PACEMAKERS to fix bradycardia?

kerrbear79
kerrbear79 Posts: 229 Member
edited October 3 in Motivation and Support
I'm sure there are lots of people on here who have a pacemaker and I don't know where else to find people to ask. My question is did anybody get a pacemaker specifically to fix severe bradycardia? My heart rate has been getting slower and slower as each year goes by, and I'm only 32. Supposedly I have something called Sick Sinus Syndrome, but I never experience tachycardia. My heart rate averages in the 40's and has been dropping to 37ish ALOT lately and I am barely able to make it through on those days. Therefore I will be getting a pacemaker. If anyone has had one implanted specifically for this reason can you please tell me if it has improved your quality of life and was it worth it? I'm 99% sure I will go ahead with it but am still uncertain it will take away my unbearable fatigue. Thanks in advance.....hopefully.

Replies

  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    I have the same problem and got a pacemaker in June of 2009 for it. My heart would actually have pauses of up to 6 seconds. I have what is called tachy-brady sick sinus syndrome. There are 3 different types of SSS. It's definitely worth getting the pacemaker. You don't want to be passing out due to severe bradycardia.
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
    It is not to fix the fatigue...It is to kickstart your heart when needed. I am very curious to know if this SSS started after you lost the weight, and have your Cardiologist suggest that you gain a few pounds?
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
    It is not to fix the fatigue...It is to kickstart your heart when needed. I am very curious to know if this SSS started after you lost the weight, and have your Cardiologist suggest that you gain a few pounds?
    If you have severe bradycardia it can cause extreme fatigue. Fixing the SSS will help with the bradycardia and therefore help with the fatigue. I would be surprised if weight loss caused it, however I know little about the effects of weight on the severity of the condition. My bradycardia varies irrespective of my weight. The only things that I know for definite make it worse for me are pregnancy and not eating enough salt.

    I hope your pacemaker surgery goes well and that you feel better for it. Wishing you all the best :flowerforyou:

    (I haven't needed a pacemaker yet but if mine got worse I would definitely go for it, but that's just me :wink: )
  • kerrbear79
    kerrbear79 Posts: 229 Member
    It is not to fix the fatigue...It is to kickstart your heart when needed. I am very curious to know if this SSS started after you lost the weight, and have your Cardiologist suggest that you gain a few pounds?

    The pacemaker will prevent my heart rate from dropping below a certain rate, but I'm not sure what the dr. will set that as. When it does get really low in the 30's is when the extreme fatigue sets in so that is why i hoping it fixes it and will be worth it. I was diagnosed with SSS about 3 years ago. That was when i was still within a normal weight range, about 120ish, but not as small as I am now, so I'm pretty sure my weight isn't affecting it.
  • kerrbear79
    kerrbear79 Posts: 229 Member
    If you have severe bradycardia it can cause extreme fatigue. Fixing the SSS will help with the bradycardia and therefore help with the fatigue. I would be surprised if weight loss caused it, however I know little about the effects of weight on the severity of the condition. My bradycardia varies irrespective of my weight. The only things that I know for definite make it worse for me are pregnancy and not eating enough salt.

    I hope your pacemaker surgery goes well and that you feel better for it. Wishing you all the best :flowerforyou:



    (I haven't needed a pacemaker yet but if mine got worse I would definitely go for it, but that's just me :wink: )
    [/quote]



    Wow that is interesting. During my pregnancy I hardly had any problems with it, it actually got better! I think that is because when you are pregnant your heart rate increases anyway, along with your blood volume, etc. So I actually felt BETTER when I was pregnant lol. Thank you.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    It is not to fix the fatigue...It is to kickstart your heart when needed. I am very curious to know if this SSS started after you lost the weight, and have your Cardiologist suggest that you gain a few pounds?

    The pacemaker will prevent my heart rate from dropping below a certain rate, but I'm not sure what the dr. will set that as. When it does get really low in the 30's is when the extreme fatigue sets in so that is why i hoping it fixes it and will be worth it. I was diagnosed with SSS about 3 years ago. That was when i was still within a normal weight range, about 120ish, but not as small as I am now, so I'm pretty sure my weight isn't affecting it.

