shocked

Im a 58yr old male who never had a heart problem. Several weeks ago I had an awfull night sleeping. Chest pains, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizzy and chills.Since I had just 2 months ago passed a yearly exam with flying colors I ignored these symptoms. I drove to work feeling very dizzy. My family made arangements to bring me to my Doctors office. An ekg discovered I was in statge 2 heart block with a suprisingly low pulse of 26.Still in denile I was brought to the ER where the Doctors thought it was medically induced, since my PCP had recently increased my BP meds (Ziac) from 2.5mg to 20mg. I was watched but fell into compleate stage 3 heart block. Still in denile I spent yet another night night fighting for my life untill an external PM was applied.The following night the external PM was not doing what it was suppose to do and emergency measures were taken to start my heart.The following day I received a PM implant....I cant believe this happened to me. I cant believe I was so close to death,,this only happens to other people..I'm a luck man to be alive,,but am having a hard time adjusting to the near death experience...I'm still afraid to fall asleep thing I won't awake....These things only happen to other people.

6 Comments

Common Feelings

by hooimom - 2007-07-31 03:07:21

Welcome Jmonda,

My experience wasn't like yours. I had ongoing symptoms that were ignored by a doctor for 18 months before I finally switched doctors. She thought of heart trouble right away and ordered tests which showed a slow heart rate and 2nd degree heart block. I was sent to the EP and was told I needed a PM to keep me "safe". I was shocked to hear the word pacemaker since I was only 42. I was very emotional for a few weeks. I had difficulty sleeping. I was uncomfortable. Mostly, I just couldn't believe this had happened to me. Although our expereiences were different, sounds like the feelings are the same! I have had my PM for a year now. The time flies! You will become confident with your PM and trust that it will fix your heart problem . Except for a sore shoulder, there are actually times I forget that I even have a PM. I say this all the time....it will get easier. Talk to your family and friends and share with others here who have been through it. You will find this place a wonderful source of support and information.

Take care of yourself while you recover!
Michelle

Happened to me too

by Vicki - 2007-07-31 03:07:40

I had a very similar situation on July 15th except I went right to the ER and was already in Stage 3 Heart Block. Like you, the docs thought it might be from my meds. Like you, I had a physical a few months before this happened and all was fine. They attached the external PM to me but it wasn't needed. I was on oxygen and bed rest and carefully monitored for three days. Then they put in the implant. Unlike you I didn't have to have emergency measures done to start my heart. I can't imagnine how scared you were. But, from all that I have read and heard...you now have a life saving device implanted in your chest. If your heart goes wacky in the middle of the night, your pacemaker will kick in and you will be fine. That's what I was told. I'm sure other experienced people here will have some words of wisdom for you. I'm new at this too. Like you, I never thought this would happen to me.

Hi Jmonda,

by Gellia2 - 2007-07-31 06:07:20

You sound very much like me. Only difference was I was born with a third degree AV block and a normal rate of 35-36bpm. That was until one day at 26 years old, I went into total asystole. Emergency measures were done but at my home, on the way to the hospital and in the ER. I finally got my first pacemaker after suffering a stroke in one of the cardiac pauses. That was in 1975, nearly 32 years now. You'll do fine. With a very few modifications in my life, I haven't missed a thing and just had my 7th battery replacement a couple of weeks ago. Hang in there. Enjoy your life!
Best to you,
Gellia

Be thankful each day!

by ela-girl - 2007-08-01 02:08:27

Hi, Jmonda. I'll spare all the details of my medical background, but I do want to say that I know a little how you are feeling.

I had my pacer implanted via an emergency surgery. After my episodes in the ER, I was taken by ambulance to the nearest heart hospital. The doctors in the ER told me that had my heart not spiked on its own, they would not have even tried to revive me. Scary thought!!!! So, I can understand your feelings a bit and how you may be feeling uncomfortable with all your thoughts. It was a very surreal experience for me. I'm 30 and was nowhere near thinking about dying. My husband hates when I even talk about it because he was there. I have no doubt that I would have dropped dead that day had my husband not taken me to the ER.

Personally, I'm a religious person and believe that you are a walking miracle. God's hand is on your life and you have a bigger purpose in life to live out. Focus on the positive--you have a life saving device in you and your story is bound to help someone else. I use my pacer a lot during the nighttime hours--have faith in your pacer--it will work and do it's job.

Keep in touch with us--you found a great support group. Happy pacing-
ela-girl

Hi

by randrews - 2007-08-01 09:08:19

Man, I'm sorry to hear what your going through. I know it's a terrible shock. I know what you mean, that your lucky but that at the same time you don't feel lucky. I was doing great one day and then I got a pm and everything changed. I was afraid to sleep also because I might not wake up. But that eventually passed as I learned to give up some control of my life. Please talk to friends, family about how you are feeling. It's important to work through this emotionally and intellectually as well as physically. It will take some time. I'm still working on redefining who I am and what I can do. Things will feel like normal again, it's just that normal will be different than what it was before.
Use this site. It has great people on it and it saved me from going crazy,
Take care friend,
Rusty

Copied & Pasted

by auntiesamm - 2007-08-02 06:08:30

I copied & pasted another posting I made to Vicki regarding this same issue, etc.

Wow!

- Your story is a repeat of mine..... almost. I developed symptoms quite like you at work. Thought I was getting the flu because of fatigue, profuse sweats, etc. Checked my BP on home monitor - it would not register and pulse was 30 so I knew something was wrong. Got to my doc's office, she did an EKG and I was in 3rd degree HB. Sent me directly to the ER - my husband drove, of course. Cardio thought because of the high doses of beta blocker that could be the cause so they ran lots of IV fluid to try to clear it out of my system. After 24 hours there was no change and in fact my HR dropped to 26 in ICU. Nurses were on the standby with defib paddles. Anyway, long story short - within 48 hours I had my PM and what a great difference it made! I realized after the fact that I had been having minimal symptoms all along that I had discounted as an inconvenience. Did not connect them to anything pathological. At my first PM check at 2 weeks post my PM was firing infrequently which the doc explained to me - it could be that for periods of time my heart does well on its' own and doesn't need the PM assist but when it DOES the PM fires. This made sense to me so I did not question any further. And, I was feeling better than I had in a long time. The extreme fatigue from putting one foot in front of the other was gone and my skin "pinked" up again. I had not realized how pale I was until my daughter pointed it out. When I had my one year PM check in April I was 100% dependent in the left ventricle and 52% in the atria. I feel so fortunate that I did not have a blackout while driving or doing something else that could have put me and others in danger. The thought now sends chills up my spine. Back to what your doctor said about your not needing the PM. Is it possible that only on occasion you experience heart block and at the time he was checking you out your heart was sending it's own electrical signal? Don't know much about all this stuff but Smitty does. I am going to ask him to tell you what he told me after I got my PM. He is like our resident expert on things scientific, electrical, etc.. In my first few weeks post-PM he was my life-saver. God bless you and I hope we hear more from you.
Sharon

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

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I, too, am feeling tons better since my implant.