Most Recent Messages in General Posting

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Painful to the touch at implantation site

Good morning!  My son is 5 weeks post op, and 11 years old. His pacemaker is placed into the muscle tissue on his chest, so I get that it takes time to recover, but is it normal for the implantation site to still be sore to the touch after 5 weeks?  The skin is healed nicely, but if he just wipes his hand over the PM to wash the skin over the top it still feels tender. I'll check in with his doctor too but just like to get a sense of how other's have recovered too.

&nb...

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Tattoo

Does anyone have experience with a tattoo around the pacemaker area ? Can it be done ?

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Channel 5TV

Might be of interest to UK members.

Channel 5 last night (Monday) new series A&E Crash site emergency.

Patient had suffered cardiac arrest while driving. Very poorly and touch and go.

When stable, had angiogram and fitted with pacemaker. Quite good coverage of the whole procedure from opening the device package to pushing and shoving to get it in.

Despite worries of possible brain damage from loss of circulation, made good recovery.

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Cold weather and heart failure question

I'm curious about how everyone else handles the super cold weather. Since about the time I was diagnosed I have had a difficult time dealing with cold weather. I love snow, I love going outdoors in the winter, but it's hard to breath. The colder it is, the worse the pain is in my chest. It feels like lung pain to be honest, and pretty much covers my whole chest area. I can't stay outside very long if it's below freezing, or I get even worse pain. Does anyone else experience th...

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Pacemaker Physical Limitations

Hi, I recently had a biventricular pacemaker implant (3 weeks ago). 

I volunteer at a local food pantry driving a box truck to pick up food donations from the local Walmarts and Sams Club. This requires loading and unloading pallets of food with a manual pallet jack. Some of these pallets weigh over 500 pounds loaded.

I obviously haven't done this during my recovery from the surgery and am wondering if anyone else has had this experience of pushing and pulling heavy loads...

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Pacemaker

While checking my blood pressure .machine says irregular heartbeat it that normal as I've got pacemaker?

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Only a number, not a sentence

I just got a call from my cardiologist... my other message for today was somewhat of a vent session on my apparent lack of "care" with my current doctors. I had left a discouraged message for him after my last appointment when it was clear that he really wasn't feeling well and told me he had Covid the week before. Well... I guess he felt bad about that because he called me just now and said he wanted to talk over my concerns with medications and my EF. What I wrote in my messag...

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Solar Flares and Pacemakers

Question of the year for me... since solar flares have become a common topic lately.. I am beginning to wonder if anyone has information or wondered if solar flares can affect pacemakers? 
 

If solar flares can affect pacemakers or disrupt it... isn't this a conversation we should all be having with our doctors just incase? 

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Fear

I live with a sense of fear ever since a bypass 17! Years ago .

There isn't much time o don't think about and when I get little twinges I notice and wonder 

 

can I think into being what I fear most ?

 

does anyone else live with such fear ? How do you manage it ? 

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Here I am again ..

Well here I am again .... In 2007 bad a 5x bypass .44 years old .
2019 my AV node stopped working so I had a pacemaker installed .
This year i learned my EF rate was 30 - heart failure in April .

Now its 2024 and I just had a new PM installed with new wires - one is a "shocker " then other pacing the LV 

scares me to think where or how this all ends !

 

what brought me in this time is chest pressure that never went away - not pain but...

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Question about Carvedilol

I've been taking a relatively small dose of carvedilol for over a year, 6.5mg twice daily. Two weeks ago my cardiologist wanted me to go to 12.5mg twice daily of which I'm tolerating well so far, but I gradually got there instead of just doubling the dose. Now he wants to double it again and I'm nervous because a lot of people don't tolerate the higher doses. What are some of your thoughts and experiences with this drug? Did any of you tolerate it well in the beginning but hav...

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Is it the pacemaker?

While I was on, I figured I'd post my Bardy monitor results.. even though it leaves me with more questions than answers. In the summary it says "Although pacemaker indication states yes, there were no instances of pacemaker activity." The next line states "Symptom episodes of Ectopic Atrial Rhythm and AT may actually be atrial pacing." Maybe I'm not understanding correctly, but these seem like completely contradictory statements..  He did say in office th...

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Curious about young PM recipients.

I'm 35 and on week 6 of having a pacemaker and I'm just curious about how many other younger folks have a pacemaker or older folks that got theirs when they were my age. I'm also curious why you needed one so early in life, my circumstances are out of the norm since my heart is healthy but my nervous system is out of wack. I just ponder if my situation is as uncommon as I am led to believe. My doctor said besides a few babies who needed a pacemaker at infancy I'm his youngest...

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Leadless Pacemaker Opinions

Hey everyone,

If we haven't met I'm Abi and I am hoping to get some opinions about leadless pacemakers as I am likely going to be getting on on the 19th.

I need to get a new pacemaker and my cardiologist is suggesting I get a leadless one (the most recent medtronic). I was hoping to get some opinions from anyone who has one on how they like them. My cardiologist walked me through all the benefits and risks so I am really just looking for patient experience I have...

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Lump in the throat?

I'm on week 7 of having my pacemaker and recovery is going alright for the most part. The past 2 days though, my chest has been tight and I have a sensation I can only describe as a lump in my throat. It's right under my Adams Apple on the same horizontal as my collar bone. I felt fine for the past 3 weeks and this is new. I figure it might be normal so I thought asking around here would be a good idea before freaking out.

I have never had an ablation, I have no signs of any inf...

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New to me brands pacemakers CRT, but which one.?

My hospital cancel contract Biotronik pacemakers, I had two of these, all good.

My pacemaker technician say next one is choice of Boston Scientific, Abbott or Medtronik. I have now CRT pacemaker Eluna Biotronik since 2014.

Any idea which one to choose for my 3rd pacemaker replacement?

 

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Covid19

Has anyone with a pacemaker experienced palpatations after having Covid19

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iPhone 14 and magnet ? Old Phone not transmitting arrhythmias. Why?

I'm looking for a new cell phone. I have an older iPhone but it has never sent a transmission when I've had a bounding arrhythmia.I was looking at the IPhone 14s but it seems like they have a strong magnet on the back and we are asked to keep magnets away from the pacemaker. Do any of you pacemaker people have an iPhone 14 or 15 and does it interfer with your pacemaker ?

Has anyone else had problems with their phone not transmitting arrhythmias ? I'm wondering if the pr...

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Should I get a pacemaker? What is your experience with them

So I wore a heart monitor for two weeks and during that time had two heart pauses that lasted about 6 seconds each. I was slightly dizzy on one of those incedents but it passed quickly. The cardiologist claims I have sick sinus syndrom and wants to implant a pacemaker. I am not really sure if this is necessary and unsure whether to go forward with it. If I knew this was a persistant problem I would do it but I am not convinced, thinking that it may not happen again. It scares me that he said...

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Soon to have ICD

Hello everyone,

I am a career- paid firefighter. I have a genetic gene (long story) but did a blood test and confirms I have a gene that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy of the left ventrical. I am 39 and will be getting an ICD placed asap due to 20-25% scarring in my left ventricle. 
 

I am worried that my administration and city admin will not let me return to work. On that note, I cannot find any law that says I have to tell them and or them not allowing me bac...

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You know you're wired when...

Your license plate reads “Pacer4Life”.

Member Quotes

I feel so blessed to have this little gem implanted in me. When I think of the alternative it is quite overwhelming sometimes.