So many emotions

It will get better

by Good Dog - 2023-09-12 21:12:07

Unfortunately I did not have time to worry what life would be like with a pacemaker, because mine was implanted as an emergeny when I went into complete heart block. That was 37 years ago. I am happy to tell you that I have lived a very normal life since having it implanted. I have been able to do what anyone without a pacemaker could do.

It is a fairly easy surgery and recovery is rapid. I understand your fear! That is normal. For several weeks after I got my pacemaker I became very depressed, because it was so sudden I did not know what to expect. I thought that any normalcy in my life would be gone. This was before the internet, so there was little information at my fingertips. However, I slowly learned that the pacemaker was a blessing. It restored my life to normal again. I cannot know how you will respond, but I can tell you that for most folks, the pacemaker improved their life dramatically. So I am sure it will greatly improve yours!

So my point it that you should try to accept that the pacemaker is your friend. It will help you and will certainly improve your quality of life.  

It is understandable to fear the unknown and to be stressed with all that you've gone through. Please try to trust that this is at least a step in the right direction to improve your life. You can pop in here anytime you want with questions and concerns. Sometimes it takes a while to get a response, but you will get one and usually many more than one! This can be a great resource if you use it.

I wish you the very best and hope you will post back here and let us know how it went.

Sincerely,

Dave

Thankful for u

by Nqsr76 - 2023-09-12 21:46:03

Thank you Dave for your kind words and of your inspirational story to me. And yes I definitely will keep u informed of the after surgery as soon as I'm able to 

your bio

by new to pace.... - 2023-09-12 21:48:43

It would help if you put in some information as to your location and then when you get your pacemaker its name and model.  As sometimes our answers are different for makes or even if you are in the US or someplace else. 

new to pace

👋🏼 hello!

by Lavender - 2023-09-12 22:05:55

Hi Noel! Your story is so familiar! You will soon understand that having a pacemaker makes your life not so much to worry about. Much easier than those pesky fainting surprises!

I fainted 26 times over six months. It totally freaked me and my boyfriend out. No one could figure out why until I finally wore a 30 day monitor.  Ten days into wearing it, it caught a 33 second pause as I fell to the floor. My boyfriend inadvertently restarted my heart with a couple hard hits to my back. He didn't know CPR. He thought I had choked. The rare arrhythmia I have is ventricular standstill.  My heart literally stood still. 

I got my CRT-P device a couple days later. Had to wait in the hospital bed for them to fit me into the schedule. 

That was 2 1/2 years ago. I'm fine. I take no meds. I was worried for a long time that I would faint again but I never have since I got my device. 
 

You ask about feelings prior to surgery-I was more worried that I wouldn't live long enough to get the pacemaker. I was on a bed alarm in the hospital. They didn't allow me out of bed for fear that I would faint. The heart was flickering and alarms would go off often for the two days I waited for surgery. They had a crash cart on hand in case I needed a jumpstart. 
 

I also was sad that my heart pooped out before I was "old" relatively speaking. I felt robbed. But, now I feel blessed because without my CRT-P I would have no quality of life at all-probably be dead by now.

Your son is a sweetheart being there for dad. You two are gonna be just fine! You can expect a bit of recovery like anyone would who has surgery. You will have questions after your surgery. Please feel free to pop in so we can walk alongside your recovery!

Thank you

by Nqsr76 - 2023-09-12 22:31:14

Thank u Lavender, oh my gosh. Exactly the same things u have went through. I've been going thru the same. And thank u for the loving comment about my son. Yes, yes he is a sweet heart. He's my hero in more ways than one. I also have had the holter monitor for 30 days and thankfully the day I got it I had a Syncope episode within an hour from receiving it. Recorded. And throughout the 30 days of having it, I had over 19 episodes sometimes twice a day and other times would skip a few days. But nonetheless without that holter monitor the cardiologist would have never known. And also Thru the ekgs, ct scans, blood work, and among other tests performed.... My cardiologist informed me that my Bradycardia and Syncope have worsened and am in need of a dual chamber pacemaker. I go in for surgery 9/14/23 in the am. I don't know the info as to what particular type of pacemaker it is or the numbers on it. But when I do get and am able to enter it in here I definitely will. I'm so thankful I have found a website for people like me. And by people like me to communicate with. About our situations. Without judgement from others. Thank you all

Sneaky

by Lavender - 2023-09-12 22:41:48

My heart was sneaky too. I had all kinds of heart tests and passed all fine. Nothing was wrong, they said. I was so relieved when the heart monitor caught that pause. I was starting to think that I would faint and really hurt myself. I had stopped driving so I wouldn't hurt anyone else in case I fainted. 
 

