Could use some Encouragement

Hi everyone! Remember me, the Nervous New Pacee?? Well, just as I thought I might be getting a little more accustomed to the idea of having a pacemaker, it seems I may have developed a complication, and from what I gather by looking on various websites, this might be a doozy!
It seems I have developed a new heart murmur...boy does this sound terrifying and dangerous as well. Anyway, tomorrow I go back to the EP doctor to have an Echocardiogram done.
Any words of encouragement would be soooo appreciated! Thanks, Carol

6 Comments

Encouragement a comin'!

by ela-girl - 2007-10-10 05:10:30

Hiya, Carol!

Wow--you are going from one thing to the next! Tell your body to slow down so the rest of you can catch up! I just LOVE my EP. I credit him with saving my life. I hope yours is a good one, too! Definitely keep us posted on your echo results. One thing I can say is that while it is nice to have so many web sites to check out about various conditions, medications, devices, and so on, it can be dangerous in that people start self-diagnosing their problem and perhaps creating within themselves unwarranted worry. So the best I can say is that 1) good for you that you are going in to see the good doc and so soon and 2) wait for results...than worry! just kidding. :) You'll soon have more information. And definitely go in there with a list of questions that have been stirring in your mind.

Best of Luck and let us know what you find out!
ela-girl

Murmurs

by bini - 2007-10-10 08:10:13

Dear Carol,
After I got my first PM in June of this year....my regular physcian listened to my heart and said she heard a murmur. She is not one to diagnose me with something unless she really though it existed-so she scheduled me to get an echo the next day.
Like you I imediatly googled murmurs and got terrified at the info I saw.
Googling a medical thing is one thing I will NEVER do again bc you hear all the horror stories.
Anyway, I got the echo done...and waited nervously for a few days until I got the results. The murmur I have is bc of the wires from the PM...nothing more then that! My cardio said this is fairly common amongst people with PM's.
I am not sure if this will be your case, but I do hope this helps ease you mind a little.
Good luck and please keep us updated.
Christine

Hang in there ...

by admin - 2007-10-10 08:10:15

Carol,

Sorry to hear about your murmur. I wish you all the best and encourage you to ask your EP lots of questions.

Blake

Murmurs

by BABlocker - 2007-10-10 11:10:59

Carol,
I also have a murmur that began after my PM was implanted. Like Christine, I was told by my cardio that he has heard this quite often with pacemaker recipients, and that in a normally structured and healthy heart, is benign and not dangerous at all.

Hopefully, this can help you to relax about this murmur, and begin to learn to live with this new companion of yours...

Keep us posted on the echo results.

BTW, I have been paced 100 percent with no underlying intrinsic rhythm for about 2 years now; my last echo showed an ejection fraction of 60 percent, well within the normal range.

My murmur

by Suze - 2007-10-11 01:10:05

I"ve had a slight murmur my whole life. But twice in the last year new nurses have asked me (while listening with a stethoscope) if I've always had a murmur or if it started when I got my pacemaker. They said it often happens after implanting a PM.

Hope this helps.

Keep us updated, please.
Suze

Carol Don't Panic

by gldoble - 2007-10-11 12:10:16

Stop Googling things. You have much better things to do with your time than look for problems.

You and I are not Drs, we are just folks and we now have time enough. To do anything we want. So knock it off and don't give yourself worries your don't need.

If you feel that you need to really worry about somehting, think about the folks in the world who don't have or can not get the gift we have been given. Then help find a way to make it happen for at least one other soul who is not as fortunate as us.

You have too much time now to worry about what if's.
Worry about Why nots :)

Greg

You know you're wired when...

You have a maintenance schedule just like your car.

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