Hello lovely people. I have a crt-d/pacemaker. I went to my review with the cardiologist last week and mentioned a jumping thumping feeling in my chest when resting. After a quick check the technician said that I was getting ectopic beats. My device was set to pace if my heartbeat went below 50bpm so she changed it to 60bpm because she said the ectopics came on when my heartbeat was slower. Since then I have been so aware of my heart beating hard particularly in bed. I called back the clinic and a technician said to keep an eye on it. Is it my pacemaker kicking in that I can feel and has anyone had experience of this. It’s very disconcerting and I can’t forget that I have a heart condition because of it..if you know what I mean.
I should also add that my cardiologist wants to increase my bisoprolol from 1.25 to 2.5 I think because of the change to my device?
Many thanks in advance. 🙏
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Thumper76
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As you know I now have a pacemaker. Before had terrible persistant PVC's for hours worse when laying on left or after moving. Does not seem to have changed much but I think less. Cannot tell if its the PM kicking in as similar feeling. I do notice the kardia mobile reports less pvc's. I am paced at 60. I feel my heart going into odd rhythm as soon as I walk now. Maybe when they increase carvedilol back to full dose it might stop it.
I think my response was a bit selfish ater reading it. What I meant to say that I think I know how you feel Take care and hope a few tweaks sort it out. It does make you think about your condition more.
It wasn’t selfish at all. Thank you again and take care 🙂
Hello to you,
Has your rhythm clinic { still can't get used to that name, sounds more like a a dance class } told you how much they expect your pacemaker to work? mine started at 92% pacing all the time and now with a tweak is at 98% all the time.
This I was informed was to give my heart a rest from pumping by its self and hopefully help it mend to a certain extent { not looking that hopeful, truth not a downer }
What fascinated me was with the new model that I was lucky to have fitted { if luck played a part }is showing that even at 98% pacing that it has 11years left on the battery.
This is why I don't think that I feel anything { not sure when the 2% it doesn't pace happens } but I am extremely aware of my heart now unfortunately to a point where I needed help with the anxiety it caused.
Take care and I hope that you get your answers soon.
When I went they said it was working at 99% which they were happy about.
It’s only since they upped the pacer to kick in if I go below 60bpm that I’ve started feeling my heartbeat so strongly (which makes me think it is the pacing I’m feeling?). On the plus side I don’t seem to feel any missed beats which I think is what they were aiming for. Think I’m going to have to ring them to ask them to explain.
I know exactly what you mean about it being disconcerting and preventing you from forgetting about the device and your heart. Its not painful but very distracting making it hard to live normally. Fortunately for me after several device clinic adjustments they have minimized it to the point where I can live with it well. In my case the sensation I get I think is caused by muscles near the heart being stimulated by the pacing under certain circumstances (not the heart itself). I can actually see twitching in my chest sometimes when its happening. My device (CRT-D) is pacing all the time to re synchronize left and right sides of the heart. Most of the time now I don't feel anything and this is how it should be as I understand it. I would persist in asking your device team about whether they can make further adjustments that might help. If you haven't already do explain to them how its affecting you. During my clinics they would try various things while I would say whether I could feel it or not. Of course it could be that what you are feeling isn't the same thing at all. Either way I hope they can make some progress for you.
my pm is set at 50 at the moment and I am due to have my Ablate on Thursday. I have pulsatile tinnitus so can hear my heart beating a lot of the time. I hope that doesn’t get worse.
Hello Tumper76. I had CRTD fitted 7 weeks ago been having problems like you. Had first check and after a tweet so he put it I am feeling breathless and thumping in chest. And I am on Bisophrol which was increased from 1.25 to 2 .25 am convinced what I am feeling is to do with medication rather than device. But struggling to get any one from medical profession to contact me. Don’t have GP in area I know or trust and no appointments for 3 weeks and cardiac consultant not telephoning when told they will. Looking at going private don’t know what else to do
Thanks for your reply. I’ve definitely had thumps n bumps since having device fitted and like you am about to increase bisoprolol. Not looking forward to that in a way because I’d only started on the 1.25 for a month before I ended up in hosp for emergency crt-d. My anxiety is pretty high! However I’m trusting my cardiologist. I do feel like I’ve hassled my heart team quite a lot lol but my cardiologist did say that as they gave me a pneumothorax when trying to get the device in, they have contributed to my anxiety 😙
Do you have a heart failure nurse? If so I would definitely contact her/him and express your concerns (they may be able to get your consultant to call you or at least find out some answers for you)
Keep bugging them until you get some answers. Take care 🙂
Hello again Thumper 76. No, no cardiac nurse/s input this time. I had good rehab support 7 years ago following by pass surgery but this ended and did not continue after nominal 13 week course. But had a good GP so wasn’t worried by this at time. But now no referral on discharge after CA and implant in Sept 22. Consultant also failed to keep telephone appointment I requested 2 weeks ago and the secretary I contacted about this, promised call back last week and has also failed to get in touch. So have now contacted the private wing of our local hospital and am in the process of paying for a private consultation. Seems only way to get someone to speak to you. Not sure where you live or what country even, but nhs here in Kent england is very broken.
