Today was a big day. After being kind of held up in the house for a while with all the tach / panic drama....I went into NYC to see a show with my aunts, cousins, sister, mom etc. I drove in and met everyone at the show. It was time to stand tall and show that tach and panic who was boss! LOL....

Everyone knew I was really a little nervous to head out though. They also know that my PM site in my opinion is still pretty ugly and I still feel awkward about it. I try to wear scarves over my shirts as much as possible to school so that the students don't see it. One did once...and I really didn't have an answer. So I'm just covering it up for now..until "it" and I are better neighbors! LOL

When I finally met up with every...

 

I'm a little scared to post anymore...I'm not very familiar with all the terms everyone posts on this site. I don't know what my pacemaker is set at. I think the doctor told me he set mine at 80 (whatever that means). He said the bottom lead has been working continuously since the pm was put in. I guess that is the low setting and probably my resting heart rate is lower than that.

I am still having trouble adjusting to the fact that I ACTUALLY have a pacemaker. I thought I was perfectly healthy. I was taking care of my Mother who had parkinson's. I didn't want her in a nursing home, so I stayed with her 24 hours a day. On the weekends my brothers took turns taking care of her so I could go home with my husband. I starte...

 

Hi. I am new and sure could use some words of encouragement or support. Just had my PM surgery 2 days ago. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now and confused because when I left the hospital, the tech tested my pacemaker and said I am 100% dependent and it freaked me out. I have two leads. He said it should last for 7-8 years, but I am wondering how it possibly can when I am 100% dependent. Before I had this done, I had bradycardia but I really didn't have super bad symptoms, and now all of a sudden I am 100% dependent. I thought my heart was going to do some of the work. Also, I have a lot of anxiety and have had most of my life, but now it is even worse. Today I almost fainted. I'm scared if my device fails, my heart will...

 

Hey Hey,
Well it's been 3 weeks now and I am beginning to have my doubts. Mornings are the worst. I just can't seem to get going anymore. I stay active but man its a drag sometimes. It's not the meds because I don't take any. Anyway, I just wanted to vent a little frustration. I am concerned though that the PM looks like it has moved some. I am suspecting that may be normal but I thought I would check on here and maybe get some feedback before I called the doc. to check. You people that speak from first hand experience have helped me more than you can ever imagine. Nothing else I have searched anywhere can compare. Thank You!
Dwight

 

I was just sitting here feeling a little blue and I began to think well, isn't that something. It has been a rough year for me already. It's only Feb. 3rd and I have been hospitalized twice and feel like &*(%$! Poor little me.....

So I went to the member list and pulled up some messages from some very special people. DairyPrincess and Peter.Nash. I selected their last posting to read again. I found that even till the end they were positive and happy. They were encouraging and so thoughtful of others. Reading their post gave me some new perspective! No more poor little me! What a dishonor to my friends to be feeling sorry for myself!

I can't help but think that they would each feel so pleased to know that even after ...

 

Went out yesterday and it was extremely cold, this seemed to affect my shoulder where my PM is! Is this usual or is it because it's a new thing to me, or is it me being super sensitive again??

Apart from that I am beginning to feel better in myself, still quite sore, but certainly not as washed out as I was!

 

Hi All! I just want to reiterate what an AWESOME group of people you have been since my pacer implant in Nov 09. I couldn't have made it this far without all your support and kind words along the way. Here's my new issue! :)

Does anyone else get bothered by the bumpy or rigid edges around their pacemaker casing? I can't tell what the bumps are... first I thought they were where the leads were coming out, but it seems bumpy almost all the way around. I know it's probably still settling in there, but does show and stick out. It's been over 2 months now. Thanks for any words of wisdom!
Leah

 

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21.
Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, wha...

 

My daughter who is 56 years old and in great shape (she thought) is a yoga gal, pilates gal, a runner and walks her 2 dogs twice a day all of a sudden felt weird, out of breath, heart palipitations, fluttering of heart -it was getting worse so one night last week when she went to bed about 40 minutes later she shot up in bed and the whole room seemed dark and darker. She woke her husband and said she needed to get to the ER right away - he took her to a hospital near home that specializes only in cardiology. They examined her and said she was okay - maybe it was a panic attack - she was about ready to be taken off the heart monitor when oops her heart starting dropping and then going up then dropping so they couldn't figure that out and th...

 

Hi, Just had my pacemaker fitted, and i feel lost, was only diagnosed in december, i thought pacemakers were for old people. It seems to be so routine with the hospital, but i'm just floundering around trying to make sense of it all. Will i still be able to feel it when it has healed in 6 weeks? will i just carry on as if it is not there? the staff say life should be normal, would like to hear from other people who have been where i am.

 

Hi folks.....Just a quick question for now. Has anyone worked with a wii game console? Thought I would hook one up today, but read warning about use with pace maker :(((( It is Saturday so cannot contact doc with question.
You know, it sometimes helps to have distractions.
Would appreciate any comments or advice.
Thanks.

