I'm New Here

Hi all!

Actually, I am not yet battery operated. I'm scheduled for PM implant in 3 weeks. I have been having irregular heartbeats that have been getting more frequent over the years. Also, my heart rate and blood pressure are gradually declining. I used to like running but I now get too winded to jog more than 300 yards. I figured I was just getting old (I'm 49) but I mentioned the heartbeat irregularities to my Family Doctor and she referred me to a cardiologist. I then failed three treadmill stress tests. My heart rate would go up to about 125 bpm and then suddenly crash to about 75 and I would have to stop the test. The doctor said the irregular beats were extrasystoles that may or may not be benign. However the drop in heartrate was definitely not normal.

I was refered to an electrophysiologist who said I had supraventricular vachycardia. He then performed an ablation but the same problems continued. I then had a cardiac cath but no blockages were found. So, now I am scheduled for a PM. I have mixed feelings. Should I wait until I get worse to have it done? I know this sounds silly, but I don't want to give up using my backpack vacuum cleaner. And what about electric magnetic pulses and the reliability of the software that these devices run on? And the possibility of someone computer hacker hacking into my device? On the other hand, I certainly don't want to have a blackout while driving on the freeway!

I should also mention that my father, my uncle, and my grandfather all had PMs but they were in their 70s/80s before they were installed. My grandfather had one of the first PMs installed in the early 1960s. Before that he was having blackouts that were treated with ephedrine. He lived 16 more years with his PM. It was still working when he died of an aneurysm.

11 Comments

If you need it, you need it!!

by bowlrbob - 2008-08-28 11:08:54

Your trying to find things to keep from getting the PM. If all of your Dr's. think you need it then you probably need it. The small things you are worried about here are just that small. You can most likely still use the vacuum it should not bother the pm. As for the pulses that is a very slim possibility that for some reason it won't work. No one with a computer can hack into the device to change the program there is a magnetic device placed over the PM to be able to change anything and to read it. It can't be done from a distance. You would have to let them. Don't be paranoid get yourself fixed up. Bowlrbob

you're not young around here!

by Tracey_E - 2008-08-29 01:08:01

One of the things I love best about hanging around here is (unlike my drs office) I'm not the baby, lol. I'm 41 and got my first pm at 27. There are a lots here in their 20's and 30's, few who got them as teens, some even as babies. Us 40-somethings are downright ancient. :o)

Ok, done rambling! How much worse do you want to get? Um, you failed three stress test and you can't run more than 300 yards. That certainly isn't good. Life is short, why feel bad when a simple surgery can give you your energy back? I waited until I was worse. I was so dizzy I could barely drive and slept most of my days away. I was terrified of having the surgery and didn't know what to expect so I procrastinated until i was in emergency surgery one day, thankfully they got me before I arrested (hr was in the 20's). When I realized afterward how easy the surgery really was and just how good I was going to feel, I felt sad that I let several years go by.

It's not silly to still want to carry a backpack! Be it the vacuum or going hiking or just not getting hit by the seat belt- those are every day things that can rub a pm in the traditional location. Talk to the surgeon, they can put it lower or off to the side or bury it deeper under muscle. It doesn't have to be right there under the left clavicle.

Your grandfather... (how cool that had one of the first!)... the ephedrine was keeping him alive, it wasn't giving him quality of life. The technology now is utterly amazing and they don't just keep us alive, they can often be fine tuned to give us a perfectly normal lifestyle.

electromagnetic pulses... the new ones are shielded much better than the old ones and are much less likely to get interference. We can't have an MRI, arc welding is out of the question, those big magnets in a junk yard aren't something we want to get up close and personal with. That's all I'm coming up with that I avoid off the top of my head. And a magnet won't hurt it, it just kicks a switch that puts it into backup mode, as soon as the battery is gone it goes back to fully functional.

software... not only incredibly reliable but also has an amazing memory and ability to be fine tuned to do just what we need it to do.

hackers... never heard of that but got a good chuckle from the thought :o)

oops

by Tracey_E - 2008-08-29 01:08:21

My apologies for the lousy typing! I really do know proper grammar. I was getting tired and hit the button to submit without proofreading.

Thanks Frank

by BatteryOperated - 2008-08-29 01:08:54

I take it you had an ablation that didn't go well. I was hesitant about the ablation before I went in. My dad, who has a PM and tries to keep informed about these issues told me not to have it done. He said he heard there were too many bad outcomes. I had the doctor talk to him about it. The doc kind of blew him away with medical terminology and he said he guessed that the guy knew what he was doing. So I went through with it. I was kind of p.o.'d when it didn't cure me but at least it didn't appear to do any actual harm.

Which leads me to a real concern I have with these EP docs, at least the ones in this guy's group. They seem to be very ablation and PM oriented. I can't be sure if it's because it's the best thing for me as a patient or if it's just the best thing for their bottom line. I don't want to impugn their motives, but it can be tough to rake in the bucks in medicine these days with the insurance company payments being so cut rate. Oh well, you only get as good of medical care as your insurance company will allow. The Mayo Clinic is not in my plan.

The ablation was the big step

by ElectricFrank - 2008-08-29 01:08:57

Forget worrying about having a pacemaker. If you don't like the results you can always have it turned off or removed. The ablation is another story. It involves destroying heart tissue and very commonly requires a pacemaker to compensate. With the ablation there is no way to go back. You can't do anything about the one you have already had, but if anyone tries to get you to have another one, run don't walk to another doc for a second opinion.

