Pacemaker Tapping - Left Side Sleeping

Hello, I've been reading older forum posts on this, it's a weird one and seems to be a few different takes on cause / resolution.

Anyway, it's now just over two weeks since I received my PM and life has changed for the better, I feel like I'm thirty again and not in my mid 40's.

The only thing I am experiencing, not overly concerning just odd, is a tapping in my PM if I lay either on my left side or front. It's not painful, but feels like a rhythmic finger tap in the PM pocket. Goes instantly if I turn onto my back or right hand side. I've not mentioned it to my cardiologist yet, but will discuss at my next follow up in a couple of weeks. Just interested if anyone had experienced anything similar with a newly implanted device?

If it helps, I have a Dual Lead Medtronic Azure XT DR MRI SureScan in DDD mode, 40 bpm basic rate, 250ms AV Delay.

9 Comments

give them a call

by Tracey_E - 2024-02-20 16:39:26

Let your doctor know what's going on. If it's positional, something might be moving. 

Needy Patient

by Ryan_CX - 2024-02-20 17:15:23

Hey, thanks Tracey, I'll call him first thing and send him into a panic again.

I've been back once already, I've got really mild pericarditis, had two ultrasounds and a chest x-ray to confirm it wasn't due to lead migration.

I'm turning into a needy patient!

Similar situation

by JaneJ - 2024-02-20 22:04:21

I had a very similar situation.  Would tap or twitch only when I was laying on my left side, then go away as soon as I layed on my back or right side.  Occasionally it would just do it randomly while I was sitting at my counter in the kitchen.  You could actually look down and see the pocket twitching.  Was very strange.  I sent a message to my EPs office and the nurse said it was because one of the leads in my crt device ran close to a nerve.  She had reassured me it wasn't dangerous but just annoying.  Offered to have me come in and switch a setting on the pacemaker.  The office is 3 hours away for me, so I declined.  It's best to check with your doctors about it though, because could be something else for you.  Hopefully all is well and not anything to difficult to fix.  Take care!

Tapping

by Penguin - 2024-02-21 04:25:11

Couple of thoughts...

I feel pacing that I would not usually feel if I lie in that position. Always have done and I'm on my 2nd device.  I wouldn't describe it as tapping, but more like increased awareness of electrical discharges / pacing. 

It may be worth finding out whether the voltage has been increased to allow your wires to bed in more quickly. This can increase awareness of pacing too. 

However, your situation sounds more complex than anything I deal with following implantation and therefore you shouldn't feel needy.  Try to eliminate the possible causes and keep an eye on any conditions causing concern. 

Let us know what the result is please. 

it's not needy

by Tracey_E - 2024-02-21 08:51:13

Getting care you need is not being needy. Asking for help when something feels off is always the right thing to do. They would much rather have us call them over nothing than ignore when something is wrong.

Thanks

by Ryan_CX - 2024-02-21 09:25:16

Thanks again for the responses, I've just been in touch with the hospital and waiting for my Cardiologist to call me back.

Tracey_E you are totally right, I need to get over myself, I know I'm not making a fuss really ;)

This sounds very similar to JaneJ's experience and I'll add to this thread as soon as I have spoken to the hospital and have some better understanding.

Thanks again everyone!

Quick Follow Up

by Ryan_CX - 2024-02-21 09:44:02

Spoke at length to my cardiologist and his opinion is that the voltage is likely too high currently and giving some nerve stimulation. Asked if I would like to come in earlier to modify the settings, so I'm going in to change things and see what the impact is. 

I promise I will update this thread with the conclusion, it seems fairly benign and more of an annoyance than anything else.

Me too!

by emmahall - 2024-02-21 15:43:50

I get this sensation as well on my left side. It was super prominant and uncomfortable after implantation, but I honestly just got used to it after two years. It sucks, but my cardiologist said he couldn't find anything wrong with my PM and that it's just something I have to deal with. Weirdly, the tapping when I lay on my left side is more prominant when I'm feeling anxious, so I think it has something to do with heart rate. After three years, I can finally sleep on my left side comfortably! 

The weirder part is that this is my third pacemaker and I never experienced this with the first two. 

It’s fixed!

by Ryan_CX - 2024-03-11 08:50:35

Just had my 5 week follow up and corrected some issues with paced & sensed AV delay (I'll save that for another post). But also managed to fix the tapping. It turns out that my pectoral muscle, on the side where the pacemaker is iserted, was being stimulated by the high voltage from my out of the box setings. The voltage has now been reduced and there is no more tapping. Can't wait to sleep on my left side again tonight!

You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

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