beta blockers / de-fib / PM affecting performance

i am a former world class triathlete who had a PM/Defib ICD inserted in August. 3 weeks later while cycling i went in to V-tach and they put me on a beta blocker (sotalol). i've been in 2x to have the device settings adjusted. however, when i ride my bike i have to stop every 15-20 minutes. it feels like i'm riding with a plastic bag over my head. walking / jogging is a bit better. it's gotten so discouraging i've almost given up cycling til i discovered this site and saw the success others are having.

right now, my device is set at 55 / 150 and they want me to keep my HR under 140. this really limits my ability to climb hills (which are all around where i live). any suggestions on the questions i should ask or the settings i should request when i go back in next month for another tune up?

it's driving me a bit crazy not being able to work out at anywhere need the level i'm used to.

7 Comments

Settings..

by turboz24 - 2008-12-24 06:12:15

So, a little more help on your origional condition would help.

Is your PM/ICD set for?

55/150 min and max on the PM? Are you reliant on the PM for exercise (as in raising your pulse) or does your heart do that fine on it's own?

What is the ICD set for?

How much Sotalol are you on?

As a general rule, I think if it's interfering with your life, you need to go at the doctors until they answer your questions and solve the issues for you. When I was put on any signifigant levels of beta blockers, they tanked by BP and hearts capacity to pump blood to the point that I was loosing BP when I would exert myself and I was just constantly tired, etc.

Depends on why you have it.

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-24 10:12:08

A lot depends on what the cardiac situation is that resulted in your needing a pacemaker. There is only one thing the pacemaker can do is generate heart beats. It can't remove them or slow your heart down. Neither can it cause a damaged heart muscle to operate normally.

An ICD only provides a much stronger jolt to the heart to attempt to either restart it in case of arrest, or possibly shock it out of a risky rhythm.

Look at this way. Would you expect to workout at your normal level if you had a broken leg? The fact that the doc decided on an ICD is an indication that something serious is going on. The shortness of breath for someone in your physical shape is not a good sign. It's time to back off on your expectations and give your heart time to heal before it makes the decision for you in a way you won't like. Ask the doc what is really going on with your heart.

As most anyone on the forum will tell you, I don't have a reputation for being conservative in my activities, but I can do that because I also respect what my body is telling me.

best of luck,

frank

Living with ICD firing..

by turboz24 - 2008-12-25 08:12:33

"Of course no one wants a defib unit firing several times in a short period of time. In fact, from what I have read no one with one ever wants it to fire.".

Actually if I was given the choice between the depression, lack of enjoyment, and total sluggishness that most arrythmia medications do to me or getting shocked once every month or 2 and being on minimal drugs, I'd take the shocks + less drugs.

Life has been altered.....

by Bionic Beat - 2008-12-25 12:12:04

Sounds to me as if whatever is wrong with your heart, is serious but has been 'fixed' with your PM/ICD and beta blockers.

Maybe your 'new reality' is that you need to lower your expectations about what your body can now accomplish.

It doesn't mean that you cannot be active and live a normal life, as many on this site are very active people and have fulfilling lives.

No point in getting 'a bit crazy', we all have life-altering moments. We're all a heart beat away from them.

Best wishes for a happy, if somewhat slower lifestyle.


Bionic Beat


Forgot.....

by Bionic Beat - 2008-12-25 12:12:08

I forgot to say, for the thirty years I was living on beta blockers, it was like walking through wet cement and breathing through a wet face cloth. Not fun.....

But, I was alive and able to raise three children.....just glad to have a normal life.

After nearly dying last year, my pacemaker is just wonderful.....I'm very grateful that I live in times when these sick hearts can sometimes be fixed.


Merry Christmas!


Bionic Beat

biking

by Susan - 2008-12-26 03:12:59

First off, I found my first beta-blocker made me sluggish and operate in a fog. I switched beta-blockers and that helped tremendously.
Second, while I am not the athlete you are, I did find riding a bike frustrating. I did fine until I came to a hill and that was like hiting a brick wall. When I asked about that I learned that they could change the settings on my pacemaker so that wouldn't happen. This was not about setting rate limits but setting the slope as to when the pacemaker kicks in and how fast it accelerates. I needed a faster acceleration reponse. It was explained to me that my pacemaker had a sensor which was in the pacemaker until. For my heart rate to increase, the sensor depended upn movment in my shoulder. With bike riding there was not the shoulder movement thus the slower reaction time. Different pacemakers have different kinds of sensors so this may not help you at all but the changes really made a difference for me.
SusanD

Beta blockers or Worser Blockers

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-26 12:12:56

I haven't taken them, but from what I keep hearing on the forum they are named wrong. LOL

frank

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You forecast electrical storms better than the weather network.

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