Bless you Swalecliffe88 that’s not good at all! I’m in the northwest. I hope you get some help but it’s not great you had to go private for answers particularly so soon after having your device fitted. Take care and keep me posted 🙂
Ahhh thank you Thumper for your kind response. Seems we both have a Bisophrol issue so would help us both to stay in touch. My blood pressure kept falling so low in those first few weeks after coming home I thought they were trying to reduce the nhs lists by killing us with heart failure off naturally 😀😀😀 I gave in due to lack of contact and went back to my old dose. But now have slight angina back when never had it since by pass so something needs adjusting. Like you say will keep on at medics till I feel right again. Hope your issues get sorted soon too. Keep me posted on how you are. Take care 👍
I haven't a clue about CRTD, but to me it seems perverse to increase bisoprolol (double it), which will slow your heart down even more when the technician has raised the threshold. I would be querying that if I were you.
I know what you mean especially as it seems it was the bisoprolol that contributed to my emergency hospitalisation in June. However the cardiologist said himself it seems perverse but he was increasing it because of the raised bpm threshold??? I’m going to ring again just to double check his reasons. Thanks for your reply. 🙂
Hello Thumper, I've had a CRT 3 lead pacemaker for five years now. When it was first implanted I used to feel these "thumps", or "knocks" as I called them, quite frequently, more especially when I was at rest sitting on the sofa. Not so much when moving around or lying still. I asked about this at the clinic and was told quite normal and it should settle down. Sure enough after a week or two it did indeed settle down and I only noticed it very occasionally. In the last month however it has returned with a vengeance, to the point where it actually shakes me when sitting still. It seems to be settling down a bit now, but it does give me cause for concern so I can relate to your post. I am due for a check at the pacemaker clinic next week and I will be asking about this . I will repost and let you know what is said. In the meantime good luck.
Thank you Raznic. Yes it was more when I was sitting on the sofa but now, after being twiddled with, it’s when I’m lying down too. It is more like a steady heartbeat now though. It is concerning isn’t it because it makes you think about you heart more whenever it happens.
Hope all goes well next week and please do let me know how you get on. 👍🙂
I appreciate that. I also meant to say that I am currently on 7.5gm Bisoprolol daily, 2.5gm morning and 5gm evening. According to what I read it sems quite a high dose, but I was originally put on 10gm daily. Made me so tired, now fine with it, apart from the constantly runny nose. Oh the joys of medication!
Greeting from Canada. I have a CRT-D. Have had it for 16 months. Quite a few adjustments have been made to my device and by extension to me. I now have found my sweet spot and am doing reasonably well. I found that if you don't say exactly how it is - then the technicians and doctors don't know and assume all is good. However, I find it difficult expressing my feeling and sensations in words. Perhaps and hopefully another adjustment or 2 will get you your sweet spot. Like you bisoprolol was increased and I ended up at 5 mg. I felt horrible. Am now on 1.25 mg again but taking digoxin. Old medication but it works for me. So perhaps there are other options for you.
Finally, I practice mindfull meditation. It has improved my quality of life and helps me to control my anxiety.
Hello there and thank you for your reply. As you say hopefully the clinic will be able to adjust my device to a comfortable place for me. Just had a call from a doctor who can’t understand why they are increasing bisoprolol so he is going to speak to my cardiologist and get back to me.
I’m going to try some mindful meditation 🙂. Thanks again and keep well 👍
I have had the same device for a number of years , this last time I had a number of ectopics , whilst being checked , I have been on 10 mg of Bisopropol for many years . i have noticed some sensation when trying to sleep,
The reply doesn’t seem helpful, but at least you are not alone , I am 80 and ectopic beats were on my discharge sheet after first baby 52 years ago , so I really do not worry about them .
siting in my hospital bed looking back at some postings to pass the time!! and I came aross this one I am going down for a pacemaker tomorrow morning and am very nervous. I had AF on Tuesday night and was taken in to hospital after a few hours, heart flipped back but then took a turn for the worse and ended up dangerous low beat then CPR performed as it stopped, after that severe vomiting thought I was a goner, the pain in my chest is now awful and hurts to breath, trouble is I had a triple bypass 2013 and have had constant sternum and rib pain ever since and told I’m just unlucky my worry is they’re putting a pacemaker in and it will increase the pain from the CPR even though it’s minor surgery everything so painful before they start, but said need doing now won’t even let me go for a shower in case I collapse again doctors say this is so unusual going from AF to zero anyone here experienced this
hi dogloverx3, I’m so sorry you have had such an awful time, it must be very scary for you. I don’t have any AF to zero experience but I did have a pacemaker fitted as an emergency. I was blue lighted to A&E from a GP appointment one evening and kept in with a low heart rate, then when it dropped further the next day they fitted me with a pacemaker that afternoon. No time to think about it or get used to the idea so I think I get how you feel. Everything is surreal and turned upside down but you could try to think of the pacemaker as going to be your helper at a difficult time. Once your HR stabilises, you will begin to feel better about it. Chronic pain is very debilitating but you have coped with a great deal so far and although you could be more sore for a while afterwards, hopefully things will soon settle down for you and you will begin to improve. All best wishes for tomorrow’s procedure.
thank you for your reply just felt the need to write this letter to feel I was actually not alone! I hate the night and to be laying awake alone with your thoughts while the world is sleeping is scary so putting it down in words is a comfort. The ward is coming to life now so I’m looking forward to a cup of tea
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Take care and hope a few tweaks sort it out. It does make you think about your condition more. 
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