Krista

I've never posted here (long time lurker), so bare with me. I have POTS (among other types of dysautonomia) and used to have bad episodes of bradycardia that landed me in the hospital. My lowest sustained HR on record was 23 bpm. No explanation for why my heart rate would go so low. I didn't have bradycardia regularly, but when my HR got so low it was symptomatic, I was out of commission for a week or so and passed out nearly every time I even thought about standing or sitting up. The last time I went to the hospital, the doctors offered a pacemaker the next day, which surprised me! I'm only 36 and had never heard of a pacemaker with no diagnosed reason for bradycardia (as you know, it's not usually a POTS thing). Anyway, the procedure was straight forward and they sent me home the following day. Recovery was not bad; luckily I have kids who could lift anything over ten pounds for me when my husband was at work and there weren't really any other restrictions other than not moving my left arm in certain positions. The only issue I had was my cat wanting to walk across the incision and my toddler aged niece head butting me in the area when she came to visit. My pacemaker has a closed loop system, and from what I understand, it can sense changes in the heart that usually occur just before certain types of syncope and works to sooth the heart. As a result, I pass out way less frequently, though I do still black out a lot. I still get tachycardia and other symptoms from POTS daily, but have not had to go to the hospital since my pacemaker was implanted last November. I'm certainly not "cured" by any means, and I still have no answer to why my heart rate got so low. Now may heart rate stays above 60 and my pacemaker is actively regulating my heart about 50% of the time. If your doctor does agree with implanting a pacemaker, ask about a closed loop system as I think that's what has made a difference for me.