tomorrow's the big day

gmorning y'all,
tending to chores around the homestead today, trying to be ready for the inplant tomorrow afternoon. i'm generally disgustingly healthy for a 70 yr old guy so i'm not too worried about the procedure BUT then i WAS kinda taken aback to learn that i needed to have a pacemaker.
i have A-fibbed a few times that i know of and had an ablation 4 yrs ago that fixed most of my short circuits. my bp is usually low, causing some faintness when i stand too quickly and the latest holter monitor picked up the bradycardia condition that's got me in line to join your ranks. sleep apnia and asthma round out my medical woes.
on the positive side i swim about 300 miles a year, eat a high fibre/fairly low carb diet, take a lot of supplements, hang out w/ our 5 grandkids and TRY to keep up w/ honey-dos for my bride of 47 years.
soooo i guess the reason i'm sharing all this w/ you good folks is to get your reaction and reassurance (?) that a pacemaker installation isn't really a major life changing event except (hopefully) for the better.
v/r gb

9 Comments

Lots of good swimming ahead

by aldeer - 2009-04-12 01:04:00

from a fellow swimmer, I had my pacemaker put in at 80 and it really was easy. Don't go back to swimming before five or six weeks. I did and my pm slipped down an inch or two doing backstroke.. all o.k. tho. I'm ahead of you in grandchildren tho... 23 grand and 5 great grand.. swim five days a week year around and hardly ever know my pm is busy "ticking"... lots of good luck and no worries:)
aldeer

Sending out rah rah's for the big day!!

by harley63 - 2009-04-12 07:04:25

Graybeard~

I'm sending rah rah's from windy W. Texas for your big day!! Attitude is half the battle and it sounds like your winning!! Be your own advocate and arm yourself with all the knowledge you can from this awesome site! The folks here totally rock!

Zoom....zoom....
Harley

Hey!

by Loopy Lou - 2009-04-12 09:04:00

Hello!

Good luck for tomorrow!

Glad to hear you are a disgustingly healthy person!!!! I am not!!!

I am a 44 year old mum of 2! here in Poole, Dorset UK. I was having a routine doctors check which revealed a 35bpm heart rate! EEEEK! not great.... it was advised that I have apacemaker fitted, sooner rather than later!!! Not what I really needed in my life!! Anyway, just wanted to send you some positive vibes to you and sorry all this has happened to such a fit person.

It seems so unfair, that you go along in life, non-smoker, drink maybe 5 glasses of wine a year! and generally keep a little bit fit with running after kids, and dog walking.

Stay in touch with us all on here.... this is such a cool site and I have made many friends via here. Any big complicated questions you may have - just post on here (as well as your doctor!) and someone will have a chat with you.

Good luck and I will be thinking of you tomorrow...

Love & Hugs, Loopy Lou xxxxxxxxxxx

You will wake up, it will be done and you will feel fine

by rose2 - 2009-04-12 09:04:52

I am also active, work every day in a high stress job..have lots of families depending on me and 100,000 patients I am resposible for. I have always worked hard, walked fast, traveled a lot and I guess I told myself I was indespensable (figment of my imagination). I have 13 grandchildren who think of me as a rock. I think the shock of just knowing that I was as vulnerable as the patients I care for gave me a reality check.

I was also born in 1938 and we are both lucky that pacemakers are here, the technology is highly evolved and we can look forward to keep on keeping on.

Good luck tomorrow...you will be fine ..rose2

I am 3 days post op

by Brendakt54 - 2009-04-12 11:04:26

Like you, accepting the fact that I had to have a pacemaker is my biggest challenge. The alternative was heart transplant or death. I was extremely anxious about the procedure but like Rose said, you will wake up.....it will be done.....and you will be fine.

I just thank God for being part of a generation where there are so many options to keep me alive.

Good luck to you and keep us posted. We care.

Brendakt54

P.S. to All will be well

by joni - 2009-04-12 12:04:08

It would be interesting to have a pc under my collarbone, but it's only a pm. Sorry about the typo. J

All will be well

by joni - 2009-04-12 12:04:31

gmorning back to you,

With your positive attitude, you should do just fine. I got my pc last September at age 65 and remain extremely active. One of my main concerns was how it would affect travel as I'm on the road worldwide at least eight months of the year.

I've discovered that I'm often able to get through airport security faster than before -- especially the time a young security woman danced and swayed with me around the metal detector in South Africa in February. I'm off to Tibet soon.

Sure, it would be nice not to have that lump under my collarbone. But, hey, consider the alternative.

Wishing you well tomorrow and in all the days you will now have ahead of you to swim, enjoy the grandkids, attend to those honey-dos, and to do much, much more.

Joni

Goodluck

by Johnnybravo - 2009-04-12 12:04:35

I had my pacemaker put in on 4-6-09 and as all have said you will wake up and all will take time to heal. Keep the faith. Johnnybravo

All that good diet stuff

by ElectricFrank - 2009-04-13 12:04:01

That good diet stuff is like life insurance. It doesn't work. I've known several people who had good life insurance and they are just as dead as the next guy.

(: frank

You know you're wired when...

You need to be re-booted each morning.

Member Quotes

My pacemaker is the best thing that every happened to me, had I not got it I would not be here today.