Just thinking
I'm a little scared to post anymore...I'm not very familiar with all the terms everyone posts on this site. I don't know what my pacemaker is set at. I think the doctor told me he set mine at 80 (whatever that means). He said the bottom lead has been working continuously since the pm was put in. I guess that is the low setting and probably my resting heart rate is lower than that.
I am still having trouble adjusting to the fact that I ACTUALLY have a pacemaker. I thought I was perfectly healthy. I was taking care of my Mother who had parkinson's. I didn't want her in a nursing home, so I stayed with her 24 hours a day. On the weekends my brothers took turns taking care of her so I could go home with my husband. I started having problems while I was taking care of her, but didn't have time to really worry about myself. I still felt fine, except for the times I suddenly fainted, or almost fainted and my blood pressure bottomed out. My mother passed away last March and then my problems seemed to get worse.
Now I am trying to learn everything I can about what is going on with me. I really don't know anything except that I was diagnosed with tachy-brady syndrome and SSS. And now I have a pacemaker.
I would like to talk to other people that have had the same problems. I'm a little confused with everything that has happened to me.
Thanks.
djs
11 Comments
Thanks Gary, Wenditt and FirstDuely
by djs - 2010-02-06 11:02:17
It is so nice to hear your comments. I was really scared and a little shocked with this entire situation. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I can talk to my husband and he is wonderful, but he doesn't really understand.
I'm really confused and just don't know what to expect. It has only been two weeks since I had my pacemaker implanted and I am still sore and uncomfortable. I don't know how long I'm supposed to feel this way. I want life to go back to normal. I'm only 55. I know! I thought 55 was old a few years ago.....but now it doesn't seem so old.
thanks again,
djs
Thanks Gary, Wenditt and FirstDuely
by djs - 2010-02-06 11:02:20
It is so nice to hear your comments. I was really scared and a little shocked with this entire situation. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I can talk to my husband and he is wonderful, but he doesn't really understand.
I'm really confused and just don't know what to expect. It has only been two weeks since I had my pacemaker implanted and I am still sore and uncomfortable. I don't know how long I'm supposed to feel this way. I want life to go back to normal. I'm only 55. I know! I thought 55 was old a few years ago.....but now it doesn't seem so old.
thanks again,
djs
Old....
by wenditt - 2010-02-06 11:02:34
You are NOT old. I was/am 33 and just got mine a few months ago. Some people here have had them for years and are much more experienced than others. But everyone collectively tries to help everyone.
Let's see....my site was sore for about a month, even now 5 months later if my daughter accidentally hits me there I have the potential to see stars! My shoulder is what really hurt. Just favoring it and not being able to lift my arm for 6 weeks really screwed it up.
I do some stretches with those yoga bands and light lifting at the gym to try to strengthen it again. Even know it still cracks and it didn't do that before! LOL
:-)
You are no alone
by wenditt - 2010-02-06 11:02:43
You are not alone! Many of us here got the shock of a lifetime when we found out we needed pacemakers. And everyone takes their own path to heal. Both physically and mentally. For some it takes no time at all, for others it takes longer. Just go at your own pace. Ask questions often. The more you know, the more comfortable you will be. Ask your doctor, ask your nurses, ask your new found friends here.
Wendy
Thanks!
by djs - 2010-02-06 11:02:46
Thanks! I appreciate you comments. I'm not sure what SSS and tachy-brady are. I know that my doctor told me that SSS is sick sinus syndrome and tachy-brady means that I have a fast heart rate and a slow heart rate. I just don't understand what happened to me. My cardiologist told me that they have decided that continuous stress might cause my problems and that he is sure I had a lot of stress taking care of my mother. My mother was an ANGEL...she never complained. She never made it hard on me. I was probably stressed watching her go through all the pain. But she never complained. She always apologized to me for having to take care of her. But I didn't want to put her in a nursing home. My father was the same. He never complained and we didn't even know he was dying until 1 week before he died with cancer.
Thank you so much for talking with me. I really appreciate it.
Me, too!
by FirstDuely - 2010-02-06 11:02:57
I will second the two postings from TraceyE and Wenditt and add that many of us are still learning the jargon and the abbreviations for all of this. Check the Abbreviations to the left under Info. I check that area regularly whenever someone on this forum comes up with a new-to-me word.
Not to mention I have had pacemakers since 1986 and I was just 36. Also, there is no reason that you cannot return to the same level of exercise and activity you have always enjoyed. I can now (when it isn't raining like it has been lately) easily ride my roadbike 50-60 miles and try to get in 150 to 180 miles each week. If I can do this at almost 60 so can you .
BTW, I have the same SSS and bradychardia as you.
Ask questions often. It helps.
Another of my new mottos: I'm only alone as much as I allow myself to be.
Gary
Thank You Tracey
by donb - 2010-02-07 01:02:38
Hi Tracey, Good Job in your posting, you covered it the best ever!!! In all the years I have had to piece all the basic info which you've put it all together in one GOOD message. Great job, it will answer many questions new members have about their heart's functions. Thank You! donb
causes
by Tracey_E - 2010-02-07 08:02:01
Basically, you have a faulty electrical system. :o) Stress does not cause it, taking care of yourself does not prevent it. Our hearts are structurally normal and our arteries are clear. Sometimes we're born this way, sometimes infection or medication can cause it, sometimes it just happens with age and we never know why. It can be fixed, that's what counts. If you have to have a heart condition, electrical are the best kind to have because we basically have a healthy heart.
