thank you

I had my pacemaker in 5 weeks ago because of 2nd degree heart block type 2 with periods of 3rd degree. It all happened so quickly and unexpectedly. I had been feeling a bit strange but had not thought about it being my heart. Everything has gone well physically but emotionally its been hard to accept and I've had some teary days. Reading this site has really been a help as I get really worried about things like leads dislocating and getting very tired in hot weather. It is good to read the posts when I'm worried. I wish I knew why it happened all the doctors say is old age, I'm 57 and have never had a serious illness, Thank you all for being out there and Blake for starting it. I'm a nurse so I've had lots of support from workmates and I can do the research but your stories have helped me feel that I will adjust and I am not alone in feeling upset at times.

10 Comments

OLD AGE?!?

by Zia - 2010-03-21 03:03:20

Hey, if you're old what am I at 75? Just got my PM in Feb after being very healthy all my loooong life. It sounds like they just don't want to say "dunno" but they really don't know. I looked my dg (3d degree
A-V block w/ brady down in 30s) up in several medical references and found no known cause, sorta like when a wire in your house gets a "short". Here I was, fat, dumb and happy because I missed out on most of the problems of aging - MI, diabetes, hypertension, etc only to get caught by a faulty electrical connection. Go figure!

Anyway, welcome to the club. You'll find a lot of great characters here.
Raye

poor information

by crooners - 2010-03-21 03:03:58

had pacemaker fitted in november 2009.here in england the information you get from the hospital and my own doctors was nil in fact my own local gp has not even spoken to me about the pacemaker i did visit the hospital after 3 months but all they said was that it was working fine but no other information was given to me thank god for the internet and this site as i would be in the dark it seems that in the uk we our still behind other parts of the world in given out information/

Peter

Hot weather?

by sln - 2010-03-21 05:03:35

I have had my PM since November 2008. I don't recall hearing any warnings about getting tired in hot weather. I live in southern California and also travelled to a tropical rain forest last summer and haven't noticed that I drag any more in hot weather than I did before.

Old? A Nurse? Me too.

by kariss - 2010-03-21 06:03:54

I am 49 years old, have had my PM for exactly 1 month today, and still aware that I have some coping to do.

Funny thing is, that I am a cath lab nurse and cardiac critical care nurse, and have been for 26 years. I have just started back to work last week, and on Friday we were implanting pacemakers in one of our labs. 5 people got new pm's, oldest was 92, youngest was 72. This made me feel a little younger!

I understand the physiology and rhythm requirements for pacemakers and have worked with them for years. But the emotional impact, I know nothing. This site has helped a tremendous amount. And that is likely what you need now.

Old? no. There are baby's with pacemakers. Just old age causing heart block? NO. There has likely been something wrong with your conduction system for a long while, and for some reason it just starts to get worse. There is a theory that something happens in utero and worsens with time. Trying to figure out why is like banging your head against the wall. The reasons are varied and often we never know.

I have 4 different arrhythmias. It has had my cardiologist stumped for 6 years. The EP figured it out after 2 ep studies and ablations. Sometimes they just don't know. The really confident doctors with a good bedside manner will often tell you "I just don't know why this is happening". Everyone is slightly different and as with most patients with some sort of heart disease, we can never tell you exactly why this happened, nor exactly what is going to happen next. Everyone is different.

I am learning too. My family, friends and coworkers have been extrememly supportive. Funny thing is that the most supportive upon my return to work, have been the cardiologists that I work with (about 20 of them). Most of them cannot believe everything that has happened to me. Now THAT makes me feel better about my own confusion!
Good luck
kathy

from one to another

by cfritza - 2010-03-21 07:03:50

It's funny how nurses (I am one too) help patients deal with their health issues all the time and we understand lots of the medical part but the emotional part no one can prepare us for, just getting though it is how we learn I guesss. I do think it does make us more emphathetic since we have been down that road.

Being only 48 when I got mine (Oct 09) was very hard to deal. I felt too young to have this happening to me and felt too good, my heart paused after getting up after sleeping and I passed out. I probably had signs before but they were not significant enough. What I have found is that with time things do get better and hearing others stories helps and this site is wonderful at helping us to not feel so alone. I wish you the best.

ah you guys

by Taisha - 2010-03-21 08:03:40

have made me cry again you are so nice to answer my questions I'll be googling causes for a while yet I think but I guess I will come to terms with not knowing for sure. I work in midwifery which is full of explaining to patients and empathy cause most of us had had babies so it was a shock to be in a unit (of my own hospital) where the nurses and doctors don't spend much time on explanations. Actually my cardiologist had never heard of this site when I think it would help a lot of people. I'm going to tell the cardiac ward about you and give them something to stick on the notice board. We nurses do love our notices. ta again

Nice to meet you

by heartu - 2010-03-21 10:03:40

Hi Taisha!

First, and repeat after me: " YOU ARE NOT OLD!!! " LOL!

I am 53 and got my pacemaker for 3rd degree heart block on 2/24/10 (almost 4 weeks ago). I too had the doctors stumped, and was dumped into the category "It just happened." I've been racking my brain over these past weeks trying to figure out if it was anything I did.

I just have to move on and get on with my life. Other than my family and this forum, I really don't have any other support. I thought that my friends would be there for me, but only 1 or 2 are. The rest, for whatever reason, are suddenly beyond reach. And the funny thing is that I don't bring up the PM or how I am feeling. I am just trying to set up shopping dates, etc. Maybe they think I am contagious.

I did not realize the " feeling tired in hot weather" when you get a pacemaker. I was planning on retiring to a warmer climate once my husband retires in 10 years. Maybe I should consider moving up north to Maine instead...He would like that.

Take care and let us know how you are progressing.

Re: Taisha

by LS - 2010-03-21 11:03:47

Welcome to the club! I'll be 57 in June, and we're NOT old! LOL
I think healing emotionally is really the hardest part. Wondering "why" it all happened so suddenly & generally being afraid of something happening. I'm at day 54 with my new PM. It all came out of the blue.
I'm still adjusting to some weird feelings, but generally have healed nicely.
Give it some time. Read here daily & get that dose of inspiration daily. It does help.
Liz

From another Nurse with a Pacer

by harley63 - 2010-03-22 09:03:39

Howdy.....

One more nurse here standing up... I suppose I'm the baby of the nurses so far that have posted... got my pacer at 43 yrs old for acute third degree heart block. Today, 3 years later, I think that I have finally come to a mental place where I hardly ever think about my pacemaker. This new mental place has only come within the last year or so. It's hard work and has been well worth it.

Yeah for everyone that lives with the internal bling bling!!

Sorry to cut this short, but must get ready for work.. take care..
Harley63

Welcome to the site

by SaraTB - 2010-03-22 11:03:06

Taisha, I'm so glad you found this site - it's a great resource for information and especially for support. I was 42 when I got my first pacemaker and, like you, it was sudden. The sense of shock and "why me" you're feeling now is completely natural. Don't be afraid of those teary days - we've all had them and know how it feels. But in a while you'll start to feel much better about it. I'm sure that sounds impossible right now, but there'll come a time when you barely think about that PM. Be gentle to yourself while you heal up and get used to the idea. And don't be afraid to come here and vent or ask questions, if you need to!

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It is just over 10 years since a dual lead device was implanted for complete heart block. It has worked perfectly and I have traveled well near two million miles internationally since then.