Nervous about implant next month...

Hi everyone. Looks like I'll be an official member of the club within the next couple of weeks. It has been recommended that I receive a pacer/defibrilator combo.
I'm 30 years old and live a very active lifestyle - until recently anyway. I have struggled with A-fib and been on a gauntlet of pacing medicines - all of which give me the sensation of carrying a heavy backpack everywhere I go. I had an ablasion in 2006 and have had a prosthetic mitral valve since kindergarden.
I'm excited by the potential to feel more energetic, but I'm pretty worried about a few aspects of this pacer. So thanks in advance if you can give me any insight.

First: One of my main hobbies is lifting weights (4 x per week) with my brother who is a trainer at the local Gold's Gym. Should I expect the pacer to interfere with this type of exercise? Additionally, I am very thin. Will this thing look like it's about to burst out of my chest? Does anyone know if submuscular implantation is an option?

Thanks everyone. I'll put additional questions in other posts to keep this one from getting longer.

10 Comments

Nervous..

by Pookie - 2009-08-12 01:08:19

Hi and welcome to this wonderful site.

Yes, you will be nervous, it's only human!!!!

There are a few options to where the device can be fitted, perhaps you should bring this up to your doctor before the surgery.

And yes, depending on how thin you are and the placement of the device...it could show. Go into the gallery and type my name and you will see that I am thin and just how much you can see my pacer. Since that photo I'm even skinnier!!! I never gave the scars a second thought as I'm just so happy to have this pacemaker as to me its like an insurance policy...my heart can no longer go below 60. But then there are some people that are really bothered with their scars but over time they do fade.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Pookie

Thanks for the input...

by Bodhi - 2009-08-12 01:08:30

I appreciate any input and first hand accounts that I can get. I do have quite a resume of surgeries - 2 mitral valve replacements, 1 ablasion, and many many catherizations - so I'm not nervous about the actual procedure.
However, I don't know much about pacers/defibs or how these will impact my athetic hobbies. As mentioned before, I'm also pretty worried about the cosmetic consequences of plopping this thing onto my pectoral muscle.
I'll check out your gallery pic right now Pookie!

Pookie...

by Bodhi - 2009-08-12 01:08:54

Thanks for posting the pic. It helps me get an idea of this whole thing. Do you have the pacer/defib combo or is that solely a pacer? I wonder if the combo is bigger...

I would think bigger.....

by Angelie - 2009-08-12 02:08:07

I would think the combo is bigger but it all depends on the brand, I guess. ICD's are usually bigger, but I'm not so sure about the combos. Actually interested in knowing that for myself since I'll most likely get one myself one day.
I also have a pic, although tiny, and I don't know how much it will help you. wrholder has a pic as well.

icd and lifting

by curly - 2009-08-12 07:08:44

i have an icd and pacer. i was told by my doctor not to lift over 35 lbs.the doc doesn't want me to pull the lead wires to my heart. if i do i will be shocked.i still lift weights but nothing over 35lbs.i do alot more reps and i feel good.you should ask your doctor if you can lift weights and what is your limit. good luck with your implant i pray you do well yours truly,Curly

Implant and exercise

by turboz24 - 2009-08-12 08:08:32

I have an ICD and I still lift as much as I did before the implant (280-300 for rep flat bench press for example). My doc has cleared me for all exercises and even if I do end up with a fractured lead, his attitude is "I'll pull the old one and just replace it".

As for appearance, yes it's very visible. You can see my ICD through my undershirts. It's about th size of a smaller flip cell phone, 2.5 to 2.75" around and .5" thick. It does bother me and I wish I had had a sub-pectoral implant and if/when my ICD is replaced, my current doc will relocate it. For now, I just always keep it covered up and having to always wear a shirt doesn't bother me enough to get cut open before the ICD needs to be removed.

Everybody gets nervous

by jimmy412 - 2009-08-12 12:08:04

Everybody gets nervous about surgery. I do not know that much about being thin, but mine does not show because I do have a little bit of meat on my upper chest. Mine is implanted closer to my armpit due to the unusual setup of my heart. But after surgery most people do not even notice pacemakers. They just become part of your life. I have seen pictures of people showing it buldging out of your chest, but I would suggest discussing it with your cardiologist before surgery so you can decided where is the best place to implant it for you and your activities.

Welcome

by Angelie - 2009-08-12 12:08:32

You're like me and found this place BEFORE you officially get implanted. I believe you've made a wonderous decision in joining this place before your surgery. It helped me TONS.
I am 34 and got implanted in August 2008. I don't have an ICD, although with my fast flutter feel I should have received a pacer/ICD combo. I think I would have been a lot better off because it's been kind of a rocky year but who knows. Hind sight is always 20/20, and blindsight is always...well....dark.
I tried every medicine known to man for my fast heart rates and nothing seemed to work, and I have had 5 ablations with varying results.
Sounds like you have a pretty notable heart history, and I wish you all the best with your doctor's current plan.
Most implants are placed opposite of your dominant side just under the skin. There are some ladies here who have had pacemakers placed under the breast, and under the muscle. Unfortunately, I've never heard of ICD/pacer combos being placed under a muscle simply because of their hefty size, but who knows? It's worth an asking of your physician. They should be able to tell you if they can do it or not, and reasons if they can't.
If you are thin, there is no question you'll be able to see the implant under your skin. Most thin people, myself included, have a problem with this, but it's all in how you look at it. Attitude is everything.
You will have restrictions for 6 weeks, and your doctor will be able to go over these with you including whether or not you can keep up with your weight lifting routine.

Welcome and wishing the best,
Angelie

placement

by Tracey_E - 2009-08-13 06:08:00

Make sure your surgeon is aware that you lift weights and that how it looks is important to you. It is possible to implant them lower/deeper so that it is less conspicuous and more comfortable when weight lifting (and with seat belts and carrying back packs) , but many surgeons will do the simplest implant just under the collarbone unless you tell them you want it somewhere else.

mitral prosthetic valve

by anette - 2009-08-13 08:08:28

Did you have any adress of one Valvular forums?
I'm intersting about the ''combination ATRIAL FIB,PROSTHETIC VALVE and PACEMAKER.
Let me know if there are some conections....
GOOD LUCK
anette.

You know you're wired when...

Trade secrets can be smuggled inside your device.

Member Quotes

In life we have to consider what is more important, the loss of the vanity or the gain of the life.