Carolyn65

Need to ask some questions/hear from my PM Club friends (I miss SMITTY since he "SIGNED OFF"/LEFT the PM Club) ~ even though I know ALL of you can help me ~ I know there are A LOT more people with A LOT BIGGER problems, BUT, this is now my 4th day (Tues) since my very FIRST ablation/PM implant last Friday eve. ~ ANY/ALL slight aches/pains/pings/ pangs anywhere in my body right now ~ I am just "chalking" these up as being something of which my body dealt with BEFORE PM/just a normal day of "snap/crackle/pop" ~ I go back to cardiologist/EP for the 1st time this Fri. ~ So far, I do not know/can NOT tell how I feel (except the incision) ~ I have not felt anything from the "wires" NOR PM ~ I guess I am going thru the "normal" steps ~ I am scared to use my BP machine/cuff due to my "worry" of the machine cuff squeezing my right arm, causing the blood flow in my body to do something "funny" to my body/PM on the left side ~ do YOU know if THAT is a possibility? Remember, I AM the WORRIER (too late to worry if the ablation was what I should have done, even though I think about it now) ~ the stitches where my "energizer bunny" (PM) is, still are pretty sore ~ I still can only sleep on my right side & with this hurting due to the "pull" weight of laying sideways ~ any movement ~ reaching across/leaning/etc. causes discomfort. I can not get my "harness" (bra) NOR shirt/blouse on w/o a lot of pain ~ just don't try right now; I wear open front/snap dress during this. The first night home (Sat) I suffered all night, tremendously w/stitches pain ~ "on call" wknd. Dr. prescribed Vicodin when I called early Sun. morn, of which I gladly took that day (Sun) & Sun nite. I hate to take any kind of pills/meds so I did not take any more Vicodin until bedtime last nite (Mon) & will tonight (Tues). I do have so many questions, but do not know what is "just me" or part of the "transition" of the PM/ablation ~ When I breathe a lil' deeper than a regualr breath ~ I feel some slight "pressure?" down my throat or lower (not throat) ~ My eyes "burned"/watered really bad yesterday (no change in eye color), seemed like a very slight headache might have been coming on ~ no headache ~ I DO have a hiccup once in a great while ~ I know I need to watch for hiccups which last awhile ~ I just "hick" once/twice, then I am over that for hours ~ at one point for a little while, I felt a little tired/maybe short of breath last night ~ high humidity here & that always makes me feel like the "wind/air" is short. Do NOT know why eyes burned/watered all afternoon yesterday really bad ~ this a.m. one eye was slightly matted until I cleaned it w/warm water ~ ~ MY "whines" could just be part of my everyday part of life ~ just do not know when to connect any of this to my PM/ablation ~ I am still taking the 5 days worth of Keflex 500 mg of antibiotics along w/my "before" pills/meds (BP/cholesterol) ~ ALSO, seems like everyone I read about on The PM Club have a Medtronic PM ~ mine is a BOSTON Scientific Altrua 60 ~ anyone KNOW anything re: MY brand? PA thought MY battery (pre-op) should last 6 yrs. ~ ~ ANY WHOOOO ~ ~ I just feel lucky each morning when I wake up, wiggle my toes & God Bless, has given me another day ~ ~ and I consider myself in really good health compared to some of the "comments" here ~ I think I just had A-fib/ trachy/"gurgitaion of blood ("pooling") on my ECHO before PM ~ I knoweth nuttin' of what I speak ~ ~ To those of you who have had crisis' in your lives this week/recently ~ YOU are still in my prayers ~ BLUEAUSTRALIA: Have you heard anymore about Brian? I miss Smitty signing OFF ~ Smitty was one of MY mainstays, along with several of you who have been w/PM Club awhile ~ PLZ. reply re: my concerns & MY brand of PM ~ I could/would ask family, but I live alone (W) & do not ask/not to alarm them. My daughter-in-law has been nice enough to chauffer me around in all this 4 months ~ we have run simple errands each afternoon after leaving heart hospital & I did treat myself to a "hair wash" at a local beauty salon yesterday ~ I could NOT stand NOT having my hair clean (not to wet the incision area) ~ a "luxury" I would never do any other time, but to get my hair washed ~ heaven! OK ~ Long Winded/Worrier AGAIN ~ let me hear from all of you w/PM/ablation & BOSTON PM and any thoughts you might have post-op AND questions to ASK Dr. on Fri ~ ~ have NO clue IF I see a rep/salesperson from Boston Scientific?? ~ THANX AND Bless ALL of YOU ~ ( :

