Most Recent Messages in Complications

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Food For Thought

Hello,

The following is an article by Andrea K Collier published in Heart Insight, a publication from the American Heart Association.

I found it interesting because it points out something our pacemakers can do or cause that I was never told about. Obviously "lethal heartbeat" caused by a pacemaker is not common but is one more thing of which I think pacemaker recipients should be made aware.

"Ralph Davis, 60, wasn't used to living his life on the sidelines. A c...

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Magnet and pacer

Someone please help!!! My 7 year old son has had his current pacemaker for 6 years and is due for replacement soon because of cardiomyopthy. He now does call ins every month. Yesterday he had one, all was going well until...I placed his magnet on top of his pacer and he said it hurt. He said he could feel it all the way up in his neck(pacer is in his tummy) and it hurt bad. He asked me to remove it NOW. The technician said the call in looked good but she would report this to his Doc. Has...

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Could use some Encouragement

Hi everyone! Remember me, the Nervous New Pacee?? Well, just as I thought I might be getting a little more accustomed to the idea of having a pacemaker, it seems I may have developed a complication, and from what I gather by looking on various websites, this might be a doozy!
It seems I have developed a new heart murmur...boy does this sound terrifying and dangerous as well. Anyway, tomorrow I go back to the EP doctor to have an Echocardiogram done.
Any words of encouragement would...

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Bleeding from the incision - but ok now

I was just a little over two weeks out from my PM implant and being careful with what I did with my left arm and side. However, I got down on the floor to hook up a cable under my desk and when I got up, I noticed I was bleeding profusely from one corner of the incision. I got a clean rag and held pressure for quite some time to no avail. The blood was dark and brownish. I was home alone, so I drove myself to the ER since the hospital is just a couple of blocks away. Of course, to add insu...

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Still dizzy?

Hello out there,
I just had my PM installed last week. I had slow rate of 40-43 when sitting still for a few minutes. No problem with jogging or excercise as my heart responds normally to excercise. They set my resting rate at 60 and I am still feeling dizzy much like prior the PM. However, I have much more energy and do not feel fatigued as before. Has anyone experienced continued dizzy after PM. Does it go away? Am I just getting used to the new amount of blood and oxygen? Any helpful adv...

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Sudden soreness

Hey Everybody,
I got my PM installed on June 27th and really haven't had to many issues with it. However in the past few days I noticed some minor aches and pains around the PM site and also under my armpit and shoulder. It is not constant, but it feel almost like a sore muscle and sometimes a quick sharp pain.
Has anyone experienced anything like this? I am nervous that maybe one of my leads came loose, please help if you have had a similar situation.
Thanks,
Bini

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Pacemaker causing A-fib

Has anyone heard of their pacemaker causing Atrial Fib? Seems like everytime i bounce up and down or ride in a vehicle and go over some bumps...I go into atrial fib.. causing alot of symptoms! Its almost becoming a daily event. Also been having alot of pain in carotid artery in neck and it goes up in my head on left side behind ear! Im really scared its been going on now about 2 months now and getting worse and more frequent! If anyone can shine some light on this i would greatly appriciate it!...

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Bouncing on undulating streets and roads

Hi. I'm a newby to the forum and fairly new to my PM. I got it in December of 06 when my heart paused a little too long while I was in ER with some bad afibs.

I really don't know much about the PM, which is a Medtronic Enrhythm, but will learn more I hope on October 8 when I see the cardio PM specialist. She did not install the PM, but did check it at 45 days. It also was checked at about 5 months by the Medtronic technician. Over all I am okay with it. I don' t notice it and it...

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Question

The doctors are now admitting that my husband had 35 episodes of PMT in their care. What does this mean? Should they have tested him for tachycardia? Should they have put a difibulator in him while replacing the pacemaker having known this? Please help!!

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do i imagine this!!!

hi all i am a really nervous pacer and im sure im not the only one,last night in bed i had really strange but scary happenings.it was like one or two strong heartbeat and then a few fast ones together this went on all night long,its not happening this morning but im still feeling strange on and off ive had problems before ie leads coming out and pm needed to be reset a number of times im guessing that this is what the problem today is does anyone know why it needs to be reset ,,i never ask i do...

