5 Days Pre PM Anxiety Setting In

Well I’m 5 Days Pre my PM implant, and I have a few concerns.  I am a recording and mixing engineer for 35 years and I’m scared about the PM because I work around a lot of electrical equipment and speakers.  I am worried about the interference with the PM unit.

I’m also concerned about how it’s going to feel to have a higher heart rate than I’m accustomed to.  I have lived in the 30-40’s (beats per minute) for almost 10 years and don’t know what the anxiety is going to be like to be in the 50-60 range.

I’m scared; would like to hear from someone who works around equipment.  Also, can you feel the leads in your chest besides the unit?

Thanks,

John

                                                          

11 Comments

anxiety

by Tracey_E - 2011-07-13 02:07:56

If you tell yourself you are going to have anxiety problems after, you probably will ;o) Tell yourself you're going to feel great and have a lot more stamina than you do now. Glass half full, and all that!

My hr was mid 40's most of my life and jumped to the 80's after I got my pm. It felt like I was mainlining coffee and I couldn't sit still. I have never had so much energy! The racing feeling eventually went away but I'm still full of energy more than 15 yrs later.

I don't work around electrical equipment so I'm not much help there. I would tell your dr about your work conditions and ask if you should take any precautions. Some speakers do have magnets large enough to interfere. The pm has a switch in it that puts it in safety/test mode. They do this every time they test it so you'll know the feeling before you even leave the hospital. A strong enough magnet will pull this switch closed and the heart will have a steady rate around 60. It's not dangerous, but it doesn't feel good if you pace a lot. As soon as you get away from the magnet, the switch opens up again and full function is restored with no harm done.

Welcome John:)

by Pookie - 2011-07-13 03:07:48

Hi John.

You shouldn't feel anxiety rather you should feel more energized!!!!!! Tracey gave a lot of good advice.

No, you should not be able to feel the leads. With that being said, once the bit of swelling goes down and depending on your body build, some people can feel where the leads/wires go directly into the pacemaker itself....like me because I am quite skinny. But you cannot feel them inside if that is what you meant.

If you know what brand of pacemaker you will receive, the best advice I can give you, regarding the possible electrical interference, is to call the Pacemaker Company - you should receive a card in the mail a few weeks after implant - there will be a toll free number. Also, you could discuss this with whomever is doing your surgery.

Take it easy for a few weeks after your surgery and follow all of your doctor's instructions and you should be just fine.......and remember: we are all here to help you through your new journey:)

Take care,
Pookie

my 2 cents worth

by cliffbennett - 2011-07-13 05:07:04

TraceyE and Pookie have good advice.

I felt anxious too -- mostly because I wasn't sure a PM will help or whether I was right to agree to let them put one in. My only problem was a resting rate in low to mid 30s, but no symptoms I knew of that came directly from that.

Anyway, I'm now 2 weeks post-insertion. Still a little sore at the site and still being careful not to over-stress it per intructions.

For the first week or so I could feel something when I bent over to pick something up -- it felt uncomfortable, in my upper chest up to the throat, kind of behind my esophagus. Almost like angina. Not painful, but not "right" either. It would go away when I stood up.

I got that again very faintly the other day, but other than that it seems to have gone away. So if I was "feeling" the wires, maybe that was it. I have new wires in a large vein, into the upper chamber and through a valve into the lower chamber of my heart. I don't think it's outrageous to think I could feel something.

By the way, I haven't had a chance to talk this over with my doctor yet, so I don't know what he'll say. I do get reflux, and I've had gastro stuff going on for years, so I know it didn't feel like that. The only other thing I can think of was some kind of sympathetic pain from the PM pocket incision.

But I thought I'd share, in case you end up feeling something. They all tell you you won't.

In any case -- try to relax. It should be just fine.

They'll probably tell you not to carry speakers against your chest. That might require a little adjustment, but you can handle it.

Good luck!

need to give it a little time

by wjhughes420384 - 2011-07-13 09:07:37

when I got my first PM i did feel the pm moving about in my chest, it may take a few weeks for that feeling to go away, I also had troubles with my shoulder for a while after my 1st pacemaker, that also faded in weeks. My mother in law who was much older than I had none of my problems, and i did not have them with my second pacemaker. In other words, don't be upset if it doesn't feel right immediately, if it does- great, but otherwise give it a few weeks, the only thing that seems to persist is a car seat belt will irritate. bet a pad or cushion and try to airgap it across the PM. good luck and welcome to the club

Don't Sweat...

by donr - 2011-07-13 10:07:03

...the electrical equipment.

That is unless you pick up a humongous speaker & clutch it to your chest just above your new friend. The magnet in the speaker might affect the PM. Otherwise, the magnetic/electric fields in your studio shouldn't affect you one iota. Now, if you were a POWER engineer or someone who mucked around w/ 220 V, 30 Amp water heaters, you can expect some potential problems. I had an incident of mag field interference from just such a circuit about two weeks post implant. Scared the daylights out of me. In my case, I passed an energized pair of cables about 2 inches in front of my PM. I felt it.

Like I said - don't sweat it.

BTW: You are authorized to be anxious. Someone is going to be mucking around inside your heart, playing Capt Ahab in search of Moby Dick w/ a harpoon. But - there are nearly a million of us who have successfully been through it before, so it must be pretty safe.

