Newbie

welcome to the club you did not want to belong to

by new to pace.... - 2024-10-30 13:04:42

if it was me with this concern would contact my  doctor, could be something they did when they tweaked it.  

new to pace 

Early days

by piglet22 - 2024-10-30 13:07:25

Well done.

I would definitely get in touch with your pacing team and tell them of any not normal sensations you might be getting.

Equip yourself if you haven't done already, with something to check your heart rate with.

You can take your pulse at your wrist, but an oximeter (pulse and oxygen saturation) or a blood pressure monitor will be more accurate.

You should either have been told or given a card with your device settings.

You need to look for something called IPG (Implanted Pulse Generator) Base Rate.

This is a figure typically 60 or 70 which is the minimum heart rate in Beats Per Minute (BPM) that your device is set to. Your heart rate during relaxed day time, say sitting down, should not be less than the IPG base rate. By less, I mean 69 or 68 if the IPG rate is 70-BPM. Rates above that are fine.

There might also be a code on the card looking like DDDR. This is the set up for your device. "R" means rate response is turned on and you should find your heart rate increasing with exercise.

Good luck

Thanks

by Nemo2 - 2024-10-30 14:46:30

Appreciate the input, 'new' & 'piglet'........card, (as with so many things, is (or will be) "In the mail"...I have a temporary one that basically tells me...um...nothing.

"Onwards and...uh, what was the rest of that again?"

Attempting to contact the Cardiac Clinic now....(leaving a message there is like completing a Rubik's Cube blindfolded.....not that I've ever finished one with my eyes open).

Clinic

by Nemo2 - 2024-10-30 16:01:26

Spoke to the clinic.....they "Can't think of anything that was done there yesterday that would have caused today's symptoms.." 

(Forgot to mention...the Clinic is a 90 minute each way drive from where we live.)

Might give our GP a call tomorrow if the current situation continues.

Oy Vey.

Pacemaker settings.

by Selwyn - 2024-10-30 17:19:48

Welcome to the club no one really wanted to belong to.

'If at first you don't succeed try try again'.

Clearly your PM settings need adjusting

Make sure the team understands your exercise needs and when you get the symptoms.

It can take ages to get the right settings. An exercise test may be useful ( I had to run up 3 flights of hospital stairs and nearly collapsed with breathlessness at the top). Just swam a mile yesterday without too much trouble. A pacemaker will not get rid of atrial fibrillation.

Changes to the PM settings are best done gradually  - it is certainly worth while not being satisfied until  you  get the right settiing.

Appreciate the input

by Nemo2 - 2024-10-30 18:56:07

Thanks Selwyn......an exercise test sounds like a good idea.

I have another follow-up appointment scheduled for early December and the clinic is attempting to find a closer location  -  oddly enough I just walked upstairs and the 'wooziness' was almost non-existent ("Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).'

The earlier episodes today were somewhat of an anomaly and I automatically attributed them to yesterday's tweaking......now, if they come back or if they don't come back, either way I am and will be puzzled.

(This episode, if it continues or not, helps to confirm my wife's theory that I'm from another planet......generally speaking if 'everyone else' gets something, I don't, and if I get something it's classified as 'highly unusual'.)

Tweaking

by piglet22 - 2024-10-30 20:34:59

I was speaking to the EP (technician) today to arrange my second replacement in January.

I've been suffering exercise fatigue for a year now and simply grind to a halt.

I also had quite severe, blackouts, pacemaker induced low blood pressure, which is why it's important to monitor yourself.

One thing they will do at replacement is to change my rate response to in their words, a more aggressive setting.

I can climb a hill and get no change in heart rate. Needless to say I can't do it in one go.

With pacemakers, it's not a perfect world and you need to be prepared for the unexpected.

Over and underwatering

by Lavender - 2024-10-30 21:22:04

Welcome! You sound upbeat and like a guy who's taking things in stride! My thought was that the only couple times that I felt woozy since my pacemaker installation...was because I was either dehydrated or had drunk too much water! I was later told by the cardiac nurse that we need much more water intake than we used to. She also told me that we can intake too much water which depletes our blood sodium. 

I was told to keep pretzels on hand to eat if I am getting woozy. Then again, some folks are told to restrict salt so do what your doctor tells you.

That was early on when I got my device. I have never had any episodes since. 
Just some food for thought so to speak 😉

Salt

by Nemo2 - 2024-10-30 22:31:28

Thanks for the input Lavender.........I never, ever, add salt to anything......in fact I recall working on the construction of a dam in Northern Australia when I was 19...guy who doubled as the medic tried twice to have me ingest salt tablets, (at the time I believe the U.S. Navy was issuing them to the sailors).

On both occasions I threw up as soon as the tablets hit my stomach...'sodiumphobic' I guess ;-)

I'll keep the idea in mind though.....thanks again.......this whole pacemaker thing is rapidly becoming far more convoluted than I envisioned.

Salt

by piglet22 - 2024-10-31 06:02:41

My father was in the RAF during WW2 in the deserts of the Middle East and Southern Italy.

Heat was a major problem working in and on very hot military aircraft.

He often said they were issued with salt tablets and not taking them was a disciplinary offence.

Also, jewelry like rings was banned. Tales of service men jumping out of the back of lorries and leaving their finger behind wedged in the tailgate 

The basic timing of your heart is driven by the complex movement of sodium and potassium ions.

