Post-Op Recovery

Hey guys! So I had my MRI Surescan Pacemaker fit this last Tuesday. I'm 27 years old and needed it for pre-syncope and sinus arrests. I've been quite emotional since coming home from the hospital. The site doesn't hurt anymore I just have some neck and back soreness which will go away in time and my esophagus hurts from the breathing tube.

I'm wondering if any of you felt like crap with the antibiotics they give. I'm taking Amox/Clav for a week to ensure I don't get an infection. I feel nauseas and just weird all the time like I'm disconnected.

Also, what's concerning me, my resting heart rate is normally in the 50s and 60s but it's been in the 80s and 90s and it's freaking me out. Is that because my body is trying to heal so it's working harder? My PM lower limit is 50 and the upper is 160 so I don't think it's a settings issue. Any info from your experience would be much appreciated.

2 Comments

Give it Time

by NiceNiecey - 2017-09-02 23:33:34

Hi There.

These first few days and weeks are an adjustment: emotionally and physicaly.  In time, you will feel better than ever.  My heart was all over the place, too.  I'd just be sitting still in a chair and my HR would be over 100.  That's not good but it's not out of the ordinary - especialy at this point in your recovery.

Hang in there, Newbie!  Things will definiely improve!

recovery

by Tracey_E - 2017-09-03 09:14:03

As Niecey said, it takes some time for the heart to get used to pacing. It's normal for the rate to be higher than the lower limit, it works as a gas pedal, not a brake pedal. It's allowing the heart to do what it would/should have been doing before so if there were beats in the atria that weren't followed by beats by the ventricle, now the pacer is makig sure the ventricles keep up.

It can take a few tries to get the settings fine tuned. We are all different so they start with a good guess. If it's been more than a week and you aren't scheduled for a check in the next few days, I'd give a call.

As for the nausea, are you taking probiotics? Antibiotics kill the good stuff with the bad, probiotics will help with that. You'll have to space them out between antibiotic doses, otherwise it will keep the antibiotic from working. 

You know you're wired when...

You have a new body part.

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Life does not stop with a pacemaker, even though it caught me off guard.