Let me give you my data point on an increased HR & its effect on you. I WAS a natural 72 BPM; all my life. I came out set at 80 BPM. I can best descrfibe the way I felt as "They're coming through the wire!" Constantly aprehensive & hyper-alert. They knocked me back down to 75 & all was normal again. Why have you been at such a low HR for SO long? Are you a chronic long distanced runner like my two older kids? They sport HR's in the 40's.

Good luck.

Don

No problem

by ElectricFrank - 2011-07-14 02:07:15

I'm an electronic engineer and have had a pacer since 2004. I've been around all sorts of equipment including Ham radio transmitters with no problem. Even Don's warning about putting large speakers close to your chest (which is a good thing to avoid) hasn't affected me. I forgot all about it and carried a large woofer into the shop from my Jeep with it clutched close to my chest. It was heavy. I never thought of it until several days later while answering a question here. I'm 100% dependent on the pacer so would have known if it was affected.

As for the increase in HR, it shouldn't be a problem unless you you use the old 30-40 rates as a metronome for music. LOL Just be sure they know you have had a low natural HR for years and have them set the lower limit down around 55.

One other item. Start right out from the beginning and ask them for a copy of the implant report showing the settings. Also, make it clear you want copies of the report after each checkup. Tell them you are an engineer and curious. Once you get the implant we can help with understanding the settings. I basically specify the settings I want and in my 80's am still very active.

frank

Thank You And A Story

by themixer - 2011-07-14 05:07:17

I want to thank everyone for there advice and words of encouragement,Its much appreciated now my story.

I should have started my statement with a bit of history. I was 1st Diagnosed with afib back in 1991 went to v-tack and a host of arrhythmia problems between 1991 and 2002 I have had 9 ablation EPS procedures as well as a Trans ceptal ablation. amounting to over 200 Burns, of with the last left me with Sinus Node Dysfunction. a few days after that procedure my HR fell to 38 and all the nurses panicked a dr came in said you need a pacemaker this was on a weekend I asked the dr if it would kill me he said no so I waited till the Monday till my Cardio Dr came in I spoke with him and we decided to wait about 6 months later I learned to live with the low HR and preceded to do so till 2010.

In 2010 we decided to move sell the house and downsize to a new location actually 20 min from where we were in NJ, during this period the stress and trauma , kicked me back into what the cardio called a Afib I haven't had before and said that we had to do the pacemaker,. he said that only my upper chamber was beating and that's why I was felling so weak , tired and always out of breath, I have fought is for the past year but now realize the time has come to do it. im pretty stubborn but I don't like felling like shit all the time.

My last visit to the Cardio when I was leaving I said ill make an appt he looked at me and said the next time i see you it will be to do the pacemaker I don't need to see you before then, I thin the lack of o2 is clouding your judgement. and I walked out.

Well I was scheduled to do the pacemaker this coming Tuesday but called and have rescheduled it till Friday the 22 with a visi to se him on the 20th to go over the procedure and how it will affect my life as I have said I've been a recording and mixing engineer for over 30 years and do quite a bit of extensive traveling ..

I'm stubborn and difficult beyond words but my wife is now put her foot down. and im tired of fighting them all off.

and that's my story and how I got here, thanks for letting me share..

John

Relax and welcome to the club.

by Andersen - 2011-07-14 12:07:38

I have had my PM for about 5 weeks now and I feel so much better. I did not know how ill I was. I had a long talk with the Cardiologist and told him I want ZERO PAIN. And that's what I got. Slicker than pig snot. They have some kind of Super Sandman that monitors all your systems. I hope the chow is good if you spend a couple of days in the hospital for observation.

There is much more stress in mixing a session.

What are you waiting for?

by ElectricFrank - 2011-07-15 01:07:07

You have been due for a pacer for years. I don't get it. You have consented to multiple ablations which are much more risky that a simple pacemaker. An ablation can't be reversed as you have found. A pacemaker is a simple electronic device that can be easily adjusted and even turned off. Yet you agonize over the pacemaker.

Your approach is akin to taking a torch to the wiring in a mixer panel to eliminate hum, rather than adding an isolation amplifier. Maybe some engineering talk will make sense.

frank

11 years I'm the game

by emmphive - 2011-07-21 01:07:13

I'm a audio mix engineer and I had the same fears, o had my pm installed 3 weeks ago, I'm 29 years old, 1stly I have more energy than I've has in years, and equipment wise I work with many pro tools modules? And monitors which are shielded. I've had no problems in studio what so ever so you should be fine.

Just installed, 53 yo

by TexGoneNW - 2011-07-22 03:07:53

I just joined the club and saw your comment. Count yourself lucky - you have time to be anxious. I had experienced syncope (fainting) episodes, with no good explanation until this past Tuesday evening, when I felt faint, somehow stayed alert enough to check BP and pulse, and found my pulse was 41 (normally low 70's), then down to 30. I was in ER 30 minutes later with a heart monitor and EKG capturing the event, and it turns out I had a block that showed my ventricles pulsing 1/3 as often as my atrium. My PM was installed 2 days ago, came home yesterday, and I'm recovering.

I'm a musician on the side, and I'm learning about possible EMI effects here. I'm sure we'll both be functional. My day job puts me around motors and generators, too. Just have to learn about it.

Anxiety is healthy. Educate yourself and be confident. You will live a normal life!

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