Does one ever feel normal again?

I've had my PM for 7 weeks now with 3 pm checks . I still feel at times shortness of breath and at other times not really normal. I do have a bit of regurgitation apparently as well. Any one feel the same way? Any thoughts? Thanks for the help!

9 Comments

YES

by CyborgMountainHuffer - 2009-04-08 02:04:23

Wrenbrandt, this is the very first question every single one of us asks when we come to the Pacemaker Club. It's so reliable you can set your watch by it.

You have a lump on your shoulder, and your heart seems to just slam in your chest. You can't catch your breath. You stand up and you get dizzy. You can't feel the wires sticking into your heart, but you know they're there. And you just came back from near-death. What if the pacer isn't working? What if my heart just EXPLODES ...?

It's perfectly normal to have all these thoughts and reactions.

As the others said, you just have to keep tweaking it, getting it adjusted, getting used to the IDEA. You'll soon learn to stir yourself a little before standing up or making sudden motions. You have to do this, because when you're about to stand, your heart tells the brain, "OK, exertion, speed up," but the pacer doesn't know you're about to stand up until you start moving.

These are all little tricks and adjustments, and yes,
soon the beats will come a little less noticeably, and your breath will return, and one day you'll think, "Jeez, I have a pacemaker. Haven't thought about that all day!"

Chin up, Wrenbrandt. We all go through it.

Welcome to your second lease on life! 8<}

Keep getting checked

by janetinak - 2009-04-08 02:04:44

Please keep working with your medical team. Not sure why you had to have a PM but I can tell you that altho I felt so much better after mine was put in it took awhile to get it regulated to me. Don't give up. I am sure that others here on this site will be a lot more help than me but I repeat don't give up. The PM can help so much & I am living proof.

Janet

Whats normal?

by Hot Heart - 2009-04-08 03:04:08

Hi there, I think when we've been fitted with something like a pm we tend to notice more all the aches and pains and strange things that our bodies do, things we wouldnt have bothered about before jump out at us, and we wonder if things are wrong.

For about 3 months after receiving my pm I felt absolutely dreadful, I could hardly walk from the car in a car park into the shop without feeling sooooooooo out of breath. One day I just realised I wasnt so out of breath and started pushing myself very gradually a bit more each day.

Last weekend, 5 months pacing, I walked for 6 hours one day and 4 hours the next, went to the gym and went swimming, and I felt great!!! So hang on in there, hopefully you will improve with time.

Take care .HH

I feel normal :o)

by Tracey_E - 2009-04-08 03:04:51

As Janet said, it can take some time to get the settings just right. Stay on them! Sometimes a Holter or stress test can tell them more, help them pinpoint what needs tweaked. How normal you feel when your settings are as good as they're going to get depends on why you got the pm. Some problems are fixed, some problems are managed.

If you ask for a copy of your report, some of the members here can tell you what all the numbers mean.

Get you a

by walkerd - 2009-04-08 07:04:04

note pad and write down things that happen, lightheaded,shortness of breath, fogbrain,anything and let them know also if you write down times it happens and what you where doing when it happened they can pull up that off your pm to thier computer, if you think of a question to ask write it down if you are like me you will forget when you get there. It took my cardioligist about five to six times of setting changes to get mine set fairly good, well at least where I wasnt getting similar stuff like you had, but with my heart condition i still get short of breath and probably always will until well we wont go into that. like the others said not sure what your condition is electrical, or some other heart disease making the fitting of your pm.
dave

normal

by verger - 2009-04-08 10:04:49

feel normal again?
i have no idea how that would be possible.
managable,
there's a maybe,

and no matter how difficult it becomes, try to find the humor in the situation.

Welcome to the club!!!lol

by renee14150 - 2009-04-08 11:04:52

We all have individual experiences here after implant. But, like the other say even the person with the best recovery always feels a little different afterwards. I had a really bad experience so far but somehow can keep my head up. I think alot had to do with the support I get here and the ability to be able to VENT and ask "silly" questions and to have people not judge me. Hope you are feeling a little more normal as you heal
Renee

Never the same again?

by ElectricFrank - 2009-04-09 01:04:10

I'll never be the same again. In fact I never was. (G

frank

Normal for me

by pacergirl - 2009-04-09 08:04:59

Hi, Yes I suppose I am "normal" for me now. Defining normal is a tricky question for me. I have found over the years that I have changed from the beginning! Especially as an adult. I used to think I knew exactly what I should do... grow up, finish school, get married, have children and live happily ever after. Well I thought that was normal for everyone.... it wasn't.

Normal is whatever you think is normal for you and not what the world thinks normal is.

Do I feel fine now? Yes. Do I feel like I have my life back that I had before? No. IT'S MUCH BETTER! That is my new normal. Feeling good health wise, enjoying being alive is my new normal.

So yes, I do feel normal again... but keep in mind it is my normal and it is better than the old normal.

Pacergirl

You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

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