Heart rate issues

Pulse jumping

by APS - 2022-12-12 21:25:43

Hi! I had my pacemaker implanted 10/22. I also had a nagging cough, a jumping pulse, dizziness, chest pressure and occasional shortness of breath and chest pain for approximately 4 weeks. I ended up having to go to the pacer clinic and have my pacer reprogrammed. I feel much better now

Thanks

by modimp - 2022-12-12 21:31:31

Thanks for that.  We've met with the pacemaker people twice already and it hasn't helped.  My mom is legally blind, so trying to navigate this with her has been difficult.

Heart rate

by AgentX86 - 2022-12-12 21:45:26

First and the most important. FIRE HER DOCTORS! I'm not exagerating my advice. If your doctors are blaming everything but the obvious, you have no need for their malpractice. She certainly doesn't need any doctor who refuses to listen to her. There are too many good, caring, doctors out there to stay with losers like this.

Her heart rate jumping isn't heartburn, asthma, nor is she a looneytoon. It's some sort of arrhythmia that they should be looking into. These are classical symptoms of Afib or Aflutter and a number of other arrhythmias.  It's highly doubtfull that, in themselves, they're dangerous but she needs to be seen by someone who knows what they're doing ASAP to make sure.

These sorts of arrhythmias can also cause clots in the heart, which can then migrate to the lungs or brain. If the clot is on the left side (the most common) there is a nonzero chance that it will cause a stroke. Atrial arrhythmias, untreated, cause the odds of a stroke to increase 5x. Anticoagulation (blood thinners) brings the odds back down to normal.

Sorry for the rant (not) but this is important. Find someone who cares about her. These doctors clearly don't.

rate jumps

by Tracey_E - 2022-12-13 09:13:38

Ask if rate response is turned on. If it is, it senses movement and raises her rate. That could be causing the jumps. 

If they can't figure it out, they can also do a 2 day monitor to get a better idea what's going on. If it's an arrhythmia, that will show it. But if it's only happening in the car or when she moves around, that sure sounds like rate response.

Is she on lisinipril by chance? That can cause a cough, though it's entirely possible she picked up a virus in the hospital. There are a lot of things going around that cause a lingering cough. A pulmonary function test will rule out asthma. 

Heart Rate Jumping

by Lurker (Doc DX) - 2022-12-13 10:53:36

II see your Mom is a year older than me.

I cant vouch for the coughing but the jumping heart rate is amost certainly having the rate reset set too sensative, I have had my PM since March 2021 and for the first 6 months my base rate was 60, upper limit at 130. Than it was turned on and set at a low setting.

It was just last week I was in the Cardio Clinic and they set it more sensative, I had to grumble to get in because I could only do about 30 to 40 minutes of yard work than have go in and rest for a couple of hours, Going upstairs is still a bit of a challenge, one always hits that wall and has to sit down.  Now when i go to a standing position from sitting my rate jumps to 80 or a bit more. I go for a 1.2 km walk most days and the when I get back the rate will be about 103 But when I sit down the rate will drop to 60 within 2 minutes.

I asked another walker what her heart rate was and she has a fit bit and it showed 103,so I dont feel too bad about that.

Good luck to your mom, I hope she gets over her cough and gets her PM tuned to her needs.

Stan

I was thinking like Tracey

by Lavender - 2022-12-13 11:33:15

A heart monitor could be helpful. 
Many family members and I got the "lisinipril cough" which stopped immediately upon ceasing the medication for some other choice.