Scared

I am new to this form. My cardio doctor on the last visit ask me to think getting a pacemaker. I am so scarred! After reading just about all the posted messages. Now I do not know what to do? I am 52 yrs old and tried.

Any suggestion.

10 Comments

Why a pacemaker?

by COBradyBunch - 2010-04-19 01:04:56

Tried or tired? Some of us had no choice but to get a pacemaker if we wanted to live normal lives (or for some of us live at all). Others it was a better option than some other procedures. I am going on 10 months with mine and go in for my checkup tomorrow to see how things are going. One good thing is I don't pass out anymore due to heart naps. Don't necessarily like having it but not passing out (with no warning btw) means I can still drive, ride my bike and live a pretty normal life. Oh and as my nurse told me, there was that chance that my heart might not wake up from one of its little naps w/o the pacer and of course that would have had a lot worse consequences than just passing out. I still work out and other than a bump in my chest and the hassles of the airport it hasn't changed my life. Also found out a lot of folks do have pacemakers and a lot of us are active (I just road my bike 25 miles yesterday in an hour and a half and that included some pretty good climbing, planning on doing the Triple Bypass in July, 3 mountain passes, 120 miles, one day) and live great lives.

lovelsu

by LS - 2010-04-19 02:04:02

I didn't have much time to prepare for mine. Went in the hospital to try a new med, and when that didn't work (flatlined) they decided on the PM.
IMO the procedure is a very simple one. The recovery part was the roughest for me. Not physically, but more emotionally.
But, the way I felt BEFORE the PM was 100% worse that having it done & recovery.
I now see a light at the end of the emotional tunnel. LOL
If you're really on the fence about it by all means get another opinion.
Everyone here is different, and got theirs for different reasons. Pick out what helps you & applies to you & leave the rest.
I would think if your ablations are only working for a short time those erratic buggers are finding other ways out. Sneaky little things. So maybe it's time for the PM.
Liz

Welcome

by qwerty - 2010-04-19 02:04:05

Being scared is part of the process I think. Most of us here have had that feeling more than once.
I am 59 (60 soon) and I got my PM January 25th. You didn't say why they wanted you to have a PM.
I went in for a physical last summer and by November I had an appointment with a Cardio dude. After a stress test, he said I should consider a PM. He didn't seem alarmed and I was having no symptoms other than being tired. I have never had any problems and Dr.s usually tend to over prescrib anything they give me. So, I decided not to have the PM. He asked that I come back in January for a check up. When I left I wasn't convinced I needed anything. I talked with some folks I work with (some nurses) and they gave me the name of another cardio dude. I made my "follow up" appointment in January with him and I told him I needed a 2nd opinion and I wasn't happy with the other Cardio's office so I would be moving my records. When I went to the the new Cardio doc, I really thought they would tell me I was fine and come back in 6 months. But before they would do that, he said wear a holter monitor for 24 hours and have an echo and make an appointment for 6 months to review and repeat some tests to see if there was any changes. When I sent the holter monitor back, they called me that afternoon and asked if I wanted the PM today or tomorrow. I had not even had the echo yet. Remember, my only complaint was being tired. It seems that my HR was low, averaging about 42 during the day and dropping into the 20's overnight with up to 16 pauses of almost 4 seconds per minute.
I have to admit, I still wasn't totally convinced. I didnt feel that bad, just tired.
Now.... since PM. You gatta know, I feel great. I also noticed that I am more alert. I didn't realize how bad I was feeling. My HR had obviously been dropping for a couple of years and it was gradual and I didn't realize it was happening.
This is long, but you need to find out why they want you to have a PM. If you don't trust your Doc, get a 2nd opinion. But just know, that a PM is a big step, but they don't put these in people who don't need them. It is not a walk in the Park, but the after affect does let you Walk in the Park without feeling like you need a nap on the bench.
Keep us posted. This is a great group of people. If you have questions just ask. Feel free to send a private message if you need to.
Have a great day!

Get The Pacemaker

by SMITTY - 2010-04-19 02:04:31


Hello Lovelsu,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

Based on the info in your last comments I have to say get the pacemaker if your doctor thinks it will help you. Apparently he has done about all he can without a pacemaker.

