After procedure
I am 35 years old and up to a year ago everithing seem to be fine with me. Even though Ive always been a lil on the over weigh side... well maybe a lil more than a lil, Ive always been generaly healthy. All of a sudden last year the dizziness and chest pains started, usualy when I was resting. My heart wasnt beating fast enough causing me to be tired all the time and feeling dizzy and having really weird and irregular heartbeats. I was going to Drs back and forth to try and find out the problem until one day I could not bear it anymore, went to the ER and was admited and 4 days later came out with a pacemaker. It turns out I had symptomatic Bradycardia.
I feel different now, not just fisically but mentally. All this month my heart, chest and simptoms have made me more aware of everithing that happens in my body and cant seem to leave it be. I feel if my hands feel colder or my feet, if my head hurts, If my heart is beating faster. Honestly I feel a lil scared most of the the time. I do feel a lot better and the chest pains and most of the dizzines is gone but every now and then I feel a lil dizzy or dont feel good, like somethings not right. I think is my body adjusting to something that wasnt there before but In the back of my head I wonder if itll go away one day or if this is my new life. I want to feel like I was before all this happen and Im scared I wont. Ive been reading some comments and looking at people that have been through worse than me, open heart surgeries, blokages, etc. and are doing good. I just wish I was that possitive. Im trying, but everytime I feel a lil better something happens like fast palpitations or head ache or something that brings me back to the reality of my pacemaker.
Btw its only been a month since the implant. Sorry if It sounds like Im just complaining but I just needed to vent how Im feeling at the moment.
3 Comments
It's going to be all right
by Gotrhythm - 2018-05-28 16:18:52
I think it's normal to be hyper- aware of our body after getting a pacemaker. After all, most people have zero prior experience to call on. Plus, you probably never anticipated that your heart could start beating too slow. Too fast, yes, Too slow? Huh?
It seems like the heart problem snuck up on you from behind. Now, it's normal to wonder what else could go wrong that you don't anticipate at all. So you notice every little thing and wonder if it's something to worry about.
As Tracey points out, the best cure for the anxiety of not knowing is to learn everything you can and ask questions whenever you aren't sure. Fortunately there's Pacemaker Club. Here you can share your feelings, your questions, and maybe your wisdom.
Somebody here probably knows the answer to any question you might ask about pacemakers, and somebody here probably understands any way you are feeling.
Come back every day. Read every post. Some will be about things you don't understand. But more will be from someone who's feeling or wondering about the same thing as you.
Recovery
by AgentX86 - 2018-05-28 20:24:57
"Second, being active. I started by taking daily walks. Just the fresh air helped, but as I realized I could walk and feel good, then push it and do a little more and still feel good, I started focusing on that rather than the pacer."
TracyE nailed that one. Do what you can. You'll surprise yourself. Three years ago I had a triple bypass and really wasn't that active before. As part of the recovery, my cardiologist sent me to cardiac rehab. It was, positively, the best thing he could have done for me (and the worst thing for my "free time" ;-). I showed me that I could exercise, even though not much at first. After I completed rehab, my wife and I joined a gym. I go every day, now, and now walk 15mi/day, including 6-7 miles on a treadmil (while watching Netflix on a tablet). After my PM implant, I couldn't go to the gym for the first month but was still able to walk 10mi/day. We got FitBits and track our steps/miles and heart rates (not so important anymore). They help us push the envelope.
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recovery
by Tracey_E - 2018-05-28 11:02:05
Come vent whenever you need to! We get it. Doctors tell us about the physical healing, but the emotional/mental is just as real and rarely mentioned. It's a lot to swallow that our heart needs help and it's ok if it takes some time to wrap your head around it. Most of us go through it. I was younger than you when I got my first one, 27. I'm on my 5th now, healthy and active, and rarely give it a thought. I know it may seem hard to believe now, but you'll get there too.
Two things helped me get there. First was learning about my condition and how the pacer fixes it. I can accept what I understand. Some doctors are more forthcoming with information than others but I've learned that if I go in with questions and make it clear that I want to understand, they are pretty good at keeping me in the loop. Second, being active. I started by taking daily walks. Just the fresh air helped, but as I realized I could walk and feel good, then push it and do a little more and still feel good, I started focusing on that rather than the pacer.