New Pacemaker wearer
Just got my pacemaker last Thursday and am trying out this site. Mine looks like an ugly purple catepillar on my chest.( Hope it gets a little prettier.) My doctor first thought I had epilepsy after a seizure and started me on anti-seizure medication he said I would need to take "for the rest of my life"! Ugh! But when I fainted again and my heart rate was 30, he told me to get to the emergency room right away. Thank goodness a tilt-table showed that the problem was my heart and a pacemaker was implanted the next day. I was relieved to know the real cause of my dizzy spells that had been going on for months. Anyhow, I am happy to be able to talk to others like me who have been given this option to live life more fully!
3 Comments
incision
by Tracey_E - 2017-03-22 09:44:57
Depending on your skin, it should flatten out and blend in within a year or so. Be sure not to let sun on it that first year, be super careful to use sunscreen.
welcome to the club
by dwelch - 2017-03-31 00:47:35
There is an accumulated weath of experience in these forums. We are all a little bit different our problems are different, but we all dealth with the surgery and recovery. Went 20 years without this kind of information always the youngest patient in the waiting room, etc. Came here not sure how many years ago now to find out many people are on pacer number 3 or 4 or 5 or more (I am going from number four to number five in april).
The scar is the scar, as small price to pay to stay alive. With time they will make more scars or re-open that one. small price to pay.
We have all been through the first few weeks thing, with the sore shoulder, the first visit after, the second visit after. Then on into annual checkups. Ask them to print your copy of the report, and at a minimum know what your minimum and maximum rate settings are.
You might not sleep so well at first if you were normally in the 30bpm range at night and now they have you on say a 50bpm lower limit. but "you will get used to it".
Car seat belts kind of suck I have tried all kinds of things and came back around to the fake sheepskin thing that velcros around the belt. 30 years with a pacer the seat belt was my biggest problem with the whole thing. But my first pacer was HUGE compared to the current one, so I think that was a factor, much easier to deal with these tiny ones...
Welcome to the club.
You know you're wired when...
Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.
Member Quotes
I had a pacemaker since 2002 and ever since then my life has been a total blessing.
Anti-seizure meds
by sueellen - 2017-03-21 23:58:20
Yay for you! Some friends suggested I get a second opinion but I thought I should just trust this doctor. Wrong. I'm glad you took control of your health and had a good result. Fourteen years! Congratulations!