7 more days and I am freaking out

Next Friday I will be getting my 1st pacemaker placed and I am 19 years old with a 15 month old. I am getting so nurvous about this. At times I start to cry thinking about after its in...pain, new feelings, scar and just adjusting. I found out I have a complete heart block in October 2010 but its not a life thretening thing. I decided I want to get it incase something were to happen. I have never passed out but I dont want it to happen say while I am driving. I am really feeling like i wish i could cancel my appt and not get it or think why me and now thats its coming so fast i just think of my bra strap will rub or the seat belt and all these stories I have read or the leads will pull out. When i was in jr high i had a ultrasound done on my heart for a murmur and for at least a month i was so weirded out because i saw and heard my heart beating on the monitor and the thought of what it was doing and i am sure i will be the same way. Has anyone got depressed after getting a pacemaker? I kind of worry about that too.

7 Comments

My story

by Edouard - 2011-02-04 01:02:26

Hi Sugarbunny09
I can understand your concern. We all come into this world with a single pump and it is always worrysome to find out that the fuse box is not operating the way it should. Being a 59 year-old male, the scarring is not much of a concern for me, but I can assure you that it is minimal. As TraceyE and Smitty have said, that part of the issue can be addressed by speaking frankly with your surgeon.
On the question of pain, I can only share my own story. I was awake through the whole procedure. I got to see the professionalism of the surgical team - it was quite reassuring. There was no pain during surgery, only some pressure as the surgeon inserted the device in my shoulder. Post-surgical discomfort was minimal. I was released within 24 hours. For the next week or so, I favoured my left shoulder. The major problem I had after my operation was that my wife would not let me do anything around the house. I did not swim for 8 weeks, not because I couldn't physically, but because my doctor had told me not to.
Since then, last May, I've competed in three swim meets.
That's not to say that I don't have issues, but at my age, the manufacturer's warranty has expired and it's not surprising to seem some of the parts fall on the road from time to time.
Only you can convince yourself to relax, but rest assured that if you are like the great majority of pacemaker recipients, you will soon put this episode behind you and forget about your new "friend".
Good luck and keep us posted.

Edouard

Bra strap

by Beckes76 - 2011-02-04 04:02:07

I am on my 4th PM in 27 years and I have not had any problems. My 1st 3 were in my abdomen area because I was so young. My current one is in the usual place upper left area of the chest area that I got in 2005. I remember that I couldn't wear a normal bra strap over it for a few days. I believe I put a small towel over the incision so I could wear a bra. I also had a towel over the seat belt so it wouldn't rub it either. Some of these things you just don't realize until you need the extra protection. I was soon back at work and driving and taking care of kids. I did have a weight restriction for about a month.

Go with your first instinct and get the PM. You wil feel 100% better in no time. If you have any questions just ask any of the long timers and we will help as much as we can. Good luck with everything and things will be just fine.

Becky

I was where you are . . .

by sugarleaf4 - 2011-02-04 06:02:57

I can definitely identify with the way you are feeling ------- I has a lot of the same concerns you do before I got my first PM last year. I worried about the scar, the placement of the PM and I cried countless days and nights out of just sheer fear of the procedure. Now I am sporting a PM that functions 80% of the time and I feel as if I've gained 15 years of energy back!

TraceyE gave me a lot of good suggestions and advice so listen to her. I was very worried about the PM being placed just under my skin and moving around. So, I talked with my surgeon and she buried it in my chest muscle and I just love it there!! My little sweetie is nestled in her pocket and days pass where I forget I even have a pace maker. I wear V-neck sweaters alot and one can see my scar. So ask about having yours buried if that is important to you.

I consider myself to be a real worrier at times and I can say that having the actual PM placement was a breeze. (The pain after I had my tubes tied at 44 was far worse. I was on pain meds for 3 days!!) When I checked in at the hospital for my PM, I let them know at then that I was extremely nervous about the procedure and they made sure that I was comfortable. Pain was just about at a zero afterward placement. I had one pain pill the day of and felt great the rest of the time!!

Talk with your doctor and the surgeon who will place your device to let them know your concerns and that in itself will give you some relief. I can you that things went just as easy as a lot of members told me it would and I don't have any regrets. I wish you the best!!!!!

horror stories

by Tracey_E - 2011-02-04 07:02:28

Have you talked to your dr about burying it a bit and possibly putting it lower so scars and bra straps are less likely to be a problem? It doesn't have to go in the standard place right under the collarbone.

Something to keep in mind when you read here, the number of complications is abnormally large. For every one person who comes here to get answers because they had a complication, there are hundreds or probably thousands out there who bounced back and didn't have a reason to look for a support group. The odds of complication are less than 2-3%. I've had 4 pm surgeries now without a problem.