It would not be fair to you to say pacemerk will make everything fine, but I don't see how it can makes things any worse so from where I sit it is worth a try. The odds are that it will help you anywhere from a little to an unbelievable amount. Above all the pacemaker itself is nothing to fear. The surgery is most often reasonably simple and recovery time is short. Also, remember your continuing to live will not be dependant on the operation of that pacemaker, since you are able to live with out one now. It will just be a helper replacing what your heart's natural cannot do.

With all that said it is back to doing what your doctor thinks is best. He knows your illness and is also in a position to know what a pacemerk may can for you.

I wish you the best,

Smitty

Why a pacemaker

by lovelsu - 2010-04-19 02:04:33

My electrical system is damage.
I have three doctors working on getting me to feel better
and to carry on with a normal life.
Symptoms? Just getting out of bed is hard for me.

Why a pacemaker

by lovelsu - 2010-04-19 02:04:55

I have A. Fib. I have had 3 alb. already. I feel good for about 8 mos. then it returns. I feel bad all the time.
I can not even clean or shop for my self.
Some days I feel like I can not put one foot in front on the other.
Do I keep doing the Alb?

what's next

by Tracey_E - 2010-04-19 02:04:58

Well, you can go with your dr's recommendation or get a second opinion. What is your diagnosis and are you having symptoms? How did he decide you need it?

I know it sounds scary at first but as heart fixes go, it's a really easy one. Pm's fix electrical problems, which generally mean our heart and plumbing is structurally normal. That's a good thing! The pm just rewires around our short circuit. I've had a pm since I was 27 for a condition I was born with. I'm 43 now and feel terrific. I''m active and healthy, have kids and run a business and do a lot of volunteer work. Most people don't have a clue that I have it, they just see another busy mom. You'll find members here from parents of young children with pm's to teens who got them as babies to people old enough to be your grandmother. There's no one type of person who needs a pm.

The unknown is always scary. It's a good idea to educate yourself on your condition, how pm's work, learn about the surgery and recovery so you understand why you need it and how the pm will help you, then you can make an informed decision. These questions are asked at least several times a week here, there are many responses! I won't write a book (unless you ask me to, lol) but as you browse, if you have questions, please ask.

As you browse the topics here, please keep in mind that pm's are extremely dependable, sophisticated computers and the risk of complications with surgery is less than 3%. It will seem a lot higher than that as you read the messages here!!! Many people come here because they are that 3% and are looking for answers. For every one person who comes here with a complication, there are thousands out there who quickly recovered and moved on with their lives and haven't had a reason to seek us out. Please don't let the skewed number of complications among our posts scare you.

time

by Tracey_E - 2010-04-19 03:04:54

If between three doctors and multiple ablations and I assume various medication cocktails they still can't get your afib under control and you can barely function, I think you're well past time to consider another solution like a pm. You're too young to spend your life stuck in bed when there could be a fix.

Are they talking about ablating your av node when they give you the pm? Because a pm by itself doesn't do much for afib. A pm will speed up a slow heart and regulate an irregular heart but if your heart takes off fast on its own, like when you fibrillate, a pm will only sit back and watch. What they can do, however, is ablate the av node so your hr is controlled by the pm. You may still experience some afib, but you won't feel it and you will have a nice, steady hr. There are quite a few members here who have had this and had excellent results.

Welcome

by The Fish - 2010-04-19 10:04:25

Hi
Just wanted to let you know that we were all scared when we got our PM's, or at least most of us. Mine happened quite suddenly about 5 weeks ago. It was a fairly straight forward simple procedure but I had lots of concerns and fears when I got home with my new friend. Thanks to this great group, I am doing well and I know you will to. Welcome aboard and wishing you all the best.
Howard

Not as Horrible as I Thought

by stealthrecon - 2010-04-20 05:04:18

I Didnt have any choice. My heart just stopped and I died and was brought back and I pretty much woke up and became coherent and was told the next day what had happened and btw u have a pacemaker now. lol To make a long story short i of course thought i was gonna die again and all the usual axiety and thought that even if i did live that i would be like a second class human that couldnt do anything ever again like drive or go hunting and etc.... Ide just be like a 31 year old that lived his life like a 90 year old. But im 10 weeks in and thats so far from the truth. Im back to work, go shooting, hiking, and everything i used to do. I was just told i cant go deep scuba diving. :-( I always wanted to do that but HEY! At least i can do everything else. Dont be afraid of getting a pacer. It will save your life and make you live longer. If anything goes wrong, ur pacer will save your life. Hope this helps.

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