Tachycardia is when your heart goes too fast
Bradycardia is when your heart goes too slowly
SSS is when your sinus node gets lazy sometimes, the symptom of SSS is brady
Brady and SSS are fixed with a pm to speed up your heart. Tachy is usually treated with medication to keep it from going too fast.
The SA node (sinus) is in the atria. This is our natural pacemaker. The SA node watches the oxygen level in our blood and raises/lowers our hr as needed. Think of the atria as the brains. The ventricles are the brawn. The SA node tells the AV node in the ventricles when to beat. The ventricles have the strength to cause the strong beat we feel as our pulse.
A standard two lead pacemaker will have one lead in the atria, one on the ventricles. Too keep the math easy, let's say it's set at a minimum of 60 bpm, which is one beat per second. It watches all the time. Every time the atria goes a second and doesn't beat, it makes a signal that causes a beat. With SSS, sometimes your sinus node will slack off, but the pm is always there to make sure your hr doesn't slow.
The ventricular lead watches all the time also. If the atria beats and the ventricle doesn't follow (this is called AV block), it generates a ventricular beat so the heart stays in sync.
The pm can't do anything about tachy episodes, all it can do it add beats. If your heart beats on its own, the pm can only stand by and watch.
How long you remain sore depends on your build, your surgeon, where they placed your pm, and your tolerance for pain. Everyone heals at a different pace. Two weeks isn't that long, give it a few more weeks. Most feel pretty close to 100% by 4-6 weeks. Life WILL get back to normal!!! Many of us find that it's better than before, that having a regular hr means we have more energy.
Run it by your doctor to make sure it's ok, but most of us are cleared for light activity within a week. Sometimes a walk, getting some fresh air and seeing something other than the walls of your house. will put your head in a better place.
Way to go girl!!
by FirstDuely - 2010-02-09 03:02:29
Tracey, I second donb on your clear explanation!!
djs: My SSS/bradych was most likely a result of getting strep throat in the 2-3 years prior to my needing a pacer.
Strep attacks muscles, specifically heart muscles and the purkinje nerver fibers between the two ventricles. It likes those nerves because there is a ton of oxygen there and plenty of nutrients. My doctor at the time could not verify that it was indeed strep bacteria but since I had been sick so many times prior, it was the best explanation at the time (1986).
My suggestion, as I am STILL working on trying to figure this out to this day: watch your nutrition carefully. There are minerals that help maintain proper electrical conduction and heart health. Magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, iodine, vitamin B-6/B-12 and others have helped, and hindered my electrolyte levels. Taking other drugs also affects how your body's electrolyte levels are day to day. I have a low thyroid level and take 2 blood pressure meds. The bp meds dump calcium, magnesium and one conserves potassium. Magnesium slows fast heart rates and I believe decreases my pre-beats. Calcium does the opposite. Mg for relaxation, Ca for contractions. Potassium (K) works against Mg so if I take potassium it reduces the effect of Mg. This gets really complicated but I am still learning (and experimenting) about how to maintain my heart at its maximum given my own set of body data. I want to be the best I can be but just having a pacer implanted won't make us superhuman. It improves on a less-than-desirable condition but it takes work beyond that to be normal or beyond. Does any of this make sense? I hope so but maybe it is late and I ramble. I am a retired ex-chemistry and biology teacher so I have the ability to go on and on and on and....remember your high school teachers? Hahaha
Sleep time. Good luck and learn as much as you can about your pacer. It helps. And ask questions...it's what good science is all about. (Mythbusters is the best)
Wow! Thanks
by bzymom320 - 2010-02-14 01:02:27
Tracey you answered a lot of my questions and concerns. I had a pacer placed on 2/8 and am barely getting use to the idea. I'm only 42. I had extreme bradychardia and low bp. My bp is still very low and am now also being treated for Addisons disease. The doctor said I had SSS and although 100's of things can cause it they think that perhaps a virus of some kind caused mine. I felt fine on Saturday and got sick on Sunday. It all went down hill from there. After getting INTO my heart while placing the pacer he said the AV node was pretty much not functioning at all. Your explanation of how that works made me understand more about what he was talking about. It's really hard to understand everything when you are so drugged!
Blessings,
Sherian
You know you're wired when...
Friends call you the bionic man.
Member Quotes
Im healthy as a horse because of the pacemaker.
welcome!
by Tracey_E - 2010-02-06 10:02:58
Don't be afraid to post! If you don't understand something- something that's happened to you, a term your dr used, something you've seen here- please don't hesitate to ask. We all had to learn also. There are no stupid questions. :o)
If you're unsure of your settings (most people are!!) just ask for a copy of the report the next time you get it checked. If you post it here, some of the guys can explain it to you.
Do you understand what SSS and tachy-brady are and how the pm helps?