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Real members of MyHeartDiseaseTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.

My mother has a pacemaker for her bradycardia and we are looking for help and advie or other peoples' experience of it.

A MyHeartDiseaseTeam Member asked a question 💭

My mother has a pacemaker for her bradycardia - it is set at 60 - 120bpm and the doctors say her upper chamber uses the pacemaker 27% of the time and the lower only 1%. They say that she has not displayed any arrythmias since having the implant nearly 18 months ago. but she seems to experience a fluttering feeling almost every day that she finds incredibly distressing and it is stopping her wanting to walk and hugely impacting her quality of life. Can anyone help? She is otherwise healthy but… read more

May 3
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MyHeartDiseaseTeam

Rachel, it's clear how much you care about your mother, and it's completely understandable to feel frustrated when something is so significantly affecting her quality of life. That daily fluttering feeling she's experiencing deserves serious attention.

That fluttering sensation could be heart palpitations — a feeling of a Show Full Answer

Rachel, it's clear how much you care about your mother, and it's completely understandable to feel frustrated when something is so significantly affecting her quality of life. That daily fluttering feeling she's experiencing deserves serious attention.

That fluttering sensation could be heart palpitations — a feeling of a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Even without a formally detected arrhythmia, these sensations can still be very real and distressing.

A few important things to consider:
- Pacemaker placement can sometimes cause discomfort or unusual sensations if it's not positioned perfectly
- Pacemaker settings can be adjusted by her cardiology team — the 60-120bpm range may need fine-tuning for her specific needs
- Daily symptoms like this should always be reported to her cardiologist, especially if they're limiting her activity

A MyHeartDiseaseTeam member shared, *"I just celebrated 27 years of living on pacemakers. It's helped a lot"* — which shows that with the right adjustments, life with a pacemaker can be very positive.

The most important step right now is to go back to her cardiologist and specifically describe the fluttering, how often it happens, and how it's impacting her daily life. Don't minimize it. Her team can review the pacemaker's recorded data, which may reveal what's happening during those moments.

She shouldn't have to just live with this. 💙

May 3

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