JUST WHAT I DID NOT WANT FOR CHRISTMAS !


Hi all on the 23 of oct 2008 I was told that had Av heart block first degree second degree AV heart block -wennckbach Ventticular standstil Nocturnal Bradycardia got my pm on the 17 Dec 2008 .I am now 10 days after getting it implanted and feel worse than I did before.

For the last 2 years I've been a gym freak and to be I told needed a pm was like no not me but here I am............

JUST WHAT I DID NOT WANT FOR CHRISTMAS !

Will I ever fell like me again ?



8 Comments

Give it some time.

by bowlrbob - 2008-12-28 06:12:08

Yes you will feel better after a time. Your pacer might need an adjustment or 2. Once they get the right settings for you everything will be fine. It took about a year to get back to normal. I have had mine for over 3 years now and i mostly forget I even have it. This will happen for you too. Bowlrbob

Hang in There

by ppt - 2008-12-28 06:12:42

I am 4 weeks out - it will get better ! Rest, eat well .. and lots of patience :-)

gym freaks unite

by Tracey_E - 2008-12-28 10:12:55

You will definitely feel like the old you again! Probably even better than the old you with more energy- picture all that oxygen flooding your body when you work out with your new, faster and more efficient heart rate. We don't realize how much the problems drag us down until they're fixed. Give it more time to heal! Your body has been through a trauma and needs rest, ten days isn't much time.

How do you feel worse? If you're overdoing it and getting tired, well, take it easy a bit longer. ;o) If you get dizzy on exertion, or other specific symptoms, you may need your settings adjusted. They send us home with standard settings that are often great for an inactive octogenarian but not enough for an active person. We make them work harder! It's perfectly normal to take several tries to get it just right because they like to make the changes in small increments.

Hang in there! It can take 4-6 weeks to completely heal. There are other gym freaks here, having a pm doesn't hold us back. For me, having the pm means I can do a whole lot more than I could before. You'll be back at it before you know it!

Same again

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-29 01:12:11

Like my father used to say "I'm not the same person I used to be, in fact I never was". LOL

First off forget that smorgasbord of diagnostic gibberish. It sounds like the doc just grabbed the book and tossed in everything he could find. They do this to be impressive. They love to use Heart Block because it sounds so much like blocked arteries and scares people.

I had a list of about 6 diagnosis on my hospital record including SSS, Variant Angina, LBCC, AV block, and I can't remember the rest without looking it up. After I had pacer implanted I requested a letter from the cardiologist justifying each diagnosis. I got back a revised set of records with only AV Block listed.

frank

I Feel The SAme!

by SWEETZIBBLAH - 2008-12-29 06:12:18

I just posted a comment before reading yours.
I miss going to the gym. Although I couldn't get thru a whole aerobic class the past few months, and I don't knowWHEN I can go back (keeping that ol left arm down is difficult)
But as for myself, I feel better heart rate but I am upset with this think in me it feels so artificial.
I sound so ungrateful!
Mine was put in just around the same time!

sweetzibblah

by Tracey_E - 2008-12-29 07:12:38

By six weeks you should be able to go back to your old exercise routine at the gym. Work into it slowly, don't go crazy all at once. I'll bet that by three months, you're doing the whole aerobics class! Not having those dips in your heart rate will give you a lot more energy and stamina.

And try not to think of it as artificial. Your heart is still beating and doing the work, it just happens to get the signal sometimes from the pm instead of your own natural pacemaker.

Engineers heart

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-29 10:12:20

I just figured out why I haven't had the issue of an artificial device in my body. Us engineers already have hearts that are run by equations in our engineers brain. All I did is delegate authority to the pacemaker, which I instructed the cardiologist to probram it my way. LOL

frank

Not 100%

by WJBond - 2009-01-20 02:01:25

Its been awhile since i been on here but saw this and would like to but my 2 cents.
I got my PM back in 2006 after a tough battle with myocarditis. I am a civiliam Firefighter for the us army in MD. It took me a good 6 months to really feel any better. I made sure I walked everyday and did some basic exercises. I did not know if i could return to work as a firefighter but after the doc gave me the ok to work out fullout I started feeling much better and got my strength back. About a year or so after I past all my testing (doctors and works) with fling colors and back to full active duty as a firefighter. I still feel a little hesitent about doing somethings but I try not to let it bother me to much.

I still have some bad days where I just dont feel right. Just give it some time let the docs know how u feel. It took a few check ups before the pacer got to the setting I feel best.

You know you're wired when...

Intel inside is your motto.

Member Quotes

A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.