New here...

• by abreaux
• 2009-01-21 01:01:35
• General Posting
• 1058 views
• 5 comments

Hi everyone,

I got a pacemaker yesterday (St Jude 5826), and spotted this site on the web this evening. I'm definitely a newbie at all of this - it's been a huge rollercoaster in the past 2 months.

I'm 42, totally healthy, never have had to take any medicines long-term or spend a night in the hospital.

December 2 I had a car wreck. I'm driving along, and the next thing I know I'm standing in the highway median with a guy who pulled me out of my car before it burned up. I can't figure out how I got there. They didn't find anything wrong at the ER and with subsequent neuro tests, so I figured I had just fallen asleep. Kept on driving and living my life.

Then a couple weeks ago, I passed out while talking to a coworker on the phone. Back to the neurologist, who referred me to a cardiologist. And complete restriction on driving, which is something because I am a sales rep with a territory to manage, plus I go between Georgia and Alabama to care for my aging parents.

Every cardio test was normal - nuclear stress test, echocardiogram, tilt table test - and then they looked at the 24 hour Holter monitor results. In that 24 hours, I had 3 or 4 times where my pulse went way down. I never felt it - but if the disruption lasted long enough, the doctor told me that's what would cause me to pass out/syncope. They tell me this on Friday and that I need to come in ASAP for an electrical study and most likely a pacemaker.

I spent the weekend talking to my doctor relatives, learning that heart block means electrical blocks, not blockages in the blood vessels, and reading about pacemakers and such. Yesterday I had the study and they implanted the pacemaker. Today I'm home, watched the inauguration between dozing, and learning how to type with my arm in a sling. Wondering how I'll be able to wash my hair or braid it without lifting my arm for several weeks!

Everyone medical in my family has told me that in the grand scheme of things, this is about the best result. They found a cause - AV block - which has a straightforward fix, and I should be better than new. Other than the electrical disruption, my heart is physically in fine shape. And I didn't die in the car wreck or kill anyone else.

So that's my quick story - I'm glad to find a spot to talk a little. I tend to hang out more in FlyerTalk, and have a hectic job, so I may not pop in too frequently, but I really appreciate this site being here. It's given me a way to start learning more about how I'll be living the rest of my life.