PACEMAKER USER AGAIN

• by Possum Larry
• 2009-10-08 10:10:11
• Complications
• 1449 views
• 2 comments

Hi Everyone
I am new to the Pacemaker Club but not new to PM use. In 1996 I was diagnosed with Bradycardia BPM 36 with no heartbeat at all on 14 occasions in a 24 hour period. I received a dual lead Intermedics PM and it lasted from 1996 until April 2006 when the battery got low.
A replacement was put in and and the leads which were on recall failed to capture. Another PM was put in the other side with new leads and no capture after a few days of working.
The leads were repositioned in the third operation in April 2006 and it seemed to be good. In about a week I got what seemed to be continual hiccups that would not stop. Back to the hospital and they found a pacing lead was dislodged and was now pacing my diaphragm muscle. This time the surgeon used screw in leads and put it in the other side. Now I have had 4 operations in one month. But it was finally working right.
Four months later I developed endocarditus a severe infection in the heart and the infection was on my PM leads both old and new. I was told the only way was to remove the PM and all old leads and then kill the infection.
In august 2006 everything was removed and I spent 7 weeks in the hospital with intravenous antibiotics followed by an additional 7 weeks of intravenous antibiotics at home. All this time I was without a PM. After the infection cleared my cardiologist who was new to me as the original doctor had passed away tested me and said he thought my main problem with bradycardia was sleep apnea.
I got a CPAP machine and went home for 3 years with no PM. On labor day this year a trip to the hospital with left arm pain and shortness of breath led to a diagnosis of bradycardia. I wore a Cardiolite monitor for 14 days and was found to have BPM in low 20s.
A PM was implanted this past Thursday and I was dischaged Friday. I returned the same day with a collapsed lung and was discharged this Monday. A PM check at the Cardiologist office yester day showed every thing was OK and I am using it 41 percent of the time. It is set for 60 BPM.
I sure hope the troubles are behind me and things will be smooth now.