trulycrabby Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 (edited) My mother has had a Medtronic pacemaker due to bradycardia for at least ten years, and the device's battery is beginning to indicate that a new one will be needed in the next few months. The issue is, my mom has begun feeling very tired and gets out of breath upon very mild exertion. She is 83, and until about two months ago was very active and energetic; she walked about 3.5 miles at least four days per week with no issues. Now, she can only walk a mile or less before she gets tired and winded. The protocol for battery replacement is set in stone; battery level must get to a certain benchmark before the doctor will replace it. Mom has told them repeatedly how bad she feels, but the doctor won't (and probably cannot) deviate from the replacement protocol. The nurse told her today that her symptoms were absolutely not due to the low battery, and must be caused by something else. She is a very experienced nurse who has been working in this field for 15 years. I am inclined to trust her expertise, but would like to hear from other people who have gone through or know people who have had pacemaker batteries replaced. How did they feel in the last few months? Were they tired and short of breath like my mom? Thanks in advance for any words of advice. Edited September 2, 2016 by trulycrabby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Aren't they doing tests to see what is causing it, if they think that it is something else? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 No, because this practice only deals with pacemakers. Mom will have to see her general physician for any other tests. She had her annual physical exams with GP and cardiologist a few months ago, and everything was normal. No anemia, thyroid was fine, echocardiogram normal. I recommended she go back to her GP for more tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 My father had that experience when his pacemaker needed to be replaced. Exactly what you describe. But for his, it wasn't the battery - or, I think it was, but I know it was recalled as well, which was part of why it needed to be replaced sooner than expected. But I have zero expertise beyond that. I assume it could be something else as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 The practice only deals with pacemakers? Are they not cardiologists? I find it odd that they aren't looking at other cardiovascular causes for the fatigue. Anemia is a cause for that kind of fatigue. If your mom is on a blood thinner (i.e. warfarin) because of the pacemaker, it's possible she may have a little "leak" somewhere, like an erosion somewhere in the GI tract, and she's losing blood. A blood test would reveal or rule out anemia. An endoscopy and/or colonoscopy would reveal any troubled intestinal spots, and she would be referred to a GI doc for that. Kind of baffles me that the pacemaker folks haven't at least ordered blood work. (Fwiw my mom has had a pacemaker for years.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) What do her readings look like? That would give the best info. My teen has a Medteonic pacemaker, but his is only 3 years old. We have a very easy system for doing telemetry (remote monitoring). At first we had a machine that downloaded info over the phone lines, but we just got a new machine that uses Bluetooth and a tablet/phone to send it over wifi. When was the last time your mom sent info? The pacemaker should record what the heart has been doing and how many times the pacemaker has had to step in. I think it's as good of info as they would get in an EKG, but don't quote me on that. The Medtronic people should be forwarding all reports to her cardiologist. They don't work in a vacuum and I don't think they can even diagnose. Their job is to collect the data and forward it along. Sometimes the Medtronic folks meet us at our cardiology appt and the tech and Cardiologist go over the data together, but the cardio calls the shots. Edited September 3, 2016 by ondreeuh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Her telemetry number is 2.61. They replace at approximately 2.59. She is very close, but the nurse told her it could be months. She is currently going in for readings every two weeks. I will ask her about the report to the cardiologist. She has had recent bloodwork with her GP, and she is not anemic. She had an echocardiogram a few months ago and it was normal. I am beginning to realize that my mother does not deal well with uncertainty, and part of the problem is the stress of waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 In terms of pacemakers they either work or don't, or maybe work some of the time and not others, but that should be apparent to those monitoring her pacemaker. I don't think a more charged battery makes the pacemaker work better. In other words, if there is sufficient power left in the battery the pacemaker will work as it should, and if there isn't then it will not work as it should and the people monitoring her heart rhythm should be able to see that. Not sure if that is clear. She may experience those symptoms if her pacemaker is not working as it should, but that should be apparent to those monitoring. Her doctor should check her out for other causes of the symptoms. Hope she can find an answer soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Thank you for all the very helpful responses! I wonder if another heart issue is causing the shortness of breath, or if her lack of exercise is the cause. At 83, it is definitely use it or lose it regarding fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 My mom has had her battery replaced twice. No, she did not get tired as the pacemaker's battery weakened. In fact, she put off having the battery replaced because I was in the hospital giving birth to her 4th grandchild. The fact that she didn't deal with the battery replacement bothered me more than her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 Hmmm, I am beginning to see that this isue with mom is likely either stress or another medical condition. Not sure I want to place more stress on her, so I will mention that she should see her cardiologist and GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 My mom has had her battery replaced twice. No, she did not get tired as the pacemaker's battery weakened. In fact, she put off having the battery replaced because I was in the hospital giving birth to her 4th grandchild. The fact that she didn't deal with the battery replacement bothered me more than her. My husband's defib/pacemaker batteries were switched a few years ago when he was around 42 and he had no changes in medical condition prior. His has an alarm that goes off when it is time to be changed and other than that there was no sign that the batteries were due to be changed. His, though, is used as a defib rather than doing any pacing so he hardly knows he has his. I hope you figure out what is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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