3rd Degree Heart Block

I am really glad to have found this forum. I am really struggling with coming to terms with the Pacemaker. I have a 2 Lead Pacemaker. I got really sick in 2007 with palpitations and my heart beating 200 beats per min, I actually suffered black outs. I went trough tests and holters. After months of non diagnosis. I developed Heart Failure, and was admitted into the Cardiac Intensive Unit, I was severly tired. I was on oxygen and monitors. After being there for three weeks , I passed out and the nurse found me, to the amazement of my Cardiologist I had Third Degree Heartblock, meaning that the Electric Signals was not being conducted and my heart would stop and not beat. He told me that this is a rare condition to develop in a 20 year old. He then adviced that I needed a Pacemaker to try and prevent any more damages and keep me alive,withoutit I would surely have died in 2 weeks. Then my Medical Aid decided that NO they will not pay for the procedure or pacemaker. My parents did nor have the money neither did I. I made peace with dying in 2 weeks in my own bed. That morning the nurse told me to get dress and that they are taking meto theatre. Medtronic and my doctor came to an agreement and my pacemaker was donated, the nurses anddoctor also donated their time and supplies. Granted in is alot to take in but I am alive.

Does anyone have information on third degree heart block

7 Comments

Me too

by ppt - 2009-01-08 02:01:23

I too have 3rd degree (or complete) heart block with pm implanted the day after Thanksgiving 2008 and discharged the next day. Totally unexpected. They think mine is genetic - I had no infection. Just had first pm check by Medtronic yesterday - the rep was so informative and answered all my questions. My continued tiredness and shortness of breath may be due to Lopressor (blood pressure medication) as the pm checked out fine - leads ok, no incidents etc. Just keep reading on the web. I have ordered a book "The Nuts and Bolts of Pacing" and can't wait for it to come. Try looking at the pm as an opportunity to learn about the heart and its electrical system. Between everything - it seems as if 3rd Degree Heart Block, although serious, is really cured by the pm. We are so fortunate !!

heart block

by Shell - 2009-01-08 03:01:54

I have complete heart block but I was born with it (so it's really congental (?) complete heart block) i was aware of it my whole life but was lucky and i didn't neeed a pacemaker until I was 34 (almost 3 years now)

av block

by Tracey_E - 2009-01-08 05:01:28

The word block is misleading, as it implies blocked arteries. It's a blocked electrical signal. The atria is the brains of the heart, it senses the oxygen level in our blood and raises/lowers our heart rate as needed. The ventricles are the brawn, they have the strength to pump and circulate the blood throughout our bodies. The SA node in the atria tells the AV node in the ventricle when to beat. With an av block, this signal doesn't get through. Third degree means it never gets through, so the ventricle is pretty much doing its own thing and our heart rate has nothing to do with our need for oxygen. The pacemaker fills in the lapse- it senses when the atria beats and if the ventricle doesn't follow, it generates a pulse to make it beat. So, our hearts are still doing the work, the pm is just there to complete the broken circuit. AV blocks are the simplest thing to fix with a pm.

Did you have an ablation to slow down your heart rate and get the tachycardia (fast rate episodes) under control? AV blocks are usually associated with a very low pulse, not a high one. A pacemaker can regulate an irregular heart and speed up a slow one, but it cannot slow down a fast one.

It's unusual but not unheard of to develop a third degree block. It is usually caused by infection. I was born with my block and have had a pm for 15 yrs now. There are a lot of us here that have 3rd degree blocks. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about living with the pm.

Total Heart Block after BAV repalcement

by c terra - 2009-01-08 11:01:26

I'm very new to all this too ! and having to learn quickly about pacemakers.
When I went on Nov. 5th 2008 for my BAV replacement I felt sure everynting would go smoothly and I'd be out of the hospital in about 5 days. Well, it was not to be.
After several days (6) of not having any of my own heart rythumn back my card. & surgeron called in the specialist. She said yes that I'd need a perment
pm. I had several very scary times of flat-lining for my family. And so I had a Medtronic pacemaker put in on the 12th of Nov. 2008.
As I said before I am trying to come to grips with all of this and to learn just what all this means.
I've been checked several times since then. I still have dizziness and platations daily. And have had some fluttering too.
The Electra. card. nurse assures me that the platations are normal and everything looks good.
It's just really hard sometimes to feel ok, the pacemaker
is doing everything it needs too. I just don't want to experinece that feeling again before I flat-line. (although i
know someday I will....and that will be ok.)
And yes, I feel very blessed that we have pacemaker's to make our hearts do what they are suppose too ! so that we can have life.

c terra
BAV replacement Nov. 5, 2008
Medtronic pacemaker Nov. 12, 2008
Mitral valve leaking waiting

I know how it feels to be the "young" one with a PM

by CarolL814 - 2009-01-09 11:01:55

I have had my pacemker since I was 16. I had a second degree heart block, which is not as severe as yours, but still not good...lol.
It took me some time to get used to the idea as well. I went through so many phases: this isn't fair, why me?, lots of anger and finally acceptance.
Without my PM I doubt I would be here today. I am 38 with two beautiful children.
You will adjust, and you will be fine!!!!
Give yourself some time.

The best of luck to you!

Carol

Thank You

by Velandra_SA - 2009-01-12 01:01:27

Thank you to all. I found a doctor who is doing research on 3rd degree heart blocks. He has said that my heart block was caused due to genetics I was born with it but it was never diagnosed. I am looking forward to having kids. Carol did you give birth without problems?

babies

by Tracey_E - 2009-01-15 06:01:24

There are several of us here who have had babies with a pm. I have two children, both born after I got my pm for congenital complete heart block. My pregnancies and deliveries were perfectly normal. My ob and cardio had a chat early in my first one and decided I was not high risk. A pm pretty much cures our problem, with it our hearts beat normally. They had me on a heart monitor when I delivered as well as preventative antibiotics. They told me if things got hard and drawn out and my heart showed signs of stress they'd do a c-section, but everything went smoothly. I even did aerobics class up until the week I delivered!

Our problem is not genetic but rather a fluke, so it's not something we have to worry about passing on to our kids.

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