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My story is complicated so I will give a short version of it. I'm a 62 year old female who had a heart attack 10 years ago. I've had three cardiac arrest. I've had open heart surgery and quite a few caths. In 2005 I had an ablation and a pacer and def. implanted. I had on a few occasions, suffered from congestive heart failure. In Oct 07 the news came out about bad wires from Medtronic. My doctor felt that since I was 100% paced that I should remove the bad leads. In May of 2008 we did just that and installed a new pacer/def for better controll of CHF. I did fine for one month. At that point I had to have the surgery again, the one old lead they left in broke and pierce my heart. After that Is was down hill from there. I had a terrible time breathing and no energy at all. I went to a lung specialist and was told that I had servere emphysema. So I was put on so much medicine an inhalents . Everyday it got a little worse. My husband wanted to move from Fort Myers Fl. and we did in May,09 to Blairsville GA. At this point I just new the end wasn't far off and so did my family. My husband went on the computer to find new doctors and made appointments for me. My appointment was with a doctor from the Piedmont Hospital of Atlanta.
When I went in I had downloaded all my paperwork and had it ready and they took me in a room . There was a very nice lady there who introduced herself as an employee from Medtronic and she has been with them for 28 years .Before that she was an RN. She redid all my settings, she said that my heart was set way to low an alarms were not turned on, She worked on me and was explaining everything she did. One hour later I was put in another room to see the heart doctor. At that point I told my husband that I felt different and it was like someone turn the light switch on. The doctor came and we talk about all the settings and why I was feeling like I did was because my heart was set way to low. That was two weeks ago and I must tell you I feel like a new person. I was able to finally unpack things and actually clean my new home. My husband is still in a state of shock not to mention being angry. He can not get over the new me. Please pay attention and know what they are doing. I know we all think that the doctor knows best but thats not really true anymore.
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4 Comments

Wow

by Pookie - 2009-06-16 03:06:04

What a journey you have been thru. I am so happy for you to have your life back. You must be over the moon with happiness. And I agree with your husband, I would be angry too.

I too have never felt better since my pacer back in 2004, matter of fact, I feel worse. I can't work and have been home for the past 2.5 yrs. Very frustrating.

Today I just got a loop/event recorder to wear for one month, then I will get to see an EP, as I have never seen that kind of a cardio doc yet.

I have a long medical history full of complications, but I still have hope that one day soon I will be on the mend. The nurse I saw today for the loop recorder told me that the EP I'm meant to see is the best in our hospital. We'll just have to wait and see. There's always hope.

Again, I'm so inspired to read your post as we can never give up.

Pookie

Welcome

by SMITTY - 2009-06-16 05:06:47

Hello MRSNO1MAX,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

First things first. Don't ever apologize for something you have posted unless someone comes up with a specific reason for why they were offended. Second, I don't see how anyone in their right mind could find fault with what you posted. Your's is a perfect example of, as you stated, "I know we all think that the doctor knows best but that's not really true anymore."

It has long been my contention that some (too many to be exact) doctors that implant pacemakers and have made or make the necessary changes in the PM settings may know what they want the PM to do, but have no idea of how to accomplish that feat. That is because a PM is a very sophisticated electronic device and some of these so called PM doctors haven't yet mastered the use of a TV remote, so there is little chance that we can get the PM settings we need.

I do hope you will stay tuned to this site because I have a feeling that your experiences can be invaluable to many new and old PM recipients that know something regarding their PM is wrong but haven't been able to get the help they need. You and your husband are perfect examples of what it sometimes takes to get the benefit we expected from that very expensive little piece of scrap iron they bury in our body.

I am glad you finally got that bear pointed in the right direction so you could turn loose of his tail.

Good luck,

Smitty

pm s3eettings

by papaknight - 2009-06-16 10:06:15

glad to hear your are benefitting from your pm and the person who took an iterest in helping you understand whats going on. No doctor could be expewcted to understand all of the new srtting and changes they make in the devices themselves. Thats where the person interrogating your unit becomes so important but you must still ask for and if necessary demand copies of your records at each testing. this will alow you to compare each interrogation adn clear up any questions that come up. bless the people on this site and remember you may be able to help someone else as you learn about your unit and how you are personally treated. Here'e hoping you continue to improve and live a long and happy life.
papaknight

Thank you MRSNO1MAX

by Brendakt54 - 2009-06-26 11:06:10

Your post inspired me. I have been in a funk all day because I am not feeling any better since my implant on 4/9/09. I know it can take time. I'm waiting for my 'light switch' to come on.

Thank you for posting and hope you will hang around.

Brendakt54

You know you're wired when...

Friends call you the bionic woman.

Member Quotes

Your anxiety is normal. It takes some of us a little time to adjust to the new friend. As much as they love you, family and friends without a device just cannot understand the adjustment we go through. That is why this site is so valuable.