    Keep in mind they can reset it during an office visit, do your physician can adjust the settings as your needs change. Also, it will respond to your level activity to increase/reduce your heart rate and therefore cardiac output.
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member

    The pacemaker will prevent my heart rate from dropping below a certain rate, but I'm not sure what the dr. will set that as. When it does get really low in the 30's is when the extreme fatigue sets in so that is why i hoping it fixes it and will be worth it. I was diagnosed with SSS about 3 years ago. That was when i was still within a normal weight range, about 120ish, but not as small as I am now, so I'm pretty sure my weight isn't affecting it.

    Mine is set at 50. They had it at 60, but it kept going off. LOL At 50, it doesn't go off as much and I've got to take Calan to help regulate things as well.
    The decrease in HR will definitely cause fatigue. Weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with sick sinus syndrome. SSS is caused by a malfunctioning sinus node, which is the heart's natural pacemaker. Do you have any other conditions? Autoimmune diseases or the like? Were you a Darvocet user at one point?(pain med)
  • kerrbear79
    kerrbear79 Posts: 229 Member

    The pacemaker will prevent my heart rate from dropping below a certain rate, but I'm not sure what the dr. will set that as. When it does get really low in the 30's is when the extreme fatigue sets in so that is why i hoping it fixes it and will be worth it. I was diagnosed with SSS about 3 years ago. That was when i was still within a normal weight range, about 120ish, but not as small as I am now, so I'm pretty sure my weight isn't affecting it.

    Mine is set at 50. They had it at 60, but it kept going off. LOL At 50, it doesn't go off as much and I've got to take Calan to help regulate things as well.
    The decrease in HR will definitely cause fatigue. Weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with sick sinus syndrome. SSS is caused by a malfunctioning sinus node, which is the heart's natural pacemaker. Do you have any other conditions? Autoimmune diseases or the like? Were you a Darvocet user at one point?(pain med)

    If mine can be set at 50 i'd be in a lot better shape! I actually feel decent when it gets that high. I've never heard of Calan? What is that used for? I do have some other conditions: hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia. I've never taken pain meds for more than a week at a time and just a few occasions throughout my life. Those things make me useless lol. But funny you ask that because that is one thing I am worried about is what if a lot of my fatigue is from the fibromyalgia? My thyroid levels are VERY well controlled ( my dad is my endocrinologist haha). He is one of the best so I know it's not my hypothyroidism causing the fatigue. But I do know on the days where my heart rate is in the 30's, even low 40's, I feel like a zombie & can barely make it, and on rare occasions now when it is higher I do feel ok. I tell ya I am too young to have these issues!!!! =(
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member

    If mine can be set at 50 i'd be in a lot better shape! I actually feel decent when it gets that high. I've never heard of Calan? What is that used for? I do have some other conditions: hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia. I've never taken pain meds for more than a week at a time and just a few occasions throughout my life. Those things make me useless lol. But funny you ask that because that is one thing I am worried about is what if a lot of my fatigue is from the fibromyalgia? My thyroid levels are VERY well controlled ( my dad is my endocrinologist haha). He is one of the best so I know it's not my hypothyroidism causing the fatigue. But I do know on the days where my heart rate is in the 30's, even low 40's, I feel like a zombie & can barely make it, and on rare occasions now when it is higher I do feel ok. I tell ya I am too young to have these issues!!!! =(

    Sorry it took me a few days to get back here :)

    They can set it to whatever, honestly. Mine started out at 60, but it kept going off. LOL So dropping it to 50 was better for me. Calan is for heart irregularities and such. Since I have the tachy-brady version of SSS, I can be sleeping and my heart rate will jump up to almost 200. The calan is to regulate that.
    I bet that your fatigue is probably 50-50. Fibro does cause a good bit of fatigue, but as you can attest to, so does a low heart rate. :)
  • max4pups
    max4pups Posts: 29 Member
    Haven't read all the replies, however I had a pacemkaer implant June of 2010. I was diagnosed with tachycardia about years ago and have had trouble with bradycardia since I was a teen. Together called SSS.

    My tachy is treated medicinally with a heart regulator medicine.

    my brady (cardio inhibitory 2B, which basically means my heart stops for roughly 30 seconds...) was treated with the pacemaker.

    my pacer is set so that my heart won't drop below 50 beats, any less than that and I will hit the floor passing out (nuero-cardio syncope)

    weight had nothing to do with my problems. My Electrophysiologits (EP) yup there is such a thing LOL basically said it's an electrical issue within my heart, although my heart is extremely healthy.

