By 'eck, that didn't take long ......

Last Monday I went to the Doctors for a repeat prescription of antibiotics to clear my coughing phlegm laden heaving chest of 'man flu'.

“Just another weeks supply of tablets, please” I asked.

This was a different Doctor to the one I saw previously and she gave me a short medical check over.

“Your pulse is a bit slow and rather erratic” says the female practitioner “Just nip up to A&E for them to monitor your heart, it won't take long”

Well, to cut a longish story short – two days later I came out from the Hospital fitted with a pace maker.

My heart beat, apparently, was the slowest they'd seen for a long time in a bloke who wasn't actually dead.

As they say, you don't know what's round the corner and in my case round the corner there was possibly a big 6ft hole waiting for me if I hadn't gone for a quick 'monitor' at A&E.

Please don't take your health for granted - I certainly won't in future.


3 Comments

The unexpected

by Hulahoop - 2017-11-19 23:41:17

Did it cure your flu though?

It is funny what life has in store for you, isn't it? If you'd told me 3 months ago I'd be having a pacemaker age 35 I'd have fallen off my chair (not due to syncope).

Good luck, and welcome ;)

By 'eck, that didn't take long ......

by Keithchesterfield - 2017-11-21 16:19:29

Thanks for the welcome.

No, it didn't cure my flu - but it is gradually going.

A week since it was fitted and the District Nurse has removed the waterproof cover and paper stitches and is happy with the way it's healing.

"He's done a good job" says she.

I am allowed to drive once more and do light tasks.

I now walk without feeling breathless and the tiredness in my legs has gone - a vast improvement.

We bought a Sanitas Heart Monitor about five years ago, I've rescued it from the back of the sideboard drawer and got it working again.

I'm not sure how accurate it is but at least it proves I'm still able to give a reading that doesn't look too bad according to the charts I've got.

A holiday in now booked over the New Year in France, breathing in that bracing air as we overlook the Channel, and thoughts of long walks along beaches, dunes and promenades beckon once more thanks to the prompt action from the Doctor and all the Staff at our Hospital.

Onward and upward next year and thankfully I'll be back to something like my old self thanks entirely to my new pacemaker.

If only they'd fitted one that could have been used as a Wifi Hotspot, enabled me to get BT Sport or block out any Political programmes on TV – perhaps it will do those things when it's renewed in ten years time.

 

Up - and at 'em.

by Keithchesterfield - 2018-02-14 16:33:57

Things are moving on.

Three months from having the Pacemaker fitted and last week I started on the anticoagulant Rivaroxaban.

When I left Hospital back in November they reduced my Ramipril from 10mg a day to 2.5mg a day and stopped my Bisoprolol completely.

Now I'm back on 5mg Ramipril a day (slowly building back up 10mg) and 2.5mg Bisoprolol.

Today I went for a decent walk for a few miles in the freezing weather but I did the last mile, mainly uphill, without a pause and felt completely reinvigorated by the time I came to my destination.

Afterwards, a couple of hours later, my legs ached but that was hardly surprising as it was the most I'd walked at a reasonable speed for many months.

Having the Pacemaker fitted has improved my life enormously and I feel now that I really have a new lease of life and for that I'm extremely grateful.

You know you're wired when...

You make store alarms beep.

Member Quotes

My pacemaker has ultimately saved mine and my unborn child’s life for which I am thankful.