Not received it yet

Hello
I am new to all of this. They tell me I have to get a pacemaker and I still don't believe it. I am 55. Have never had trouble except fainting occasionally. Now I have fainted about 9 times this month. 5 in one day. Not sure whats going on. They tell me my heart rate is just too slow sometimes so I black out. Always have a warning so get on the floor or bed. Can you tell me if this is the right thing to do. Will I damage my heart with these shocks from the pacemaker. I do not hurt myself right now so I am wondering if I should wait until it is more often???Any advice will be appreciated.

6 Comments

Welcome to this great site

by Tessy - 2008-02-02 01:02:04

I had my pacemaker fitted last Tuesday 29 Jan. I have had about 6 dizzy spells over the last 8 months, and was told I needed a pacemaker! I had a 24 hour ECG heart monitor to take home overnight and that showed that I was missing heartbeats throughout the night. I was still not convinced so I asked for more tests. They then let me have a 7 day heart monitor to take home. This showed I definately needed a PM. I was told the condition that I have would gradually get worse, and I was not allowed to drive until I had a PM. I didn't ever actually pass out, but could not stand up when I had the dizzy spells. If it is possible perhaps you could ask your consultant/ doctor if it is possible for you to take home the 7 day heart monitor. It does sound to me that you would benefit from a PM.
Take care and you will find this website very helpful.

Long-term Outcome

by Terry - 2008-02-02 01:02:08

I'm glad you use the internet, because you can find some potentially life saving scientific information. The ventricles will survive longer, based on the DAVID Study in Canada and the MOST Trial (see Dr. Sweeney's publication). There are two ways to preserve a normal ventricular contraction. One is to have a healthy AV node. If you have AV block and the AV node is not working properly, you need to ask about pacing the heart's conduction system, called the bundle of His. More and more doctors are doing that now. Patients who have been paced into heart failure over the years are getting His bundle pacing and their hearts have been reverse remodeled back to a normal ejection fraction. So ask your Dr. if he doesn't agree.

By the way, if you want to know why ventricular pacing that bypasses the heart's conduction system causes detrimental effects, let me know and I can refer you to that.

Terry

Very grateful.....

by auntiesamm - 2008-02-02 03:02:39

I have had my pacemaker for almost 2 years. It was implanted on an emergency basis after brief "blips" and a HR of 30-32, 3rd degree heart block. I thank God every day that while I was having these "blips" I was not driving a car, or otherwise engaged in some activity that could hurt someone else or me. When you consider what the outcome could be if you did not have your PM it may help reassure you. I seldom think of my PM, can't see the scar and I am totally unaware of it most of the time. I felt so much better immediately after having the PM implanted I realized how bad off I really was! Appreciate medical science & technology that has created these little marvels that keep our hearts beating. My grandkids call me "computer operated gram". Good luck and God bless you and your PM. I hope you will learn to love it!
Sharon

story of my life

by lindsay - 2008-02-02 09:02:17

For over 6 years I was passing out about 3 times a day, everyday. It started when I was in 7th grade, I had to be schooled at home and lost all my friends. It was the worst six years of my life. I recently got a pacemaker right before I turned 18 and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Im finishing out my senior year at my high school, making plans for college, and am back to participating in gymnastics. If you have the choice, get the pacemaker! It will help you soooo much!

Blacking Out

by ela-girl - 2008-02-02 12:02:17

I was blacking out for over four years before I moved states and got a great EP who gave me my pacemaker on an emergency basis. Blacking is horrible because it takes days your body to find homeostasis and to start feeling better again--and it take more days the more times in a day you black out. I couldn't drive my car and have some "damage" from falling and hitting my head often as I never had any warning signs it was coming. Very scary. I am also lucky that I don't have permanent short term memory loss from my slow heart rate--4 beats a minute! Any arrhythmia is not normal and can be life threatening. I was also sleeping my life away. This is no way to live. My pacemaker gave me my life back--and I'm only 30. Just because you are not hurting yourself when you balckout does not mean that you are okay--it is not normal to blackout.

The decision is yours to make along with your medical professional. I can't imagine they would steer you wrong in this. What kind of tests have you had that helped to determine the need for a pacemaker? I know that Medtronic now makes the Reveal Insertable Loop Recorder for people with unexpected fainting. You can have it implanted for up to 14 months and when you have a "spell," you place an activator over the loop site and it records--you have to carry this activator at all times, though. It can help the doctor figure out what is going on etc. and it is not permanent.

But bradycardia is bradycardia and isn't going to go away. Even with a pacemaker people can sometimes still have some of their pre-pacemaker symptoms, though. My pacemaker saved my life and I am so lucky to be wired!

Keep us posted!
ela-girl

you will feel better

by pmredhead - 2008-02-03 08:02:48

I just got my pacemaker on wednesday(1/30) and i feel a big diifference. Before i got my pm i was having shortness of breath, dizzy, and very tired. the doc put me on a 24 hour heart monitor and it showed that my heart stopped for 3 seconds and he told me not to drive. the reason why i've had to get a pacemaker because i have congenital heart block at birth. I think you should get the pacemaker you will feel so much better and the fainting will stop and it will change your life.
constance

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