Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Sick Sinus Syndrome

I am a healthy 40 y/o female with episodes of fainting,PvC's, and severe fatigue accompanying these events. I am due to see a cardiologist and am trying to find more info on sick sinus syndrome. This is what my family doc suspects ( a holter was also done showing severe bradycardia). Is there anywhere I can find more info or does anyone know the usual course of treatment? I hate to think I might need a pacemaker. Thank you.
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
A related discussion, tachy/brady syndrome was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Does anyone else feel this way? was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your reply. My HR goes down into the 20's and 30's when I am feeling ill. My BP also drops dramatically, thready pulse and diaphoretic. I work in a healthcare setting so I (luckily) recieved treatment very quickly when this has occured at work. I will keep you updated on my situation.
Helpful - 0
238671 tn?1189755832
Sick sinus syndrome is usually treated with a pacemaker, unless you are on medications that slow down the heart rate. If your fainting and fatigue are believed to be due to sick sinus syndrome (that is, if your severe bradycardia coincided with your symptoms), then a pacemaker is strongly indicated.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dyana

I am a 32 yr old female who got a pacemaker for sick sinus syndrome.  I know it sounds drastic, but it really isn't bad.  It won't stop you from getting the rapid or irregular heart beats, but it will allow your doctors to treat you with medications for irregular heart beats, without slowing down your rate too much.  Before I got my pacemaker, I was very fatigued and dizzy.  After a holter monitor, it showed my rate to be in the 30s with pauses up to 7 seconds.  You don't want to wait to the point that your passing out and getting hurt.  I've had my pacer for a year and I don't even notice it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dyana,
So sorry you are feeling so bad. How slow was your hr on the holter?  I am experiencing the exact same symptoms and my doctor wants to do an ep study because I also have very fast arrhythmias. My HR seems to stay in the low to mid 40's with extremely low BP, but on exercise will spike to 180/110. Did you have a stress echo. My underlyingd pathology is rheumatic mitral stenosis and aortic insufficiency. Do they know the cause of your problems? Hope you will find a solution other than a pacemaker.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Forum

Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.