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memory loss - blocks or?????

Had my PM inserted June '07 - notice by the end of the year iIhad some gaps in my memory - from about 6months before the heart blocks Still having short term losses mostly geographical in nature.
Has this happened to anyone else who had heart blocks and vaso vagals or am I just getting to be an old duck?? (only 70's so not that old)
Thanx for the help

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Does PM help lung problems (i.e. COPD)?

Hello, I am 38. I had TGA open heart surgery (Trans of Great Arteries) in 1968 and Mustard Proc. in 1970. My heart rate has always been in the 40's & 50's at rest and does respond to exercise well. My sleeping HR is 28 to 35's. (This may have been the case for years.) I have been advised that it is now time for a PM. I also have a left lung issue most likely COPD (Chronis Obstructive Pulmonary Des). I have had pneumonia twice this year. And also I have had sleeping problems ever since....

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Motor racing feeling

I have had my pacer for a year and a half and a few weeks ago I have begun to feel something in my body have an intermittent humming that actually wakes me up at night. It will run and stop off and on that is getting more profound. My phone check was ok so I'm not sure whether to persue it or just try to ignore it. It is more noticaable at night but if I am real still I can still fell it but not as bad. I work at least 45 hours a week and always busy but I am sure I would of felt this before...

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Swollen area above pacemaker

Hi, I am 34 years old and had my 1st pacemaker replacement operation in January. Since then everything has been going pretty much ok except for some swelling around the incision area around April that did not last for over a week. For the last 2,5 weeks the incision area of the pacemaker has been painful and swollen. As of today the area is in fact very swollen but it is not painful. My doctor did a blood test last week and noted that as my CRP levels were bellow 1, there was no sign of an infec...

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pacemaker syndrome

hi everyone,

can you please tell me what tests can be done to investigate possible pacemaker syndrome?

would an echo show anything?

my atrial pacing has gone up another 8%!!! the dr.'s don't act concerned. i have had this fullfeeling in facve and neck for alomost 2 years with an increase in pacing (mostly atrial but ventricular too) everytime i get an interrogation. i have a burning constant chest pain too. i swear it is my device! how do i get my doctor to...

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Breathing Problem

About one month after I got the PM, I started having the urge to take deep breaths...not really short of breath but like I had to really suck in to get adequate air into my lungs. Been reading about PM leads hitting nerves and wondering if this could be the problem. Happens off and on for no reason. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks.

Vicki

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pain breathing first day after pacemaker?

I have just had my pace maker implanted on Wednesday and experienced pain in my center chest every time I took a breath the first day after. Today is better, but still fill pain when I breath deeply or get winded (i.e. walk up stairs). Is this normal?

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Leads hitting a nerve???

I was just at the local Pacer Clinic getting checked because of "issues" I have brought up in this forum previously (quick squeezing feeling, coughing, strange feeling in my neck, etc.) My Tech brought in a second Tech to check me out too. It appears that my Ventricle lead is likely stimulating a nerve!?!?! They could actually feel little spasms every time they made the lower lead (ventricle) work AND I could feel it in my chest and throat!!!
So now I have to go back to the hospital where I...

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Husband just died after getting a pacemaker

I don't want to scare anyone but my husband just died 16hrs after getting an Adapta DR Medtronic pacemaker installed. He had Sick Sinus Brachcardia (his heart only had problems when he was at rest. It would drop down to the teens, but worked fine when he was up a moving).
Here's my story. Eight years ago my husband was repeatedly complaining of not sleeping at night. Frustrated, I called his phys. and requested him to be tested by a sleep apnia cly. Well while in his phys. office he...

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Do I dare ask about sex?

Yesterday I was participating in "extra curricular activities" when all of a sudden BAME!!!. This has never happened before. I have not had the chance yet to get with the doctor but I will be letting him know. It scared the crap out of me. I wasn't hurt but it made my ears ring and feel like I got hit with a baseball bat. I also must admit that I had three cups of coffee earlier (I know, I know). Bad combo (kids don't try that at home). Anyways I am wondering if anyone else has had this and...

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You know you're wired when...

Bad hair days can be blamed on your device shorting out.

Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.