In the emergency room that night of the 33 second pause, the ER doctor told me if he hadn't seen the print out from my monitor, he would not have believed it. 
 

From online:  "A dual chamber pacemaker can help coordinate the timing of the upper heart chambers (atria) and the lower heart chambers (ventricles). A CRT pacemaker is a specific type of pacemaker with an additional wire that goes to the left side of the heart. This allows it to coordinate the timing between the left and right sides of the heart."

So I have three wires (leads). I have noticed much more energy and once my mind realized I was going to not faint any more, I stopped being so anxious. 

Aswell

by Nqsr76 - 2023-09-13 00:06:35

Me too!! I stopped driving. As to fear of an accident with someone else with or without my son in the car. I became very very cautious about my surroundings as to the not knowing what to expect could happen bcuz of my condition. I ultimately became very aware. And put my son's safety first. Thank u Lavender. I will keep everyone informed of outcome and day to days. We will talk again soon 

Family ties

by BradyJohn - 2023-09-13 23:35:09

My family was used to me passing out,  but it brought a lot of stress to my wife,  always wondering if I was going down.   She has been able to relax for three and a half years now.   Your son will love your pacemaker, he'll get to be a kid again,  and probably grow up to be a cardiologist:-)  

All the best! 

Feelings

by BradyJohn - 2023-09-13 23:41:40

Re pre-op feelings., what you describe sounds pretty normal to me.  I can relate.   I was told I would forget that I have a pacemaker.   I didn’t think that would ever happen.   It did.

Take good care and feel free to post back and keep reaching out for support.  This group is a wealth of compassion,  wisdom,  knowledge and experience.  Welcome to the club. 

John 

God bless today especially ❤️‍🩹

by Lavender - 2023-09-14 09:21:13

Thinking of you and today's surgery. Thinking too, that you will be driving your son on adventures in less than two weeks, I would think! I was driving a week after surgery and you cannot keep me from it now!🌸

I made it

by Nqsr76 - 2023-09-15 08:44:43

Thank u all. I'm out of surgery and back home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in any pain.. bcuz I am. Surgery went well. Now its recovery time. Thank u my new fellow cardians. Lol. Sorry, still a little floppy from the medication. I'll be back on here tomorrow and we will talk more.

Sincerely,

Noel

Welcome aboard!

by Lavender - 2023-09-15 09:56:34

Good to see your post! You're on day one of your new journey. 
 

Pain-my neck hurt, my left shoulder, back and arm hurt, the surgery site was a bit swollen. I took Tylenol as they told me to do-but only for a day or two. What helped me more was ice. You can't put the ice pack directly on your skin. Put a towel between your skin and the ice pack. I would sit with one near the surgery site and one on my back opposite the surgery site. Lean into one while sitting up and hold or lay the other on your shoulder area. Twenty minutes on then twenty minutes off. Off and on as needed all day. 
 

Drink more water than you're used to. Your heart is beating more efficiently and needs more water.  Nap if the urge hits you. You will most likely feel the occasional zap or twitch or itch while nerves and tissues heal. 
 

Be patient and hold on to the thought that this is just for now, not forever. Hopefully your fainting days are over. Your son is most likely in school and will come home wanting to know how you are. Tell him you are fixed.  That's what my cardiologist told me. 😉

Two other things ❤️‍🩹

by Lavender - 2023-09-15 10:50:45

You may have been sent home with your arm in a sling. Be sure to only wear it a day or two otherwise your shoulder might get stiff, frozen. Move your arm normally. The only precaution is not to raise your elbow above your shoulder. This is temporary and is to ensure that your lesds (wires) stay put. They're attached to heart tissues and will embed themselves when fibers help seal them. 
 

Also-sleep is an issue for most new pacemaker recipients. It helped me to sleep propped with extra pillows. I used to be a left side sleeper but with the pacemaker on the left, it was uncomfortable. Initially after surgery, I slept on my back with a pillow up against the left arm to hold it in place. I also slept on my right side with a pillow between my knees and a small one up against the pacemaker site to make me feel secure. 
 

I have had my pacemaker two and a half years now and sleep in any position. 
 

If you have any questions just post and someone will answer. The healing experience will be different for each person. I see that you got a great device that's more slender, and MRI compatible!