Some arrhythmias are triggered by falling heart rates, some clearly by rising heart rates and it could be that your activities are actually causing your skipped beats.  As others have said you need to work with a good EP to determine what is happening when you increase your heart rate and a good way would be by having an exercise (treadmill test) if you haven't already had one, or ask for another one, where your EP could observe what happens to your heart rhythm during activity and increased heart rates.  Adjusting pacemaker settings can make a huge difference to the outcome for many of us who eventually find a level of pacemaker support that we can live comfortably with