A bit of the blues and a period of adjustment is common, depression is not. A positive attitude is a big part of healing. If you go into it expecting to have problems adjusting, telling yourself that you're going to obsess and it will be awful and you'll end up depressed... you likely will. Tell yourself people go through this every day. Remind yourself there are a lot of people here like me who went through this at your age and now live full active lives feeling great and you're determined to be one of us.

You didn't make this decision lightly. You did your research and you put a lot of thought into it so don't second guess yourself now. It's perfectly normal to have doubts and be nervous. You're doing the right thing and you'll be fine!

Did any of us remember to tell you about wearing a button up shirt to the hospital? You won't want to be pulling anything over your head for the first week or two. Also, I found it easier to sleep at night hugging a small pillow with my left arm, it kept me from rolling onto my sore side in my sleep. If you have more questions or just want to chat, there are a lot of us here who've been in your shoes.

Getting A PM

by SMITTY - 2011-02-04 09:02:30


Hello Sugarbunny,

I'll add a few thoughts to what Tracey said. As Tracey said, many people get pacemakers but few have a problem. What you see here is mostly the ones with problems. So rather than look upon this site as being representative of the problems recipients of pacemakers have, look upon it as a place the unlucky few can go to get answers to their questions their Dr does not provide.

You ask if any one get depressed after getting a PM, of course the answer is yes, but it shouldn't be. People that get a PM should be all smiles. A PM is no more than medicine a person must have. The difference is the PM is in place all time and is something you are not going to misplace.

One thing I do want to mention is please don't make the mistake many of us have done when we first get our PM. That PM does not take over the full time job of making your heart beat. It is strictly there to assist in time of need. It does this by monitoring your heart beat. When it sees that your heart's natural PM is not keeping your heart beating as it should the manmade PM sends the necessary impulses to do this. This help may be in the form of one beat or a string of beats. It alls depends on your needs at that moment. The good part about that PM is it steps in and helps out without you ever knowing it. The heart beats generated by the PM are identical to the ones you get from your heart's natural PM.

Your PM will have a low and a high set point. Most often (depending on what your Dr thinks is best for you) these are a low of 50 to 70 and a high of 110 to 130. An over simplified description of what these mean to your PM is that it will not let your heart rate drop below the low set point. At other times it monitors your heart rate and send impulses until your HR reaches the upper set point. Then the PM is nothing but a monitor and will send no impulses until your HR rate drops below that upper set point.

As for scaring you are dependant on the expertise of the surgeon here. The better the surgeon, usually the less noticeable the scar. I've had two PMs and in both cases you would be hard pressed to see my scars from 3 ft. away after a few months. Of course as old and ugly as I am it could look like 6 inches of 3/4" rope across my chest and it wouldn't matter.

With that I'll stop. I notice you have a week to go before you get your PM. During that time you will have many questions I'm sure. Don't hesitate to post them here. The odds are some of us have experience that same thing and can help.

I wish you the best,

Smitty

It'll be ok!

by Noelle - 2011-02-05 01:02:52

I had my first pacemaker placed when I was 29. Since I was young and am very petite, my cardiologist sent me to another who normally treats kids. He was so good about making sure that the incision/scar would be placed so it could be hidden by my bra strap. He also used a smaller pacemaker used for kids and placed it deep in the muscle. It will be a bit painful at first but you will heal fast, feel better and soon forget that it is even there. I had my second one placed last year. I just needed a battery change but my cardiologist showed me a new model that is about half the size of my first one so we decided to replace the pm. He did such an amazing job, you can barely tell that I have a scar. Nobody even notices it!
I know this whole thing seems really scary, but its not so bad. I have never had any problems, and I don't really ever think about it until I have a Dr. appointment. Try not to worry too much...it will be ok!

Some comments

by kermiehiho - 2011-02-06 10:02:25

Sugarbunny - Isn't a complete heart block when your heart stops completely for a few seconds? I think that sounds life-threatening. I was getting partial heart blocks and one complete heart block while I was sleeping. Luckily, I was in the hospital for other injuries and was hooked up to an EKG machine, which sounded an alarm when these things happened, effectively waking me up and returning my heart rate to normal. But I imagine if that had happened at home, I might just have not woken up again. You have to do what you have to do, especially since you have a young child depending on you. It's ok and normal to feel sad sometimes, worried, and nervous. I'm 25 and got my pacemaker at the end of November, and I still find myself tearing up when I think of the pacemaker, even though I'm not sure why.

You know you're wired when...

You have an excuse for gaining an extra ounce or two.

Member Quotes

99% of the time, I totally forget I even have this device.