Heart block/pacemaker- need an answer !

Question

Hi !
My name is Janet and i'm 19 years old.. i have this heart block condition,, and i've had it since birth..
recently i was on an 24 hour monitor,, --Knowing that they told me i should move a lot while at it,, so i made extra effort like walking and exercising (treadmill)  --these were the results:
-The avg heart rate was 41 BPM,, the minimun heart rate was 30 BPM (which was during my sleep) and the max was 89 BPM which was at the time i was using the treadmill..
-the rhythm included 22 hrs 20 min 46 sec of bradycardia. The slowest single episode occured during my sleep and lasted 16 min 55 sec with min rate of 30 BPM
-Supraventricular ectopic activity consisted of 30 beats,, 18 were in atrial couplets, 12 were single PACs. There were 27 dropped beats. Longest RR interval was 2.1 sec and longest NN interval was 2.1 sec both occurring during my sleep.

  We've been discussing a pacemaker lately.. and i want to understand these results and whether i need a pacemaker or it's fine this way.. please someone answer me

grendslori · Answer

My daughter had a heart transplant when she was 22. Things could be better at this point, but we knew from the start that transplants weren't a cure for her heart disease. take care! :)

Janet0211 · Answer

wow thank you! 
 and i hope your daughter is doing fine now =)

grendslori · Answer

It sounds like you may have something called Sick Sinus Syndrome. You DO NEED a pacemaker! A heart rate in the 30 range can actually stop the heart from beating. A lack of increase in the pulse rate during exercise also says that you need a pacer. My daughter had to have a duel chamber pacer implanted with those same low rates when she was 8 years old. Forget ANY doctor who says to wait and see. You will feel SO MUCH BETTER after you have a pacer implanted. Get it done, the sooner the better.

Janet0211 · Answer

i see! Yay for yu then i guess =))

ireneo · Answer

Sure. My tachy times are so brief and at its worst I may have 5 mini tachys in a day but not usually. There's no chance of me passing out. I just feel it, get annoyed and wait for it to behave again. They don't go fast enough or last long enough for any chance of clot formation either, unlike the folks with a-fib.

Janet0211 · Answer

haha i won't tell the doctor :P is it safe though ? that u're not taking any medications i mean.. 
 and i'm glad things worked out well for u ! =)

ireneo · Answer

As for me, I had 3 ablations done to get my erratic tachycardia under control. I still have it but it's so much better. I don't mind a few seconds or a minute of fast heart rate because I know it will kick back to normal soon. I don't take any medication (shh, don't tell my doctor) and I did not need a pacemaker. My EP cardio was very careful when he was zapping away inside my heart.

Janet0211 · Answer

No i'm not taking anything.. and some doctors said that a pacemaker isn't guaranteed to make me feel much better either :( so i don't know.. Some say it's a choice.. i don't really HAVE to get one.. what i want to know is whether with these results i HAVE to,, or is it still a choice to simply make me feel better but not crucial.. 
  
 Thank yu btw =) and how about u? with those pills ur heart rate speeds up to 200 ? do u also need 2 get a pacemaker ?

Flycaster305 · Answer

Are you taking any medications?  Beta blockers can and do put the brakes on your heart rate.  

When my heart rate started dropping into the 30's, I started getting fainting spells.  My heart rate would slow down into the 30's then speed up as high as 200 bpm.

If you are having trouble talking while walking, that's a telling sign you have problems in my opinion.  My guess is that a pacemaker would give you back a lot of energy, and you would love having one sooner than later.

Janet0211 · Answer

Thank yu so much for answering,, i know what u mean,, i'm so sick of having to TRY all the time,, even try to talk and walk.. ugh! Doctors all said i have to get a pacemaker,, all except one,, he said i can still live the way i do and we'll install a pacemaker once i'm married.. but that was before these results came in.. im seeing him in a week again =)
 how about yu though? what solves yur problem ??

ireneo · Answer

That's a very low average heart rate. You said you "made extra effort like walking" so it sounds like your energy level is low. An excellent athlete may have a lower heart rate (in the 50's) and feel great. But in your case, I don't get that impression. 

A pacemaker would help quite a bit and I think you'd be shocked at how much better you would feel with a more normal heart rate, better circulation. It's something to discuss with your cardiologist but I think you would be surprised at what you've been missing all these years.

I've had arrhythmias for as long as I can remember. I thought it was "normal" to have my heart race close to 200 bpm when I got up out of bed in the morning, that it was normal to not run or climb hills, that it was normal for the heart to speed up for no reason. Then I found out it wasn't like everyone else. We adapt to what we know. But we don't have to stay with that.