Newbie

Hi everyone just joined! Had my on demand pacemaker fitted 16.8.19 very anxious at the moment, I have left hand bundle branch block, I went running on the 15th and went light headed and passed out, I came around and sent my symptoms via my reveal unit, then told my heart stopped for 30sec then reset itself! Haven’t been told it was a heart attack but pacemaker was fitted the next day sorry for the lack of technical knowledge but it’s an on demand type.

I am worried about my wires come lose and going on holiday next week without knowing if it’s been a success, quite lightheaded at the moment but I think it must be anxiety as it improves if I have a glass of wine!

Does anyone know what would dislodge your wires ? I put my arm up at the end of the Fiat week when having a shower totally forgot!

I don’t feel any different as my symptoms are quite infrequent passed out twice in a year

any advice would be greatly appreciated 

kind regards

jim

 

 

3 Comments

welcome

by ROBO Pop - 2019-08-27 13:31:53

First, your faint and loss of heart beat  wasn't a heart attack, it was Syncope and some other electrical issue like sss and even the dread SCA. Heart attacks cannot be treated by pacemakers or defibrillators.

Second with what you've described you should have had a CRT-D Implanted. That's a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator, also known as a Bi-Ventricular Defibrillator.

It sounds like you need to have some settings adjusted which is common for a new device. See your Dr and let him know how active you are. Get that thing fine tuned for your specific needs and lifestyle.

Try to relax and enjoy the holiday

by crustyg - 2019-08-27 17:10:47

You've had episodes of syncope due to conduction problems, and now you have an on-demand pacemaker that will prevent this from happening again.

Unless you work out with Chins+Dips, climb obstacle walls and spend a lot of time on the Lat pull-down machine in the gym, you are *unlikely* to dislodge a lead.  Most EPs seem to use active fixation (little metal screw that drills into the heart muscle) and should have left a good amount of spare lead to allow the L Axillary vein to pull away from the heart if you lift your left arm up a lot (assuming you've been fitted on the left).  After some weeks, fibrous tissue grows around the lead where it's sitting against the heart muscle and this provides a really permanent anchor.  After that period the commonest lead issue seems to be fracture - and that's really uncommon.

The occasional lifting of the affected-side arm is something that almost everyone newly fitted with leads does from time to time in the first few weeks - and that alone isn't going to dislodge a lead.

Relax, enjoy your holiday, continue to run when you feel good, and be assured that you won't face-plant due to reduced heart output now that you're wired.

I'm a massive 3 months in (full irony intended) and I'm more relaxed about it now, running and cycling, and I had exactly the same worries about lead displacement, forgetting to avoid lifting L arm above shoulder etc.  Just don't give yourself shoulder problems by wearing a sling!

Thanks

by jimlyon@hotmail.co.uk - 2019-08-28 02:52:39

Thank you all for your prompt reply you have put my mind at rest, I will see how things progress, still have lots of questions but not feeling so stressed now, 

kind regards

jim

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