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Electromagnetic Compatibility Information

I’ve noticed a lot of posts with questions on electromagnetic compatibility - good information here:

http://www.medtronic.com/wcm/groups/mdtcom_sg/
@mdt/@crdm/documents/documents/electromagnetic-compatibility.pdf

(Copy and paste the address to your browser)

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Heart Healthy Eating

Protein Power for a Healthy Heart

No food group offers more versatile protection from the causes of heart attacks than protein. Lean beef, eggs and pork are packed with homocysteine-lowering B vitamins. Fish delivers omega-3 fatty acids that keep heart rhythm steady and discourage blood clotting. Skinless chicken and turkey are low in artery-clogging saturated fat, and their protein keeps food cravings (and the risk of overeating) at bay. Beans—legumes such as chickpeas, black beans a...

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feeling down......

I got my ICD implanted in April of 2008 and have had nothing but pain from it. I just went to another Doctor for a second opinion about my ICD because it has moved down into my armpit area and it hurts me to reach my left arm over my shoulder because it moves all the way up and over my clavicle bone. My Doc didn't suture it down obviously and seems to think if I try to wait until April of next year that it might feel better and then we can talk about relocating it. He thinks my pocket is too...

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High blood pressure

Hi everyone, you have all kept me going this last 2.5 weeks since i started pacing. I'm the one who went into total heart block whilst having lipo on my legs.

Went to hospital for my legs yest and asked if they would do my bp, it was 170/100, scared me to death, the nurse said i'd best contact my gp. Came on here and am now assured that this is fairly common with people like me who have had a really low pulse rate for a long time. Am going to get it checked again tomorrow just to b...

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Iam glad to have found this site!!

Iam so glad that I found mary cumming's blog . SHe is the member of this club and the one who told me about this club. Thank you for your responses. I know,i may sound naive at this point but I guess iam still in denial. If I had pain then may be it would have sunken in fast(not that I want to be in pain),but it's been so easy to ignore and even forget that I have any problem. In this month me and my husband completly mastered the technique of denial and ignoring the fact. Today's Dr's visit wa...

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Waterski Cardio's opinion

Hi everyone hope ya'll are having a great day!
I have talked to my Dr. several times and he says I should be able to do anything - Thank God! - my heart is fine - I have bradycardia, my heart rate drops lower then it should and I had a "cardiac arrest" on 10/03/08 and that is why they decided to put in the ICD, at my first Dr.'s appt last week the St. Jude Rep. was there and did the interrogation on my ICD, I also talked to her about barefooting and she said it would be OK and the fact that...

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A little Support Please!

Hello everyone.

It has been a very long day for me and I don't feel like there has been enough of the positive things. So.... I have decided to encourage Everyone to make their donation to the Heartbeat fund today. If you have already made a donation... Thank you. If you have not, please do so.
We can discuss our PM ICD problems till the day is done, but we have to be aware that it is because of the PM and ICD that we are able to do just that! No matter how much it hurts, or how...

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colonoscopy, again

For my last lithotripsy I had medicine (demerol) for pain, but no benzodiazepine like versed to cause amnesia. Why wouldn't that work for a colonoscopy?

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colonoscopy

I asked for your advice, experiences and opinions, and I thank you for them. Now I'd like to express myself further: I've had gastric juices extracted from my stomach through an ng tube, a liver biopsy, a bone marrow extraction; an epidural with my first child and natural childbirth with the second (if I had to do it again, I'd go natural again); two cystoscopies with a ureteral stent insertion and removal, and four lithtripsies (kidney stone procedure) and none of that bothered me as much as t...

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FYI...Drug interaction Tool

Thought I would share this link to a drug-interaction-tool that I frequently use.

Oft times...meds we are prescribed to take can have interaction potential: there can be a greater potential with prescribed meds interacting with over-the-counter meds & vitamins we might choose to use.

This link should take you to tool to use as a quick guide.

