never ending

so some of you know my story but for those of you who dont im 24 f who got my first pm in jan 2008 for a-fib, rapid rate, and history of pe's from the a-fib. thinking my pm had helped i started to move on with my life. i then got pregnant in feb 2009. went to the ep in oct for a normal ck up and my ef was 20-25 (prolly from being pregnant) carido myopothy (sp) well they said that my ef should improve with meds with in three months. three months had pasted and it had only gotten worse. 15-20. so they decided i needed to get a bi pacer with a third lead. so i got that in feb 2010. since then i have felt horrible!!!! my ef has went up to 30-35 but i think i now feel worse then i did when it was at its lowest!!!! im not sure what the sings and symptoms are for chf but my ep says that i need to see a heart failure specialist this month. last week i was having trouble breathing and felt really funny in my chest so i went to the er and they kept me. they increased my meds and messed with my pm settings. well on my out pt paper i seen that it said pt has chf. am i missing something? i mean that isnt carido myopothy is it? if anyone has any ideas about that please let me know. i know they story is kinda confusing but im just kinda lost and depressed at this point. i have a 10 month old to raise and this should be the best time of my life im just so stressed and worried about being sick all the time!!!!! it could be so much worse i know.

2 Comments

CHF and Cardiomyopathy

by cruz - 2010-08-02 12:08:19

I've seen both on my paperwork. I have DCM (Dialated Cardiomyopathy) which just means that my heart is enlarged and dialiated. CHF is Congestive Heart Failure. They may have said you have some fluid accumulating. I think that's where the "congestive" part comes from and if you have an EF anything below 55-60 then that's where the heart failure comes in. I was diagnosed just over a year ago. My EF is 15, and right now my symptoms are very mild, but they have been severe with the EF same. They probably have you on medication. Most all of the medications have side effects that make you feel lousy and take some time before your body adjusts. The Heart Failure Specialist I saw for the first time on Thursday says it sometimes takes up to 18 mos for the pacemaker to start improving things. There are tons of people on this board with more knowledge than me that I'm sure will be able to give you more technical information. I'm sure you are going through a really rough time, especially with a 10 mo old and all this too. The important thing right now is to try to rest as much as possible and let the medications do their job. Meeting with the Heart Failure Specialist was something I feared and dreaded and I had cancelled 2 previous appointments. I'm feeling so much better after meeting with him. I know you will too. I don't know alot medically, but just wanted you to know you're not alone and to keep the faith. I will get better.
Cammy

Second Opinion

by 8thID - 2010-08-02 12:08:42

Hello--

I'm very new to the club. I've had my PM/Defib for 6 days. What I would do is talk to another doctor, if that's possible, and ask all these questions you've posted here. I was lucky enough to find this site before I was implanted--so I knew much more than the average PM patient. I asked many questions pre-op of my EP Doc, so many in fact that he seemed surprised that I had all that info. But he answered every question to my satisfaction. I wish I had more info to give you. I wish you and your child the best. Take care!

Jeff

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