New to Pacemaker Club

• by bioniclady
• 2009-01-10 10:01:23
• General Posting
• 1870 views
• 4 comments

I am 40-years-old and had my dual lead Boston Scientific demand pacemaker implant on October 17, 2008. I am a pretty active person and have been working out 5 times a week for the last six years. In February, after my run, I felt light-headed and dizzy and fainted. I went to the ER and despite an abnormal EKG and heart murmur, he released me and told me to follow up with my primary doctor. About a week later, I saw my primary doctor and he ordered an echocardiogram. The echo indicated my heart was perfect. There were no other tests performed and I went on with life.

Six months later, in August, it happened again and I felt light-headed and dizzy and was close to fainting. I saw my primary doctor a few days later and he went over my echo and said everything looked fine with my heart. When I mentioned my abnormal EKG in February, he did another one in his office. He had no record of my previous EKG. The EKG was abnormal and he did mention I had a "pause" in my heart rate. He then referred me to a Cardiologist.

About a week later, I saw my Cardiologist and I was put on a 24-hour holter monitor. I also had a stress echocardiogram and had to wear the 30-day event monitor. According to the Technician, I did very well on the echocardiogram. They said I was pretty fit, which made me feel good. Two weeks into the 30-day event monitor, while I was trying to sleep, the monitor kept going off. I had to call in the recordings 5 times within the hour. Because I was lying down, I felt no symptoms. It was a Saturday night, so the company of the event monitor couldn't get a hold of my doctor. I didn't know what was going on, but I was starting to worry. Three days later I received a call from my Cardiologist's office and they told me my Cardiologist wanted to see me the following morning.

My husband and I went in and we were both shocked when my Cardiologist told me I had heart block with bundle branch block and that my heart rate would go from 60 to 30 beats per minute. A week and a half later, I had the pacemaker implant.

Because I had signed up to run a half marathon in January 2009, I asked my Cardiologist if I could still run it. He said, he saw no reason I couldn't do it. I have been training since November, two weeks after my implant, and have had no problems. The half marathon is in two weeks and I feel great.

I feel like someone was watching over me. The timing of my pacemaker implant couldn't have been perfect. Although I have some discomfort in the implant site when I do pull-ups, I know to back off and slow down. I am just happy to be alive and thankful for this second chance at life.

This is a wonderful support group and before I had my surgery I was on this site a least twice a day reading the different stories. I was so scared, but you all made me feel more at ease. Thank you to all of you!