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interaction/ChooseDrugs/1,4109,,00.html .

Just sharing, pacepal

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they say I need a PM

Hi all,
Last month I was diagnosed with Sinus node dysfuncton,Sick sinus syndromw with Junctional rhythm.Well this is all techinical I know about my condition right now. I don't even know what else I should be knowing. I was hoping that I could manage without Pm for a while but my doctor today asked me why I wanted to wait. I really don't know. Except for dizziness once in awhile iam totally normal. I never fainted till now. Nobody in our family has any heart related problems ,so I'll be th...

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name change

does anyone know how to change our user names on this site?

Thanks,
Linda

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Hi Everyone, I'm Back....

Hi to all members of the Pacemaker Club,

I am back from my Huge Ugly Operation......finally able to get on with my life again. :)

It was a humdinger of an op, lots of pain, etc as well as a 16 inch scar from my breastbone, then follows below my ribcage to about an inch of my back. OUCH!

Spent 6 days in the hospital, then staggered home to recover.

We arranged for my daughters to spend 4 nights, Hubby stayed for one ( in a private room) and the fir...

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Starting to hurt ;(

My pacemaker area is really starting to get more and more tender. I don't really know what to do about it.
The darn thing is just so close to my shoulder bone on top of my pectoral muscle and it moves so much with every move. It appears to be bulging out a bit more, but I wonder if I'm losing weight. My ribs stick out from my breastbone in front anyways, and always have. (some of you I know are saying, "eww")
I get my pacer checked tomorrow, because of runs of what feels to me like fl...

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Hey there ya'll

Nice to see all of my fellow energizers here this morning. I'm trusting that you're tickin' away just as I am.
Today I find myself again tickled by the the "You're Wired When...." comments. LOL.
"You're wired when your pacemaker receives radio frequencies"
Well, honestly, I'm kind of disappointed that mine doesn't. Did I get last year's model? I seriously just think it would be great if pacemakers played music. You could just tap a button through your skin to control the music, a...

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:-(

I just got shocked for the first time last night. I've had my ICD for about a year and a half and was doing some cardio type stuff and felt winded. I just stopped to rest a bit, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out or anything and within 5 seconds BAM it hit me. It didn't feel anything like others have said on here though. I just remember hearing a loud POP! sound in my head and seeing a flash but I don't remember any sort of pain involved with the shock. I was pretty freaked out by it tho...

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Colonoscopy

I'm scheduled for my first colonoscopy next week. I was awake for my pacemaker surgery with no problems. For the colonoscopy I also don't want to be given any drugs which put me "out" or be told that I wasn't "out" yet can't remember what happened. Can anybody share experiences, advice, or suggestions?

Vonnie

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Waterski

Hi everyone! I am a new member, finding the Club site yesterday, I had an ICD installed on 10/09/08 - I'm doing well and was OK'ed to return to work on 11/21/08. I have a question - Does anyone in the PMC waterski (?) if you do, do you protect you PM / ICD with anything (?) if so what do you use?

Thanks! barefooter

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Energy

Hi! Does anyone know if having a pacemaker can affect energy levels? Also, my PM is set at 60 bpm, but I feel like it's too low for me at rest. I sometimes feel weird when I am at total rest..somehow my heart feels weighted for a second here and there (if that makes any sense) and it sort of makes me put effort into taking a breath when this occurs. Is this common? I know some people can feel the PM kick in, but I just don't know if this is it. I hadn't noticed this with my first PM of 10 years....

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Depression

I think this may be very helpful ..especially to the newbies!!

Sept. 29, 2008 -- Heart disease and depression are so common that all heart patients should be routinely screened for depression and referred for professional help if necessary, according to new recommendations issued by the American Heart Association.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080929/check-all-heart-patients-for-depression

thanks
Pookie

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You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

Member Quotes

I am no expert, but I believe that without the defibrillator that I have, I would be dead.