did i need this?
Hello everyone,
2 weeks ago i went to my doctor for dizziness, he sent me to a cardiologist who ran some tests. in addition to the atrial fib that i have had for 30 years, they said that i have leaky valves, high pressures within my heart and the thing that concerned them the most, sometimes my heart stops up to 3 seconds. So they convinced me that i needed a pacemaker. i got it on 4/21, recovering well but still got the same dizziness. Im getting a terrible feeling that i might have done all this for nothing. Anyone had a similar experience?
3 Comments
Now My Opinion
by SMITTY - 2010-04-26 11:04:16
I see you have a couple of opinions already so I'll put in my two cents worth and it will disagree with what has been saide to some degree. Whether you need a pacemaker or not is difficult for me to say. I do know generally a pacemaker is not considered to be a cure for A-Fib. The pacemaker is expected to correct the problems a person may have from the cure, be it an ablation or from meds that slow the heart rate in an effort to stop A-Fib.
I do know that doctors will implant pacemaker when they are not needed. My first one was one of those. In fact it gave me so much trouble I had it turned off for almost three years and I did just fine, Another doctor restarted it but I still didn't need the thing. So yes you can get one when it is not needed, although I am not saying that was your case because I don't know.
As I said earlier a pacemaker is not considered a cure for A-Fib. The following, which is part of an article on why a pacemaker may be implanted for treatment of A-Fib.
"There was hope a number of years ago that pacemakers would prove to be an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation. But in fact they're very ineffective, and they do not treat atrial fibrillation.
There's only one situation where pacemakers play an important role in patients with atrial fibrillation, and that is in patients who have both atrial fibrillation and they have slow heart rhythms. That's a condition that's referred to as tachy-brady syndrome.
So there are some patients that will go into atrial fibrillation for a period of time. The atrial fibrillation will stop and then their underlying heart rate is extremely slow. And in those patients, it makes sense to put in a pacemaker because for two reasons. One, that will normalize the heart rhythm. And two, in the setting of this A fib and a slow heart rhythm, putting in a pacemaker may reduce the amount of atrial fibrillation you're having. But more importantly, the presence of a pacemaker will allow your doctor to put you on anti-arrhythmic medications safely.
If you have a tendency for a very slow heart rhythm, if you were placed on and anti-arrhythmic medication, your heart rate may get so slow you could get dizzy or pass out. So pacemakers are really used to allow your doctor to put you on an anti-arrhytmic medication.
But I think it's important to realize that pacemakers are not an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation, but many patients with atrial fibrillation have a pacemaker to allow your doctor to put you on medications."
In Closing, I will say I think you need to have a heart to heart talk with your doctor about why you got a pacemaker. For peace of mind if nothing else.
I wish you the best,
Smitty
Better Safe Than Sorry
by Genie - 2010-04-27 04:04:10
If your heart is pausing, it's more than likely you have second degree heart block? You can ask the doctor what type this was. In older patients, this is usually Mobitz Type 2. This frequently progresses to complete heart block, which is why they would have put a pacemaker in.
There are cases where people have to have a pacemaker, and others that are not so clear cut. I was a 'borderline' case for my pacemaker:. Despite complications, I am so glad I have it. You'll see a lot of stories on these pages where the first real problem from pauses was almost someone's last. You may still be dizzy, but you're safer than you were before.
Ask your doctor to explain to you exactly why they put the pacemaker in. You'll feel better. They don't do these things without good reason.
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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.
probably, yes
by Tracey_E - 2010-04-26 10:04:21
If your heart is pausing, there isn't any fix other than a pm. So, I'm not a dr and don't have your whole history, but it sure sounds like you needed it. You don't want it to pause long enough that you pass out, or long enough that it doesn't start up again. The pm is your safety net.
The dizziness could be coming from your other issues rather than the pauses, which means the pm won't make it go away. Sometimes they need to adjust the pm settings a bit before we feel as good as we can. I would call and tell them you are still dizzy, have the pm interrogated to be sure it's doing what it should.