Bradycardia post exercise

[axg9504]

I can walk for a half hour and do some weights after but I'm s.o.b and it's tiring. My Timex monitor shows that it will maintain a steady 100 bpm at this pace. It doesn't look like I can get above 120 as I used to 3 yrs ago for a short duration. The real problems start after I stop exercising, rate falls almost immediately and stays at 50-60 for several hours (my normal rest rate is 70-80). Walking up stairs will bring dizziness. After I recover, which could be in 3 hours on a good day, I am still liable to wake up early morning with a very low rate below 40, and my chest pounding. Sometimes just getting up and walking around will fix it, sometimes it takes several hours. This happens ONLY during the first 24 hours after exercise.

My problems started 5 yrs ago with exercise induced dizziness and it took a lot more exercise than it does now. I've had a heart cath, a TEE (have a PFO) an ablation in the right atrium. I've been prescribed a pacemaker. My questions (1)I am puzzled and can't find another case on forums like these of someone who had these problems post exercise. If my heart doesn't respond to exercise why does it stay in low rates long after, why does it recover and then falter again, ONLY on a day of exercise (2)What testing would you recommend to determine if a PM would successfully address my problems and that I would NOT have to take meds after the implant to be able to exercise.

[CCF-M.D.-CA]

The case you describe is a rare form of what is known as chronitropic incompetence. I don't know your age but assuming that you are under 70 your maximum heart rate should be over 130 bpm. If not, during exercise, you may experience early fatigue and not be able to achieve the levels of activity that you once achieved. This may have a number of causes, and the test we would usually order would be a 24 or 48 hour holter monitor. This would keep track of your heat rates during periods of exercise and afterwards and give the interpreter objective evidence of what is actually causing the inability of your heart to reach target heart rates.
At present you don't seem to have an indication for a pacemaker, as you have not develop any dizzyness or light-headeness.

[axg9504]

I did have a Holter done a couple of years ago when I was in this low bpm stage after exercise. My rhythmn was junctional when they did my ECG. Holter showed skipped beats and pauses but sinus overall. My Timex monitor now tells me that I have an irregular rate, with a drop to 60 when I start exercise before it picks up and levels off at a suboptimal 100 bpm. Thanks for your comments.

[axg9504]

I do get dizzy if I try to do anything more than a 4 mph walk. I am familiar with the term CI. I am puzzled by the fact that actual bradycardia (40 bpm or below ) occurs after I stop exercising and sometimes long after. I've looked at posts in *********.com and the runners there (I used to be one) who had PM's implanted were having problems maintaining the necessary rate, but all of them say that their rate got back to normal after they stopped. Of course 'normal' for these very fit people was 40-50 not 70-80 as in my case. I'd love to hear from anyone here who's been in a similar situation.

[slowbrain]

I am grasping at straws here. LOW PULSE PROBLEM? Low to high 50's.

My daily headache is in the back-side of my head and neck pain along with it. I have multiple other symptoms. Memory problems, lack of co-ordination ect. ect. I won't list it. It makes people think I'm just "CRAZY." I won't go there.

My question is, Has ANYONE ever heard of a condition where someone is heat intolerable and cold intolerable.......For instance a cold breeze on the back of my neck, my head or spine makes me not feel anything; like my brain is shutting down. My pulse drops to the high 50's. My skin feels like it's on fire in my face and torso yet the back-side of my head, my hands and feet are freezing. My head is hurting and I go into confusion. I feel no feelings. I am severely slowed down. My skin is white as a Ghost! I have to remind myself to keep breathing cause I feel so too tired to keep breathing.

Anyone heard of such a thing? Am I crazy?

Please, HELP ME! Anybody out there that knows what I'm looking for to get well?