5 Comments

Would you mind

by golden_snitch - 2009-10-06 01:10:55

Hi Carolyn,

this is absolutely nothing against you, but would you mind writing a "normal" text without all those ~ and capital letters? I just find it a bit difficult to read your posts. And that also makes it harder to answer your questions.

Regarding your pacer model: I know at least one person with a Boston Scientific Altrua. The good thing about it probably is that the rate response works with motion sensor plus minute ventilation sensor, most other pacers don't. Don't know much else about this pacer, sorry. You can check the FAQ on the manufacturers website:
http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/HTML/CRM/faqs/pace_faq.html

Best wishes
Inga

Oops, forgot to add:

by SaraTB - 2009-10-06 02:10:26

Sorry, I meant to respond to some of your other worries!

1. PM battery life will depend entirely on the way it's set up for you, and how frequently it is pacing you. For example, my Medtronic lasted 6 years. My EP anticipates the Altrua will last me 7 years, simply because of technical developments. It varies for everyone, but you'll get a regular update when you have it checked.

2. When you go to the doctor's office, let them know if you are experiencing any arrythmias, so that they can check the PM programming accordingly. Each EP will vary as to whether you will see someone on their staff or the company representative. I did see the company representative as well as my nurse practitioner, several times, over several weeks, as it took some time to get the programming set up completely correctly.

3. Don't be afraid to ask about anything you're unsure about. My EP has been great with questions, and is delighted when his patients actually do online research too. I'm very lucky.

Keep feeling better

Howdy Fellow Texan!

by scadnama - 2009-10-06 02:10:41

Carolyn,

I am from SW Texas, and see all of my heart doctors in Austin! Have never been to the heart hospital, but have heard good things about it.

I just wanted to let you know that what you are going through is very normal. Noticing every ache and pain, and wondering if it is attributed to the pacemaker is something that I believe goes with the territory. Not everyone experiances these things, but lots of us become hyper-sensative to the little things after finding out that there is something wrong with our hearts.

Things will settle down in the next few weeks, and you will begin to notice these things less and less. Take care of yourself and hang in there!

Amanda

I have an Altrua

by SaraTB - 2009-10-06 02:10:50

Carolyn,
I have a Boston Scientific Altrua - it's my second PM. The first was a Medtronic. Once the replacement time was close, my EP spent several phone calls with me, discussing the pros and cons of PM models, to decide what was likely to be the best choice.
I've found this to be better for me than my previous PM, firstly because its a smaller unit, so more comfortable, and secondly because of the minute ventilation: it senses not only my motion, but also my breathing rate, so it is more responsive to my needs. I'm 100% paced, after an unsuccessful ablation.
What you are feeling seems fairly usual: it takes a while for the incision area to stop feeling sore, plus there is a lot of bruising with a first implant, from making the 'pocket'. I also found, after the ablation, that I was acutely aware of any changes in heartrate, for almost a year, as though the procedure had 'sensitized' me somehow. My Nurse Practitioner said she knew other people who had the same sensation.

Finally, just to add to the earlier request: it is so much easier to read long posts if you can write them in a way that makes them clearer. Paragraphs help, and traditional punctuation makes more people likely to read the whole message and respond. I think most people will just not persevere with reading beyond the first line if it is not sufficiently clear. Not meaning to be personal, just wanting to help you get more responses!

Carolyn65

by Carolyn65 - 2009-10-06 03:10:41

Thanks for all the advice so far. See this is what I appreciate about the PM Club members; they not only give good advise, but suggestions. I will "try" to remember when I am commenting to leave out the caps & squiggles, but I can not promise the length ~ LOL. I guess when I stress a subject/title in an area, I have "capped" so long, it has become a big, bad habit, as if you could not read the normal print ~ LOL ~ please keep your good advise/solutions/comments coming, Carolyn

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