    As a teen I weighed roughly 100-115 lbs at the time of the pacemaker implant I was in the 150's and now I'm back in the 120's

    I have noticed that when I run I have a flutter at 149-152 (heart beats) I where an HRM up until that point and then after I'm just fine and it's nothing I can't deal with (almost feels as if they are checking my pacer)

    fatigue is very common during either brady or tachy. I think i'm worse during a brady episode than I am during a tachy.

    There is a place online called the pacer club http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/Home/content.do
    they have been extremely helpful to me.

    Should add I was 39 at the time of the implant, it has improved my quality of life and it was well worth it :)
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    Haven't read all the replies, however I had a pacemkaer implant June of 2010. I was diagnosed with tachycardia about years ago and have had trouble with bradycardia since I was a teen. Together called SSS.

    My tachy is treated medicinally with a heart regulator medicine.

    my brady (cardio inhibitory 2B, which basically means my heart stops for roughly 30 seconds...) was treated with the pacemaker.

    my pacer is set so that my heart won't drop below 50 beats, any less than that and I will hit the floor passing out (nuero-cardio syncope)

    weight had nothing to do with my problems. My Electrophysiologits (EP) yup there is such a thing LOL basically said it's an electrical issue within my heart, although my heart is extremely healthy.

    As a teen I weighed roughly 100-115 lbs at the time of the pacemaker implant I was in the 150's and now I'm back in the 120's

    I have noticed that when I run I have a flutter at 149-152 (heart beats) I where an HRM up until that point and then after I'm just fine and it's nothing I can't deal with (almost feels as if they are checking my pacer)

    fatigue is very common during either brady or tachy. I think i'm worse during a brady episode than I am during a tachy.

    There is a place online called the pacer club http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/Home/content.do
    they have been extremely helpful to me.

    Should add I was 39 at the time of the implant, it has improved my quality of life and it was well worth it :)

    I have the exact same thing (tachy-brady SSS) What med are you taking for yours? I was also 39 when I had mine implanted. I'm actually having surgery monday to move my pacer to a better position. The positioning of the thing is the worst problem for me. With my weight loss, it moves around like crazy and is kind of painful.
  • max4pups
    max4pups Posts: 29 Member
    Haven't read all the replies, however I had a pacemkaer implant June of 2010. I was diagnosed with tachycardia about years ago and have had trouble with bradycardia since I was a teen. Together called SSS.

    My tachy is treated medicinally with a heart regulator medicine.

    my brady (cardio inhibitory 2B, which basically means my heart stops for roughly 30 seconds...) was treated with the pacemaker.

    my pacer is set so that my heart won't drop below 50 beats, any less than that and I will hit the floor passing out (nuero-cardio syncope)

    weight had nothing to do with my problems. My Electrophysiologits (EP) yup there is such a thing LOL basically said it's an electrical issue within my heart, although my heart is extremely healthy.

    As a teen I weighed roughly 100-115 lbs at the time of the pacemaker implant I was in the 150's and now I'm back in the 120's

    I have noticed that when I run I have a flutter at 149-152 (heart beats) I where an HRM up until that point and then after I'm just fine and it's nothing I can't deal with (almost feels as if they are checking my pacer)

    fatigue is very common during either brady or tachy. I think i'm worse during a brady episode than I am during a tachy.

    There is a place online called the pacer club http://www.pacemakerclub.com/public/jpage/1/p/Home/content.do
    they have been extremely helpful to me.

    Should add I was 39 at the time of the implant, it has improved my quality of life and it was well worth it :)

    I have the exact same thing (tachy-brady SSS) What med are you taking for yours? I was also 39 when I had mine implanted. I'm actually having surgery monday to move my pacer to a better position. The positioning of the thing is the worst problem for me. With my weight loss, it moves around like crazy and is kind of painful.

    I'm taking metaprolol extended release tabs.... You know I haven't noticed any position change but i have noticed that my purse when i wear it across my chest and my seat belt while driving are bugging me ?? will need to ask doctor about it when i go in february... I'm so close to goal i think it'll just be an adjustment on my part as long as everything holds tight.
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