pacemaker problems?

Dear Gudrun

I too have had a av node ablation due to chronic atrial fibrillation. You are two years older than I and other than that our conditions seem to be identical. I havent had exactly the same symtoms that you describe but I havent felt well since I had the orginal problem almost two years ago. I have had my pm since Feb. 2007. I have had a lot of shortness of breath and funny movement in the heart area that i cant explain. I was however on Adivan for anxiety for one year and also Ambien for sleep. It is very hard getting off these drugs and the symptoms are much like the ones that I had before except for the high heartrate 170 beats when i went to emergency. I have decided that the anxiousness of the whole procedure is very mind altering. I am sure the things that I notice now may have been happening years ago but I wasnt aware of a potential problem. Thats why this website is so wonderful. You defintely find that you are not alone. GoodLuck! DD

1 Comments

Post AVN ablation

by johnc_19 - 2008-04-28 04:04:09

My AVN was ablated ovewr 15 years ago and I had unusual heart sensations for about a year afterward.

For people with dual chamber pacemakers, the ventricular lead is often attached at the RVA (right ventricular apex) and the ventricular contraction initiates there. This results in a contraction that is sort of in the opposite direction as the natural contraction and I attribute some of the unusal sensations to that effect.

I would anticipate these occurances to subside over time and eventually either not occur or not bother you.

If you have continued discomfort, you might consider talking to your physician about revising the lead placement more septally to more accurately simulate the natural ventricular contraction.

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