 

I feel like I'm going crazy!!! I'm 34 years old and I have a ICD / Pacemaker....for about 2 years now. Last April it shocked me...I was running upstairs and my heart rate jumped to 200 bpm. Since then, I have been shocked three additional times for VF and AF. Because of these shocks, I get panic attacks and I am always scared about "the next time." I am a public speaker and youth advocate...I am always on the road. Everytime I get ready to speak, I panic and my heart goes crazy. I am now seeing a psychiatrist and have Xanax to get me through some tough spots. I would love to hear about others experiences...am I the only one that is having these feelings.

 

Howdy everyone!
I just joined the club seconds ago and cant wait to test the water with a first post, and send out a call to arms (hearts)

Just wondering if there are any younger people who also have pacemakers out there. I've asked around on other sites with with no luck. Im twenty-four now, but I was sixteen when I was diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome and got my pacer. I never thought twice about it untill It started coming up in conversations. "I dont believe you." people say, and "don't only super old people get pacemakers?" I apologize to all the seniors out there, but Im starting to feel like... perhaps they're right.

I guess in the big shceme of things, it's not importent to know If...

 

I hate to keep asking questions...I am sorry but I have a new thing that is happening for the last week or so. If anyone has read my older posts they know that I have been having rate issues. Well now I have this crazy thing kind of like a pvc except that I will have three or four fast beats then a pause then a hard beat(not two in a row like a pvc) then three or four slow beats. This goes on for hours at a time. Does anyone have a clue what this is and why my pacemaker wouldn't step in during the pause?? I am beyond frustrated at this point and don't go back to the doctor for three more weeks!

 

Wow, how lucky am I to have found this place? Have spent the last hr reading other post... guess Im not alone! Ok, I had my 1st ICD implanted in 1/19/10 for cardiomyopathy & bradycardia. (Dr.s feel certain caused by a viral infection). Anyway, I'm feeling very depressed, but I see thats pretty normal??? I trust my Dr.s but it's so common to them that I feel carted off to hanle this on my own. I am a former nurse and SHOULD know the answers, but cardiology wasn't my forte. I just feel alone and scared s#!tless. I havn't experienced fatigue or fainting prior to this.. only palpitations & some arrythemias, so I'm told I'm very lucky. Even tho I see many here are younger than me, I feel too young for this! I've been home for a week now and am ...

 

Hi every one! God bless. uff....im so frustrated. Just heard from my stomach doctor i have gallstones and i need to get my gall bladder removed. What more can they do to me??? Just would like to know if any one has had this operation and if there is anything i need to know regarding my pacemaker. I talked to my old cardio and they told me that a magnet had to be placed on top of my pacer while they do the surgery. Im feeling scared. Has any one had this done whlile having heart problems and a pacemaker? Any advice or comment will be appreciated. thank you so much and God bless.

 

Wow, what can I say?

Thank you so much for all your kind words and lovely comments, it does make me feel like I'm not alone and have such great people to share conversations with.

I feel a little better about my op on Saturday, and hope I feel 100 times better when I have my pacemaker, the comment about 'sparky' made me smile.
.
Wish me me Luck!

 

Hello, having been diagnosed with BradyCardia, I was given a PM last April. Seems to be working out fine: I exercise quite a bit, and haven't had any significant issues (I'm an otherwise healthy 48yr old male).

Today, though, following lunch, I had a little more caffeine that I normally do, and then I started getting light-headed, feeling that my PM was failing (in some way that I can't describe). Seems like it was beating/firing in a way that I wasn't used to.

It's possible that I was having a mini-panic episode (my hands began trembling a little, and I started to perspire).

But there were a couple of times that I thought that I was going to pass-out, at work. Very scary. After an hour or two, it seems to...

 

Today is my 2 week anniversary of having my pacemaker installed. It has been tough and I strongly disagree that my cardiologist insisted that I did not need pain medication. Over the counter meds did absolutely nothing for the pain. Maybe these docs need to have one installed in them (without leads) for about a month and see how it actually does feel. Other than that I am still here so thats all that matters right? I do have one concern though. My PM is set at 60 and has maintained that pace regularly since inserted except for yesterday. I felt nauseated, lightheaded, and my pulse never went below 80 all day. Naturally it was a Sunday and I didnt want to go to the emergency room. This morning I feel fine and my pulse is holding ste...

 

I haven't stopped by the site in a while but wanted to check in. I'm still going strong on the panic attack free bandwagon! And I needed to take a minute to say thanks to all those who sent me so many well wishes and words of advise since my drama began in September.

I was so wrapped up in fear before, that reading them and truly understanding them was hard to do. But now that I am a little more level headed, I have gone back and read them again. Some make me giggle and other make me go "Duh...I should have really listened before!"

So a big hugs and a world of thank you's. Because my own family doesn't really seem to understand...so many of you here have become my family.

THANK YOU!!!!