Searching the net-re: pm's

Still in shcck this all happened so quick... I've always been the type of person to research and research regarding health issues. Well now I have a really good reason, loooonngg heart pauses while sleeping.
I found one blog that mentioned he had a pm for heart pauses but lately found out pacemakers are damaging to people w/ otherwise "healthy hearts"...could there be any evidence of this? Is our lifespan shortened because of pm's?

5 Comments

Hmm

by abreaux - 2009-02-13 01:02:21

Hi Rozybud,

Welcome - I was in about the same state of shock about 6 weeks ago, now am 4 weeks after the PM implant. I sure haven't heard anything about PMs harming hearts, but maybe someone else here can chime in.

All I can say is that I can guarantee if I hadn't gotten mine, my lifespan sure would have been shortened. I passed out while driving due to heart block, and would have burned up in my car if the guy driving behind me hadn't gotten me out. Without a PM, I can guarantee the same thing would have happened (if I had ever dared to drive again), and I would have either killed myself or someone else. With a PM and 50 years of battery replacements, I expect to live a very long life, at least into my 90s!

A-M

Blogs

by donb - 2009-02-13 01:02:50

Tracie says it again. I also am a PM veteran, July 1992 and now with a fresh right chest installation as of this past Sunday morning. I've had three PM's in the left chest over the years and developed irritation, rejection, alergy or whatever and it was in my best interest to starat fresh. As they did a sandwich installation between the muscle it'll take a little longer to settle down but I,m doing real good. Later they want to clean up my left chest, remove some scar tissue from the pouch and clip excess leads as I'm skinny, another reason for going deeper on my right chest. I too was concerned about weakening heart from PM's some years ago and Medtronic did mention that some patients developed a little ventricular heart enlargement and I guess they tried to discourage dual lead if like in my case I could have gotten by without. Anyhow, it's St. Jude dual now. Question? I got switched from Tenormin to Betapace 80 mg twice a day.

Forgot to mention I was without PM for two months and did great, my heart had memorized my bottom 60 BPfor weeks, then slowed to 50. I went into AF and they let me decide if I wanted another PM. They felt I could get along without for now but being 77 I would definetly need one later. After living like a 25 year old all these years I said NOW. Admitted Friday night, PM was in Sunday noon. Great life!

no

by Tracey_E - 2009-02-13 05:02:45

First of all, we don't have otherwise healthy hearts! Our hearts are already somewhat damaged or we wouldn't get betting the pm's. My very low hr that I'd have without my pm would have killed me years ago, May of 1993 to be specific. Odd are good your long pauses would eventually hurt you, too, that's why you got your pm. Having the pm gives us a longer life, for many of us it gives us a better quality of life also.

That said, yes there is some research that has concluded that over many years that the pm can make the heart less resistant to the impulses generated by the pm and therefore reduce our ejection fraction. I don't lose any sleep over this. I've had a pm for 15 yrs now with no sign of problems, there are other members who have had theirs much longer. Newer pm's place the leads in a different way than the old ones and are even less likely to have this problem. But yes, there is some evidence- note I did not say conclusive evidence!- that it can happen eventually.

Life is full of risks and probabilities, ya know? I'd be dead without my pm so the fact that my pm may cause long term damage is really irrelevant. Whatever damage it may do, it's not shortening my life because it's already given me an extra 15 yrs and I have every intention of living to a ripe old age.

translation

by Tracey_E - 2009-02-13 08:02:04

never type before your fingers are awake!
get betting = be getting :o)

Blogs

by ted - 2009-02-13 10:02:26

Abreaux and TracyE said it all. Your life cannot get worse with a PM. After a while you won't even know you have one except for airports and checkups. I am very careful about accepting what I read in blogs. Just because something appears on the internet doesn't mean that it is accurate. Even in this group, we have had misleading information taken off the web by well meaning people, and repeated here as if it were gospel. To avoid confusion, I always let my doctors have the last word because they know my body better than anyone in a chat group or a blog. Have a great life with your pacer.

You know you're wired when...

You can feel your fingers and toes again.

Member Quotes

Do feel free to contact the manufacturer of your device. I have found them to be quite helpful when I have had questions and concerns.