By the way all the stuff about someone hacking a pacemaker is well "stuff". As for interference it is not as common a problem as we keep hearing about. I use all sorts of electrical and radio frequency equipment and have never had a problem. What is a back pack vacuum cleaner. Is the motor in the pack? It would seem heavy and awkward.

frank

Thanks TraceyE

by BatteryOperated - 2008-08-29 02:08:08

I enjoyed your detailed reply addressing everything in my post. Your story certainly is a testimony for going forward with the surgery rather than chickening out.

The thing about the backpack vac is you actually carry the vacuum on your back which means the motor is quite close to your heart.I like it cause I don't have to drag a vacuum around- I just maneuver the hose and suck stuff up. Since you are supposed to stay away from electric motors if you have a PM, it probably isn't a good idea to use it any more. I wasn't even considering the straps rubbing against the PM! Yet another thing to worry about...

WRT actual hiking, one of my symptoms was no longer being able to keep up with my husband on the trail- even though he is sedentary and 75 lbs. overweight. It used to be me leaving HIM behind!

Yes, my grandfather was a PM pioneer- we still have the article from the local newspaper that featured a picture of him lying in bed recovering from the surgery. Pacemakers were very primitive back then:

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/03/hearthealth/source/2.htm

vacuums, etc

by Tracey_E - 2008-08-29 07:08:31

I don't know specifically about the backpack vacuums but in general if a motor is going to interfere (and that's really not as common as it was even a few years ago, the new ones are shielded) we only need to keep it 4-6 inches from the pm. I really think it will be ok on your back. The worst that can happen is you use it and don't feel well. As soon as you turn it off, you will feel fine again and you'll know. (Now me, I really hate vacuuming! :o) I'd be telling my husband that it's a big fat no-no and he has to take over doing it all so i don't collapse, lol)

Consider asking about a submammary implant, that's what I have and I'm very happy with it. The incision is on the side of the breast instead of under the collar bone and the pm is buried behind the breast tissue. The recovery time was a bit longer than usual because they bury it deeper but I don't have any visible scars or lumps and it never gets in my way when I go to the gym or hike or anything.

Pacemakers sure have come a long way! Part of the reason I procrastinated so long is when I was first diagnosed (1970), the doctors wanted to hold off doing it as long as possible. As I got older, pm's got smaller and better but no one ever pointed that out to me; I knew it on an intellectual level but it was stuck in my head that I had wait as long as possible. Now they put them in babies with my condition (congenital complete heart block).

Please don't chicken out! It's inconvenient now but will be dangerous if your hr drops lower. You can be leaving your husband in the dust again hiking in another few months, probably sooner. Please feel free to send me a private message if you want to chat more. It's normal to be anxious and to have questions, but when it's over I think you will be glad you did it. I hope you're like me and wonder why you ever worried so much in the first place because you feel so wonderful.

Thanks Chip & Magster

by BatteryOperated - 2008-08-29 08:08:11

I am now convinced that I should go ahead with the PM as scheduled. The testimonials here are all hugely in favor of the PM. I especially want to avoid passing out at the wheel like Chip! My Dad waited too long to get his PM. He was in the kitchen by himself at 4AM getting a snack when he blacked out. He smacked his face on the counter as he fell to the floor giving himself a black eye and a broken nose. When he regained consciousness he crawled back to the bedroom to get Mom who called 911. He got his PM that day.

After reading some posts here from uninsured folks who are stuck with huge medical bills from their procedures, I have decided that if I wait, I might not have insurance that will cover the costs when it becomes an emergency. Right now I have pretty good insurance and so far this year with all my cardiology bills I have already met my out-of-pocket maximum. I just have to make sure the doctor is selecting the right kind of PM for me.

Thanks Bowlrbob

by BatteryOperated - 2008-08-29 12:08:20


I guess I do sound a bit negative about the prospect of a PM. But it's the kind of thing that you should be really sure about before proceeding since there is no going back once the PM is implanted. Or is there? I guess I should get a second opinion from another EP.

Just Do It...

by chip - 2008-08-29 12:08:55

My situation is similar to yours. Being just 48 my need for a pacemaker came as a jolt to the ego for sure. My heart rate would drop down into the low 30’s & the blood pressure was so low that I would pass out! Like you my ablation did not do the trick but I was hesitant to get the pacer until I passed out at the wheel of our SUV. (Luckily no one was seriously injured) Now that I’ve received my pacemaker I feel so much better and my quality of life is 1000% improved! So if you need it get it - you’ll be glad you did!

From Frank

by ElectricFrank - 2008-08-31 01:08:17

No, I actually didn't have an ablation. My comments come from reading medical literature on them plus the many comment here on the forum over the last 3 years since I joined it. From my perspective an ablation can be very helpful if it is done properly and when it is really needed. The thing I try to get across is that it is not something to be taken lightly.
Glad to hear you have decided to go ahead with the pacemaker. It is an easy surgery again if it is done right. If you can handle it emotionally, I highly recommend having it done under local anesthesia rather being out. Recovery is much faster and when you are awake they are more respectful of your body. Under general anesthesia they tend to leave you for long periods in positions that make you sore and stiff afterwards. I had mine done with a local and several times asked to let me move a bit for more comfort.

best of wishes for a successful surgery,

frank

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