Back racing after <14 weeks post diagnosis

Thank goodness we were born in the right era to be able to access this amazing technology. Four months back I thought it was all over for athletic sport until my diagnosis and a Boston PM. 

At 11 weeks post PM insertion, back in the finishing shute at the Noosa Triathlon in Australia, a standard distance triathlon.  (Actually, I only competed in the cycle and run as I wasn't allowed to swim due to the arm movement so my wife kindly took that leg of the race)

The PM has really been a game changer for me and provided extra years of enjoyment in sport participation. 

5 Comments

Hopefully it will only get better

by Gemita - 2022-11-02 05:40:32

Steve, what a recovery so far. I have been watching your progress with interest and see that you have single lead atrial pacing only, so presume recovery was fairly straightforward?  I can see that getting your settings optimised to suit your lifestyle has helped you to quickly get back to what you love.  

Apart from having one of the best pacemakers for your activities, what has helped you to recover so quickly?  Was it having a good cardiac team to work with, sheer determination on your part to resume your athletic sport or something else?  I see you thought it was all over 4 months ago and now look where you are.  I hope you continue to make excellent progress and that you will share your sporting successes/pics in the Members Gallery?  Do keep us updated

Kudos!

by Lavender - 2022-11-02 11:09:56

Your post is sure to encourage and inspire other athletes! Good partner you have in the wifey!!

Congrats!

by Mad Hatter - 2022-11-02 13:22:03

Good job on the (bi) triathlon.  Any idea when you'll be able to do the swim leg?  I'm just a runner and did a 10K this past Saturday, 11 weeks post pm.  It sounds like cycling and swimming are a greater challenge for tuning the pm, so glad you've got 2 out of 3 down.

Steve

by stevebne - 2022-11-02 18:59:44

Thanks everyone for your supportive comments. :)

My diagnosis is Chronotropic incompetence, hence only an atrial lead. 

I wasn't allowed to train for the swim over the last 12 weeks as no repetitive arm movements until this week. In the pool yesterday and my HR response was fantastic! Unlike before PM when I was struggling to get to 100, my HR was 135 average in the pool and peaking at 150 (my PM set maximum). Seems like the settings are correct.

I think the rapid recovery was a combination of an excellent sports coach (my wife is an accredited IronMan coach), invaluable advice on the best PM settings from this forum (thanks to CrustyG), a very supportive cardiologist and especially the technical support team at Boston Scientific,

I have posted some pics in the member gallery.

Oh it just gets better

by Gemita - 2022-11-03 09:26:51

Steve, thank you for the feedback.  What excellent news about your pool experience yesterday and HR response.  It just gets better.  I have seen your pics in the gallery.  Thank you.  They make your post more meaningful. 

Since so many members struggle with their settings, especially with swimming, I wonder whether there would be any benefit in openly sharing some of your basic or important settings for other members to see.  I appreciate we will all have our own unique health problems to manage and will have different manufacturer devices so we may not be comparing like with like but an idea of works well for one member may be useful for another?  Of course anyone reading this and struggling to find those magic numbers for swimming will be encouraged by your success in any event.  Truly amazing.  

You know you're wired when...

You’re officially battery-operated.

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So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.