heart pacemaker

Try this website for advice - I had viral myocarditis last year and was directed here.  I also contacted the British Heart Foundation and found that they were extremely helpful.

I do HR training, so wear a HRM all the time which is how I was able to identify my problem (apart from feeling the physical symptoms).

If you don't already use a HRM, it might be worth thinking about it.

Re the appointment, I'd advise doing some research beforehand about the condition, writing down a list of questions and taking them with you, that way you won't forget to ask anything.  I got very little help, advice or answers from my GP or the cardiologists that I saw, in the end, it was the BHF who were most helplful.

Good luck.

Hi Tutengil 

Providing there are no underlying health problems you should be able to continue running with no problems. Tennis, badminton, squash, swimming, cycling, skating, netball, handball and suchlike are all O.K. Contact sport such as rugby, boxing, judo, wrestling, football would be discouraged due to the possibility of damage to the pacemaker or the fitting of same. It is the patient's risk. 

The pacemaker is robust but it is in your best interests to treat it with some respect. Certainly in non contact sports you might still experience a heavy fall e.g. trip while running, fall off your bike but such are accidents not a repetitive part of the sport. Any accidents, sports or otherwise, that might affect the pacemaker should be followed up by a check. The pacemaker will allow for normal increased heartbeat and almost normal lifestyle.

Good luck

Sorry, haven't had time to post reply, but will do tomorrow.

I've been doing HR training for a few years, so when this occurred, knew immediately that something was wrong as apart from the physical symptoms (breathlessness, chestpain, thumping HR etc) my RHR was up by about 15 - 20bpm, my blood pressure was much higher than normal (higher even than when pregnant when I had pre-eclampsia) and when attempting to run, my HRs were off the scale.  I ended up in A + E over Christmas (999 call) where I was told that it was cardiac-related and as I wasn't actually having a heart attack, I'd need to go back to my GP.

My GP disagreed, diagnosing it as asthma and ignoring my training history - surprisingly enough, the treatment didn't make me any better!  Eventually, I managed to arrange to have a scan which  showed the physical damage to the heart.  The technician (female, similar age to me, 50's) was very helpful, thought that she knew what was going on, but to be sure, called in a cardiologist - again, female in her 50's .  She agreed with the diagnosis and explained it to me.  The cardiologist felt that had I been a male presenting with these symptoms, then I would have been taken more seriously and possibly admitted to hospital where I could have been treated more aggressively, so reducing the problem and the damage. 

At that stage, they couldn't tell whether the damage was permanent, luckily it wasn't.  However, it was a year before I was able to get back to running.  There was no treatment other than rest, so I stopped everything and just sat around, resting - well, in as much as you can with two children.  The one thing that they did comment on was that my heart was much more "fit" than that of a non-exerciser, but while a good thing, it had skewed the results.  

It has left me oddly vulnerable (germwise) and in a way that I never was before.  I'd never had any form of breathing difficulties or lung problems at all until I picked this up.  I had just started running again in December 2011 and was preparing to start mara training in January when I picked up a bug from my nephew (possibly the one who gave me the virus that caused the myocarditis) - I've been off these last two months, diagnosed two weeks ago with pneumonia.   

But, in the famous saying "I'll be back"! 

But tutengil is saying her resting heart rate has "dipped" (not sure if this means constant or occasional) to 32, not risen?

I thought a resting heart rate of 32 bpm was something to be desired and trained for? I know when I was much fitter 3 years ago my resting heart rate was 43 bpm, and assumed it was because i'd worked hard at it?!

Yes, I know, I read and understood that - the OP's is a totally different problem from the one that I had, I was simply illustrating the attention (or, more accurately, lack of) from the general medical professional when dealing with someone who has some form of cardiac problem yet wishes to continue exercising.

All HRs are individual so there's nothing to be gained by comparing one persons' with another.  I understand it that the OP's RHR has dipped to a sufficiently low level to cause concern (in relation to the "normal" RHR).   When fit, my RHR drops around 5bpm as my heart is more efficient at pumping the blood around the body, so requires less bpm to achieve this.  If mine were to drop much below this, then I too would wonder if I had a problem.

I have been diagnosed with having a right bundle branch block which fortunately won't need any treatment in the forseeable future, but I will forever have an ecg that at first glance to an inexperienced eye i.e. not a cardiologist appear to be a problem.

Woth looking at this site http://www.cardiacathletes.org.uk/forums/index.php if you want to get some great information from other people who have had all sorts of heart operations, pacemakers, arrythmias etc. but still want to exercise.

I only started running last year (working on Triathlons) but I had my first Pacemaker fitted 10 years ago.

My cardiologist has asked me not to take up Parachuting or Scuba diving, contact sprots are also not advised. Getting knocked on the PM can be extremely uncomfortable and often results in swearing!

I have had to go back to the hospital after Mountainbike crashes, kitesurfing incidents, smaking myself against a mountain when a handhold broke off...i think they may get sick of me!!

Running has proven to be great fun, the Pacemaker is keeping up well and the clinic are really happy for me to be involved in triathlons.

Just listen to your body carefully!!

i've done my share of parachuting in my early years so dont feel the urge to rekindle that sport at my time of life now ha ha ha! 

its very encouraging to hear that my sporting life is not finished because of bradycardia and i will continue to pursue fitness. i'm happy to just go out run and enjoy myself and yes you are so right its usually the body that lets you know what it dosent like too much so i do trust my instincts more and if i feel tired i cut back on the training and think tomorrow is another day.

good luck with triathlon. if you're taking part in that i shouldnt really have any worries about having a pacemaker fitted in the future as its obviously surviving you putting it through its full ranges.........

For me it was the signal to sort myself out!! I was fat, smoked and drank too much, I got a chance to turn myself around and took it.

I wouldn't worry, if you need one you will feel MUCH happier once it's fitted.

Hoping to get to sub 7minute miles this year, climb a harder grade or two and maybe tackle Mont Blanc.

bloody hell i just want to stand up without feeling dizzy and go out running occasionally to let off steam......but i have to admire you... go get it!!!!!!

ive got a review in december or sooner if i feel unwell but dont want to rush into this unless i really have to.

i did everest base camp in 2009 probably the toughest thing mentally and physically i have ever done. its so good to have theses goals it keeps us sharp and focused on what we need to do to get ourselves there....in short its living life to the full!!!!!

Hi Tutengil, I am going to see a consultant on Tuesday 9th October, like you I am suffering dizzy spells when standing up after sitting.  I had a 24-h ECG this week and apparently my pulse rate is in the 20s when I am asleep.  I am a male 56 year old (nearly) I have been running at a moderate level (15-20 miles a week average) over 2-3 sessions a week for about 22 years.  They are almost certainly going to suggest a pacemaker.  How are you getting along?  Dave 

I'd just like to add a couple of comments as I have an ICD which includes a pacemaker. Firstly I have had a couple of bad falls since I had mine fitted, once tripping on a tree root on a wood trail and once on a hard path when I tripped on a manhole cover but in neither case did it do anything to my ICD. I've convinced myself that it is quite hard to actually directly impact the device falling over running.

The other thing is that some pacemakers are better suited to running than others and the configuration can be quite tricky, in order to allow enough acceleration of your heart rate if say you suddenly hit a hill. The guy who runs the cardiacathletes website, called Lars, is a whizzo at this as he is a cardiac technician with a special interest in configuring pacemakers for runners so if anyone is going ahead with a fitting do get his advice  *before the model is decided upon!*. Even if you think, or have been told, that there isn't any choice of model.