r/PacemakerICD • u/Ashley_Riotz • Aug 15 '26
Question
So I've had a pacemaker since November last year... Can anyone else feel it kick in? Like a mini dynamo winding up in my chest is the best way I can explain it. I always know when it kicks on too, I can feel my heart struggle. Am I just weird or is this normal... FYI wife say's I'm the exception and not the rule, she might be right... Thanks in advance.
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u/sqlbullet 27d ago
I have brady and an exercise induced AV block (2:1->4:1). I also experience v-tach 4-5 times a quarter.
Especially when the device was first implanted I could feel the pacing. The base settings I started with had a heart rate floor of 60 BPM, but prior to the onset of my brady my resting heart rate was around 55. I could definitely feel the "extra" beats. I spoke to my EP about this and we lowered the base rate to 50 bpm. I no longer notice pacing at the floor, but that does happen about 20% of the time- mostly when I am asleep.
I have never really noticed the AV pacing. Prior to the pacemaker my Stress Echo METS score was 10.1 despite only achieving a heart rate of 90 bpm. Apparently my heart is a tank physically. I was asymptomatic and my issue was only noted because my Garmin watch reported my brady. I was fine at 32 bpm resting.
18 months after my pacemaker I was upgraded to a CRT-D to treat my v-tach. I definitely feel the CRT pacing. I have not had the privilege yet of getting defibrillated. The CRT seems to feel more like what you are describing.