Hello mblocher, Monty, and All, I just got a pacemaker. For those triathletes that have a pacemaker ..... what adaptations (if any) to your training and racing are required? My EP doc is also Dr. Navinder Sawhney (who I highly recommend) with Arch Health Partners practicing at the new Palomar Hospital in Escondido.
Similar to Monty I had some symptoms but passed all the tests .... exercise EKG, nuclear perfusion, sonar, etc. and used a Zio Patch monitor for a couple of weeks with out any data detailing a cause for occasional light headed feeling when at rest with low heart rate. (heart worked fine at higher heart rates)
Early in December 2015 I got a Medtronic LINQ monitor inserted under the skin over my heart:
http://www.medtronic.com/...ors/reveal-linq-icm/ The LINQ saves heart rate data in memory and transmits each night from 2400 to 0600 via bluetooth to a handset unit bedside and then over the cell network to your doctor.
The LINQ has a lifespan of 3 years without charging (and would make a great replacement mode for a chest strap .... no muss, no fuss).
Last week while I was at rest ..... the LINQ recorded some 4 second dropouts at low 30's beat per minute heart rates and that indicated that I needed a pacemaker. I did not want to pass out under water, driving, or just fall over and crack my head ..... so now I am the Biotronik Man.
Yesterday Dr. Sawhney installed my new body part ......... (Biotronik Pacemaker) and removed the LINQ at Palomar Hospital.
My Biotronik Eluna 8 DR-T Pacemaker has 240 days of memory on board and at 0100 each day transmits the previous 24 hour (or longer if traveling) heart data to Dr. Sawhney. (would be nice if I could get the data too and import it into Golden Cheetah or the like.)
https://www.biotronik.com/...r&pw=974&pt= https://www.biotronik.com/...n&pw=974&pt= The CLS Closed Loop Stimulation feature that adapts to bodily functions appears to be useful if it functions as advertised.
The Biotronik Rep advised me that the unit adapts the voltage that triggers the heart contraction based on a feed back mechanism that also includes an accelerometer that provides a parameter along with the CLS that increases heart rate with sensed physical motion.
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mblocher wrote:
While I can't say that he specializes in endurance athletes, my EP doc is Navinder Sawhney in San Diego. I REALLY like his calm demeanor, he is very thorough and attentive, unlike other cardio/EPs I've seen. He did my ablation for atrial fibrillation last year and is usually at his Palomar hospital office although he goes to Poway on Mondays. My wife would recommend Dr. Charles Athill with Sharp in San Diego - he is an EP specialist and did her pacemaker implant last year after Stephen Higgins at Scripps La Jolla botched her ablation resulting in complete heart block (so obviously, we'd recommend NOT going to him!). Dr. Athill is super conservative and also extremely thorough (his father died from complications from afib, so he takes it personally). He has also been in practice longer than Dr. Sawhney so has likely seen more cases and more variety.
John Rogers at Scripps Green Hospital is also a great guy (not EP specialty) that you'd probably like. Doug Gibson is the main EP guy at Scripps Green, and is not recommended by my cousin who operated with him on numerous occasions as a cardiac OR nurse. Hope this helps.
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Cheers, Neal
+1 mph Faster