That natural mechanism is replicated in lines of written code in your device.

The outcome is your heart beating once a second. Meanwhile, the heart of the device, the processor, is working at least a million times faster than that.

Remarkable.

Salt

by Nemo2 - 2024-10-31 08:21:37

Remarkable indeed piglet22.......remarkable and often inexplicable.

A separate paragraph in my 'another planet' repertoire is something my wife & I refer to as the 'Fake Malaria'; maybe every decade or so I start with this overwhelming urge to stretch my chest.....when that starts I know what's coming next.....bedbound, sweating like a proverbial pig, unable to get out of bed without assistance.....and then it passes.

Doctors, including one in Ottawa who was born in Kolkata/Calcutta, plus a German surveyor who came down with malaria in West Africa, say that (except for the 'stretching compulsion') it sounds like malaria, (I travelled down through India in 1963, and spent my 21st birthday in what was then Ceylon).

A physician, about 30km from where we live now, noted that the malaria 'bug' has a tendency to 'hide' in the fingertips, so I went every day for 5 days to a lab to have blood removed......nothing/zip/nada.......another one of Life's Mysteries. 

Oh, and the wooziness this morning appears, (at least temporarily), to have gone the way of the Dodo.....go figure.

Salt tablets

by Lurker (Doc DX) - 2024-10-31 08:40:55

My grandfather owned a shoe small shoe factory during the war and I remember a small salt tablet dispenser mounted near the punch clock. 

When a I was in the RCAF during the 50s they told you not to wear rings when working on equipment. One time I was sitting in cockpit of a CF100 and someone took the ladder away. I went to slide down the side and my ring got caught in the canopy rail. I thought I was going to loose my finger  

Doc DX

Pinch of salt

by piglet22 - 2024-10-31 08:49:27

Yes, the coding is remarkable as well.

I do a bit, for things like thermostats. It has to be pitch perfect or it comes back to bite.

Remember the Millenium Bug? The non-event at 00:00 01/01/2000? That was a case of over-thinking the problem. There are real bugs involving large numbers like long integers that can play havoc if you don't take account of them. The rollover problem.

Your device and mine could have hidden errors, but thankfully rare.

If you could listen in to your device, it would be buzzing. A million calculations a second for 10-years. Remarkable. It never wears out, shame about the battery.

i used to work with very dirty stuff. Somewhere along the line, I picked up an unknown virus or bug. I used to know when it was going to reappear, a bit like malaria. I had about 30-minutes to get home and go to bed. 24 hours later it had gone. Thankfully, I don't get so many.

Expect the unexpected. Good luck on your journey and enjoy yourself.

SALT

by docklock - 2024-10-31 10:48:25

Some of the establishments (bars) I used to frequent in the 60's had salt shakers on the bar. The idea was when getting a fresh one to sprinkle salt into it.

Many years ago, before my PM install, I was welding on my VW Bus and accidently comprimised my wedding ring. A couple days later I went and got a tattoo wedding band. No more problems with the metal ring and it always fits.

Further to.....

by Nemo2 - 2024-11-01 16:08:05

We did a little research, (unable to contact cardiologist/GP at this time  -  Monday-Thurs office hours), and this appears to address my problem:

"Pacemaker Impact on AFib

Based on the provided search results, here is a summary of the potential effects of a pacemaker on AFib:

AV Node Ablation: In some cases, a pacemaker may be implanted in conjunction with AV Node ablation, a procedure that “knocks out” the AV node. This can potentially worsen AFib symptoms, as the pacemaker may not be able to effectively regulate the heart rhythm.

Pacing Mode: The pacing mode of the pacemaker can also influence the development of AFib. A study found that patients with pacemakers programmed to pace in the right ventricle (VVI) had a higher incidence of AFib compared to those with pacemakers programmed in non-VVI mode.

Rate Control: Pacemakers can be used to facilitate rate control medications and anti-arrhythmic drugs in managing AFib. However, this may not directly affect the underlying AFib condition.

Rhythm Control: Pacemakers can also be used to restore normal heart rhythm in patients with AFib. However, this may not be effective in all cases, and the pacemaker may not be able to completely eliminate AFib episodes.

Key Takeaways

The impact of a pacemaker on AFib can vary depending on the specific pacing mode and procedure used.

AV Node ablation in conjunction with pacemaker implantation may potentially worsen AFib symptoms.

Pacemakers can be used to facilitate rate control and rhythm control medications, but may not directly affect the underlying AFib condition.

In Conclusion

While a pacemaker can be an effective tool in managing AFib symptoms, its impact on the underlying condition is complex and may vary depending on individual circumstances. It is essential to discuss the potential effects of a pacemaker with a healthcare provider and weigh the benefits and risks before implantation."

Feedback greatly appreciated.

Why don't you repost (copy and paste) as a new message?

by Gemita - 2024-11-03 05:32:02

Nemo2, why don't you repost these comments as a new message, so that members can specifically try to give feedback on your thoughts.  It would help if you would include a link or links of the research papers that you are quoting from so that members can make up their own mind about management of AF.  A pacemaker cannot stop AF but some settings may help reduce AF or other arrhythmia episodes.  This is a vast subject, so I feel a new post would be helpful?