Anyone got a real pacemaker?!?!?!

baza1976

Hi Guys,

Anyone on here running long distance and have a cardiac pacemaker? I'm just looking to bounce questions and compare how things are going.

I got mine implanted last April 2014. Nothing mechanical going on, just some electrical issues. Cardiologists and pacemaker techs tell me to run away ( i keep asking for reassurance). I can do anything I used to do except for contact sports and heavy weight lifting. After a few tweaks to the settings I'm flying it. I think I'm actually a little bit faster than before the implant :cool:

I've ran about 450 miles this year so far, with multiple 14, 15, 16, 18, and even a 20 miler this year. Still cycling and running to work. So all good, so far.

I just can't find another runner with a pacemaker locally, neither have I seen/read anyone on here. Maybe there is someone but they want to keep private. In that case PM me.

Thanks
B

Edir: Oh and just to be clear, I'm not looking for medical advice. I have that on the other end of the phone. I juts want to hear about other people might be getting on with the running.

D Chief

I too have a pacemaker. I had it implanted 10 weeks ago and have been back running 2 1/2 weeks, so very much a newbie.

I'm not running long distance at this stage, but hope to get back to it. I ran 4 marathons 2010-12. But with all the cardiac arrhythmia stuff over the last couple of years my running has taken a real hit, so I'm starting off now from a very low base. I'm just going to take it handy and gradually get back into it. Just doing slow 5k training runs so far. Aim is to get back to a half marathon, hopefully this year, or maybe next Spring.

I reckon you will be more help to me than I to you. But at least you're not completely alone

I'm based in Dublin.

baza1976

Hi DChief

Good to hear from you. You're back running far quicker than me. It was 13 weeks before I was left back.

I'm not doing too bad from a running point of view. I have run over a thousand miles since last July and just over 700 miles this year so far.

Where I stumble is the sudden drop in heart rate. I can be cruising at anything from 9 min miles to 7 min miles and the heart rate will drop from wherever it is at that moment to 110bpm then 80 bpm back up to 150 or 160 bpm and drop to 80 again. It's very frustrating because I can run 20 miles in 2.45 with no issues but I can easily be only 1 mile down the road and the bpm can crash. It's random. It happened in the recent Limerick marathon when from about 8 mile on the bpm were all over the place. When the bpm was behaving I felt like Mo Farah. I reckon 2 out of 10 runs can. When the bpm was not behaving it was very very frustrating as I had to slow right down or walk.

I think the pacemaker techs don't know what to do to be honest.

Are you finding breathlessness or sudden weakness when running. All signs of bpm dropping

D Chief

I haven't had any problem like that. Sounds annoying and a bit scary. My current cruising is at 6 min/km (about 9:40 min mile), so maybe I'm not going fast enough to suffer a sudden drop off like that. And, of course, I've only run about 40km with the pacemaker.

I wouldn't expect any issue like that though. My simplistic view of it is that the pacemaker should kick in and avoid missed beats, but as long as my heart is doing the job, the pacemaker should do nothing. It shouldn't cause any drop off. I have pacemaker because of heart block issues where electrical impulses sometimes not relayed to ventricles.

I don't monitor bpm. I have a heart rate monitor strap somewhere, but when I did use it I found the results a bit erratic and sometimes unbelievable. And I didn't like wearing it.

baza1976

I also have the pacemaker for heart block issues. 3rd degree heart block & bradycardia. my pacemaker is constantly pacing. My own "hearts pacemaker" doesn't work anymore. The pacemaker doesn't let my heart go below 50 bpm or above 170.

When I was first given the Ok to go back running last July I was running 10 min miles and was experiencing the same thing. No problems walking around and working or cycling. Only experience the sudden drop in bpm when running.

It's nothing scary. Just annoying and frustrating.

Keep trucking along D Chief.