New generator

On Friday, 7/10/9, I got a replacement generator. Before this they said my old generator was working fine; however, I was having all kinds of physical problems such as - hyperventilation, chest pains, nada energy. They kept saying- "Your pacemaker is working fine." Over and over I heard that crap. I thought, well, if it isn't my pacemaker then my heart must be failing because I have a major problem. I couldn't go up the stairs without gasping for air. To make a long story short- replaced generator and no more problems. Up and down stairs, carrying my dog and singing, no gasping and no pain. Evidently a pacemaker does more than just count the beats. I have put up with this for over a year but they kept saying the battery is supposed to last 5-7 years. Well it didn't with me. I didn't fit the bell curve.

Ron Armstrong

6 Comments

technology

by Tracey_E - 2009-07-13 09:07:54

My three year old battery is on its last legs and will need replaced in the next 8-12 mos. This will be my 4th device in 15 yrs. Numbers, schmumbers! I'm not exactly in the middle of the curve either but I feel good, nothing else matters :o)

Just because a pm is working does not mean it's programmed to meet your needs and leave you feeling your best. It may be that this one is programmed better to fit your needs, or that it it has newer technology that allows it to be better suited to your needs where the old one could not. I wouldn't worry too much about they why's, just enjoy your new health. Wishing you many more years of feeling as wonderful as you do today!

How do you know?

by RonArmstrong - 2009-07-14 09:07:19

When I went into the ER the doc said, "There's nothing wrong with your pacemaker. It is 'pacing'." True my pulse was 60; just like it is supposed to be I've been told. When I was laying on the slab waiting for the exchange the company rep asked me if I had been feeling 'light headed'? This was after he put the magnet on my generator and did a down load of data. How did he know this? It was true and I had been feeling crappy for at least a year. I suspect that there is some sort of baloney going on between doctors and pacemaker manufacturers. How can something that is supposed to just syn the lower and upper half of the heart cause all these problems? My question is 'How do you know if it is the heart or the pacemaker?' It seems we are at the mercy of the doctors; the so-called experts to decide when it is time to exchange the generators. I take it back, using the term; 'seems' is stupid, we are at their mercy-period.

Ron Armstrong

PS: I am enjoying the new me but I can't help but wonder what damage was done to my heart because I had to wait this long.

Hi I went through

by Karen - 2009-07-14 09:07:43

a similar situation. They do an echo test on your heart to determin if it is your heart or your pacemaker. Then they do a heart cath. to find out the details of the heart problem. I went through all this because my pacemaker came to the end of life at the sametime I was having all the heart issues. I just the heart issues were from the pacemaker wearing out but they found out what was the cause of heart issues through thosse tests. KarenR

p.s.

by Tracey_E - 2009-07-14 11:07:06

I doubt if any damage was done to your heart. Not having your settings adjusted properly doesn't feel good, but it's not generally dangerous.

more art than science

by Tracey_E - 2009-07-14 11:07:23

All you can do is ask, you are correct that we are at their mercy to a large extent. But we are also responsible for ourselves. We know our bodies better than they do so it's up to us to push them when we don't feel good and keep looking for answers when they give us pat answers rather than digging deeper. If you can't get your current dr to take you seriously when you have a new problem, it's time to get a new dr.

When I've had problems, we diagnosed first with the pm report. When tweaking the pm didn't help, they've done echos to see if the heart is structurally changed and stress tests to watch what my heart does on exertion. Several times after doing that it was still the pm, but now they had a better picture what to adjust.

I'm not surprised the ER said your pm was fine. They see it pacing and keeping your hr above 60, therefore it works. It's not their specialty so they don't look any deeper than that. That doesn't mean it's tweaked and is working as well as it could. There are a lot of settings and sometimes it can take some finesse to get the pm so it mimics exactly what your heart would do if it beat normally. It sounds like your rep may have spotted something and changed the programming on the new device. Who does your interrogations? Mine are done by my rep rather than my dr, the same rep who's been with me for each of my surgeries.

If you ask for a copy of your report, some of the guys here can decipher it for you.

manufacturers and doctors re pm/icds

by papaknight - 2009-07-17 04:07:33

Its sad to say but you cannot trust any of them. doctors and techs are so presured by manufacturers and hospitals that sometimes tings do not get properly tested and or treated.The most you can do is to edecucate yourself on your unit and your problems and ask questions demanding answers that you can understand. Get records of all testing done and reports at every interrrogation and you'll be surprised when you start putting these together after a while and can begin to see what is going on.You may be able to help your doctor find the problem and get thing working better for you. Best of luck to everyone. Just remember, you cannot trust anyone connnected with the manufacturer, I have had my medical records and reports altered by the manufacturer of my ICD.
papaknight

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