New member - New Pacemaker

I found your wonderful website this morning and have spent most of the day reading the posts on the various forums. How enlightening ……. I only wish I had discovered Pacemaker Club earlier.

My name is David and I am a 69 year old retired police officer. Three years ago I was taken into emergency with a suspected heart attack and during my first night in the Cardiac Unit experienced a number of heart ‘pauses’ of 6 to 8 seconds duration whilst asleep. They decided that this was due to bradycardia and after further test I was fitted with a single wire PM and discharged. During the following months I experienced severe bouts of giddiness and palpitations and was eventually taken back into my local cardiac unit for more tests. I was given a brain scan, had my ears poked and prodded with sharp instruments and had a session with a neurologist, but to no avail. After four weeks I was discharged, given a walking stick, and told to rest on the stick when I felt giddy!! Life became hell …. Where do I go from here? Drastic measures were called for in order to distance myself from my local hospital and the staff I had lost faith in – walking stick, I ask you, what sort of cardiologist would prescribe such a piece of high tech equipment?

At great expense we moved house from our newly purchased retirement home in Wales back to England.

On registering with my new PM clinic the PM settings were checked and the technician saw that there were a lot of AF’s recorded. She immediately referred me to the cardiologist who arranged for an echocardiogram to be taken. Four days later my old PM was removed and a St Jude’s Zephyr model 5826 was fitted – this was just two weeks ago – the giddy spells are a lot easier and are on the wane, I hope! I am now sleeping better and I feel that life may be getting better too. I appreciate that tweeks to the PM settings may be needed from time to time, but at least I have faith in my new PM Clinic.

Thank you once again to all you nice people who share your experiences on line to help others, it really does help – I shall sleep well again tonight.

David

4 Comments

Welcome David

by Wannabe - 2008-05-24 05:05:23

Hello David - Isn't this a marvellous website? So glad you found us - I know I was very grateful for the help and support I so badly needed when I was first implanted. I'm, very glad to hear they've at last sorted out your problems. Impossible not to laugh at the picture you paint of being supplied by a cardiologist with a set of crutches to lean on during giddy spells - really all things considered, don't you think a shooting-stick might have been more sensible? I di hope you make a speedy recovery and begin to feel the benefit of the PM very soon. Kindest wishes. Wannabe

Welcome

by Tessy - 2008-05-24 05:05:54

Welcome to this great website. You will find lots of useful information and helpful advice here. I had my dual wire pacemaker fitted on 29 January this year. I was having similar symptoms that you had ie giddy spells and after taking home a mobile monitor first for 24 hours and then to 'double check' (on my part) I had it home for a further 7 days. It was found that I was missing heartbeats during the night. Since having the pacemaker I have had one giddy spell in March with irregular heartbeat. I have been to the pacemaker clinic once, I have my second appointment on Tuesday next week. I found it difficult to sleep for the first month or so, but now I sleep on my left side and feel quite comfortable with my PM. Hope that your new PM helps with your giddy spells, I know you have to take it easy for several months after having one fitted and you must not exert yourself.

Take care

GOOD LUCK

by peter - 2008-05-25 03:05:53

You have discovered that medical care in the UK is a postcode lottery. This particularly applies to pacemakers. Moving house may have inadvertantly saved your life !!. Best wishes Peter

hi david

by jessie - 2008-05-25 12:05:24

really glad to hear you moved even tho it was expensive it might have saved your life. i have a similar story i will tell re: lack of expert help and what i experienced. needless to say i am glad we are living where we are now as i have a good cardiologist now. welcome to the pacemaker club! i am 66 was a phsychiatric nurse for most of my life . i worked in both general hospitals and in my youth in large state or as we call them here provincial hospitals. i am from canada and live on the border to michigan. over the years we often came in contact with the city police at work and i made some good friends. i developed bradychardia and went in to 3rd degree heart block. i was finally diagnosed and have a dual lead medtronic p.m. it is two years now and i feel great. nice to meet you jessie

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