event monitors.....UGH

Has anyone since pacemaker implant had to wear a 30 day event monitor? I'm 3 weeks post implant for tachy-brady, but for now, because of my age I guess, only have a single chamber pacing my atrium. (My home town cardiologist was surprised that I only had one lead in my atrium......don't know why exactly. He said they're keeping it simple for now because I'm so young and that they'll probably have to insert another lead sooner or later.) It's all sort of confusing to me.
Anyways, I'm still experiencing rhythm irregularites, and the nurse was not sure that my pacer was recording these episodes. So.....30 days of wearing these wires. I've been dealing with this for 8 years. I thought since my pacemaker implant that my 30 day event monitor days were over.
I know it takes a while to get my pacer and drug combo situated, but this is madness. I hope it can be fixed with a pacemaker or dosage adjustment. We'll see........
As Charlie Brown always said.........."Good grief!"

1 Comments

Heart Monitors

by SMITTY - 2008-09-05 04:09:23


Hello Charlie Brown - uh, I mean Angelie,

Yes I've been there and done that and I know exactly what you are talking about. Although the longest I've worn one was 14 days which was the my absolute limit of my endurance. Of course I got to wear the thing 14 days again in about 6 months. Both times the report was "Yes you are having some irregular heart beats, but I'm not sure why. With the medication you are taking and the pacemaker this shouldn't be happening." This round actually started in Mar. '07 and but I got a reprieve for a few months about April of this year and then it started back in July, I think it was. So, I'm back to looking for a solution.

Now that I probably have painted a very bleak picture, I want to point out over the years I been through the irregular heart beat problem several times. I think only one before (around 1986) I wore a Holter monitor and that was for only a few days. I don't recall what, if any treatment I had. But I did learn these irregularities would go away just as they started, on their own. Until this one, and it now comes and goes - I may go for several days with no irregular beat and then I'll have them every few minutes for most all day. I don't know how many different medications I have tried all to no avail. I have reached the conclusion that Mother Nature started it and she will decide when it should stop.

I have learned one way of stopping it although it will last for only an unknown amount of time. When it seems I can no longer live with it I'll go lie down for 30 minutes to an hour. Now I know you are young and I'm ancient, so the time we have available to try and accommodate these things is totally different for us. But, if you haven't tried it, give it a try on the weekend or anytime you have a few minutes to spare. It is not a permanent cure but for me it works to the degree that I am usually free of the discomfort for several hours after I get up.

One other thing about the monitor, which I don't recommend for anyone, I had a new doctor a couple of weeks say he wanted me to wear an event monitor for a week. I respectfully declined. I told him I've had enough of those things and since nothing has changed all the information needed should be my record.

As for getting it fixed, there are ways, but you will need to have a discussion wiht your doctor on this.

I wish you the best.

Smitty

You know you're wired when...

You have a $50,000 chest.

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