Bradycardia and stroke symptoms

[boothman]

I had a weird episode in 2002 and found out I have bradycardia...have been thru all the testing, eeg, ekg, carodid tests, MRI, all that. At the end of it, I was told that a pacemaker would nt work and they were skeptical of medication.
Since 2002 I have lost vision in my left eye for 1/2 hour or more at a time. I experience stroke like symptoms...inability to concentrate, confusion, anxiety, etc. I lost my job as a lending officer and finance teacher due to memory loss (mainly with names, dates...words) and am at a loss as to what my problem may be. My heart rate drops into the 20's, and had a space of 2.6 seconds between beats during the halter test.
Can a slow heart beat casue these symptoms? Official diagnosis was sinus arrythmia and bradycardia with premature ventricular contractions.
Thank you.

[EyeDesign]

The confusion you are feeling may not just be the bradycardia.  Has anyone given you an MRI to look for evidence that you may have had a small stroke?  The symptoms you are writing sound like residue from a small stroke which often comes with a communication disorder called aphasia.  Also, since science has yet to fully acknowledge the link between bradycardia and stroke, many doctors do not order an MRI.

I would have not survived had I not ultimately received a pacemaker for my bradycardia but not before suffering a stroke.

I agree with the others in urging you to immediately see an EP and hope you feel better soon.

Please let us know what happens

[boothman]

Thanks for the responses...at least my conerns are validated apparently.

The reason no pacemaker is ??? They had mentioned the fact that my heart had an "electrical misalignment"? I don't know what that means, or if that is a reason.
Anyway, I lost my finance job and haven't held a steady job since, been fired for lack of attention to detail and that sort of thing. I am trying to figure out what's wrong and if there's anything I can do about it.
Seriously, thanks for the responses. I don't have ins. but am trying to get medical help and this definately encourages me.

[mmfd]

Gee, that's awful.  Why did they say that a pacemaker wouldn't work?  I would make an appointment right away with an electrophysiologist, EP, an arrhythmia specialist.  It sounds like you need a pacer right away!  I am not a doctor but that is my opinion.

[Al Dente]

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go.  Bradycardia can give off some of those issues--let alone be dangerous with a pulse going into the 20s.  I would seek another opinion as this is not normal.

I share your stroke concerns.  I had a CVA (cerebral vascular accident) earlier this year.  It has created problems with memory & recall--I very well understand how this can cause issues especially working in finance, as this is a large part of my education.  My congnitave abilities had gotten worse after the event, but slowly are recovering--I have develop dyslexic typing (don't know if I spelled that one right).

Bradycardia can cause severe confusion...you're heart's not pumping enough blood up into the brain.  Hopefully you can talk to a doc about this problem.  I don't think this is normal.