Update/Changes/More Dependent

Hi All,

I had posted previously that I was waiting for an appt with a Cardiologist at a VA hospital a couple of hours away from me. The General Practioner Dr. had reviewed the ECG results and said that I had a possible 1st degree block (?) I thought this odd when they had told me when it was implanted that I had a 2nd degree block. Today I had a thorough check up today after not having been checked for a year (had no insurance and justgot covered through the VA). Things have changed. They aren't certain to why the ECG showed a possible 1st degree block. What they did find was instead of being 40% pacemaker dependent, I am now 60%. I have 2nd and 3rd degree blocks. I was certain that I would still need the pacemaker, but wasn't prepared for being more dependent and having a 3rd degree block as well. I am thankful for my battery operated buddy and that I have only 2 months left of school studying for Pharmacy Technician ;D Looking forward to new beginnings.

Hope you all are doing well...
CJ

3 Comments

PS

by CJD2007 - 2010-03-26 02:03:40

I forgot to add...

They turned my pacer down to see when my heart would kick in... it didn't kick in until 30bpm. That is what it was at when I got the pacer in 2007.

numbers

by Tracey_E - 2010-03-26 04:03:56

Don't get too caught up in the names and numbers. A block can change over time, and how it's interpreted can vary between drs. A block means sometimes the signal doesn't get from the atria to the ventricle. If it happens all the time, it's third degree. If it happens occasionally it's first degree. If all of the signal is blocked some of the time or some of the signal is blocked all of the time, they call it second degree.

It's common to fluctuate between first, second, and third over time, and the name they give it can change between drs, how they draw the line and interpret the ekg. Shades of gray, different drs call it different colors. And non-cardiologists can be color blind, they don't always interpret the ekg's correctly on us when we're paced, it's common for an internist to give it the wrong name. It can get confusing but I think it really doesn't matter. :o) If we have av block- be it 1st, 2nd or 3rd- the pm will pick up the slack whenever we are in block. It's working and doing its job and making sure that signal is never blocked 100% of the time.

How much we pace can also change if they adjust the settings. For instance, if they drop the lower rate from 60 to 50 and your underlying rate is somewhere in the 50's, it's going to kick in a lot more often so you'd see a sudden big jump in usage. If they change the time delay between when the atria beats and when the ventricle paces, you're going to see a change in how much you pace. They often tinker with the settings, tweaking it to get our heartbeat as close to normal as possible.

Try not to get too caught up in the numbers, know that your problem- whatever they want to call it this week- is fixed.

And if your underlying rate is 30bpm, I'd expect you to pace 100%.

oops

by Tracey_E - 2010-03-26 05:03:05

If they RAISE the lower limit, it will kick in more. If they LOWER it, it will kick in less. Got my example backwards. :o)

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