Most Recent Messages in Coping

Weird pacemaker feelings

Hi everyone. I'm 27 F, I had my pacemaker fitted back in April after I had an ablation gone wrong. I went into complete heart block and spent 10 days in hospital and had emergency surgery to have my pacemaker fitted. I am now 100% paced. 

The whole thing still feels completely bizarre to me. I feel I haven't really come to terms with the fact that I have a pacemaker, it all feels very very surreal. 

I am really really grateful for my pacemaker but even after 6 mo...

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Defibrillator

  • by Sjw
  • 2024-10-06 22:23:47
  • Coping
  • 109 views
  • 3 comments

Since having my pacemaker fitted 10 days ago I can't sleep in my usual curled up position. It's really uncomfortable. Still taking painkillers, but it's more due to feeling it when I lie down. My anxiety has been so much worse since surgery. What position do people find most comfortable to sleep? 

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4 Months in

When I first got the PM, the first few weeks were scary. After some adjusting, everything seemed great. I even forgot at times I had a PM. But over the last few months I've had increasing episodes on a heaviness in the very center of my chest (where my bra would cross between my breasts). My heart rate also has started fluctuating at night, wakes me up and I'm hot. 

After being in and out to see the doc all looks "good" and they are telling me that my PM has nothi...

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Brain Fog / Sleepy

I experienced dramatically increased brain fog and sleepiness immediately after my pacemaker was implanted.  It's now been a month and although it's slightly better, I still feel significantly more drained and constantly drowsy compared to before the procedure.  My brain feels cloudy almost all the time, the opposite of what I expected.  
 

I'm 69 in good health, an active lifestyle, a calm, care-free personality and no other health co...

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Worried Daughter

I joined this group on behalf of my mom.  She had a pacemaker put in on Sept 12/24 and she's not herself at all.  She keeps complaining about a foggy head, and numbness in her face.  She sleeps alot which I understand she needs to recover from the proceedure.  She is suffering from depression and anxiety issues of late.  I dont know what to do to help her.  She doesn't want to see the family doctor until the six weeks recovery timea are up.  I'm...

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I feel sad :-(

I'm almost 6 weeks post PM now and I feel so sad all the time.

I'm in constant pain, having to take hefty doses of codeine to function somedays and I currently just feel like, what's the point.

Have a review in a few weeks due to the pain but nobody will see me before, as they've looked at photos and said my wound looks fine and reburial could cause an infection. My PM is very protruding and the pain is like nothing I've ever experienced (I've had kidney st...

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Sleeping on that side

So, I just had my pacemaker installed last Friday. That shoulder is still pretty sore. I'm still taking it super easy too. My question though, is when can I sleep on that side? Like how long before it's safe to?

Thanks in advance!

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Newbie

I had a dual chamber pacemaker implanted six weeks ago . It seems to be doing it's job but I am freaking out a little because at nightime when I lay my head on my pillow I am aware of my heartbeat . I hear the thrumming and it's weird . Anyone else had to deal with this ?

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Symptomatic when paced

Hello everyone! I am still having trouble with exercise and would value your opinin and help understanding what is happening. The details of my PM are in my bio but I am having difficulty whenever my heart rate exceeds about 110. This happens on moderately strenuous exercise - like walking up hill - at which point I start dropping beats and my PM kicks in. However, if I continue the PM seems to take over completely with rates above 110 and when that happens I feel faint and have to stop. Once...

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pacemaker rate concern

so for a week my pacemaker that is set at 65-66 has not increased in rate when i exercise with power walking my dog  and steps making me short of breath. It is 12 years old this month and im thinking i need a replacement?

I have called my cardiologist for 2 days with message and today went to my primary for this, blood work all normal and my dr sent a message to cardiologist. Am i over reacting to this issue . Obviously my cardiologist must think i'm ok. 

i am changi...

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Nervous Scare

New here. 63 yo, married 35+ years.  
 

Got woken up at 3am Saturday.   Wife was having some issues. We were having some coffee and my heart starting skipping beats. 
 

Defintily freaked me out a bit.   I'm less than a month out of surgery for a CRT-P.  3rd degree block 
 

Ended up calling the on/call, pushed the data.  They didn't see any event.  I guess it wasn't significant enough to tr...

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re CHF

Thankyou to the 3 folks that replied to my post a few days ago about possible CHF.....well it turns out i dont have that and the issues were associated with the influenza A i had an my asthma making me very uncomfortable.I got a chest x ray and all was clear in all departments including normal size heart. and no lung congestion, so i think I am a lucky boy! The flu has flown and now i just have to deal with any asthma complications....i will still see my cardioligist h...

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CHF

Hi all....posting after some very healthy years....i have had the flu twice in 3 months....worst in 15 years!!!...had been exercising well until i fell ill....one doctor now reckons i have CHF...i dont have any swelling or other CHF symptons.....just a wee chesty cough with sputum now an again....being asthmatic pretty normal for me....i do have some  PVC s that are quite annoying which i hadnt had for a long time....my PM working well...i am going to book in with a cardio...

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Coping/Adjusting

I am less than three month out since my placement surgery, following a full heart block. I have always been a very independent woman. I am having trouble adjusting to the idea of how dependent on others I am need to be. I am seperated, just a month short of divorce, so I live alone. My son lives in another city. My siblings have all but left me to fend for myself. In a way I am okay with that because I have always been able to do that. But I am finding this is different. In my recov...

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Pacemaker and relationships

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but i'm a female in my early 20s with a pacemaker, I underwent heart surgery when i was a baby and that corrected most of my issues but I had to get a pacemaker when i was teen to regulate my heart beat. For the most part i've carried on with life the best I can, however I have always been a bit self conscious about my scars and since getting my second pacemaker shortly after (due to device complications), my self esteem has taken a rea...

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Defib and stress

Hi,

I was faced with an irate confrontation today. I tried to stay calm but felt threatened and intimidated so my heart went into ventricular tachycardia, and my defib went off, twice!

 I'll talk to the doctor and they'll probably up my meds, but I'm wondering how others with stress related symptoms cope. I try to avoid confrontations and used to exercise but haven't been able to due to long Covid and musculoskeletal issue's.

I find the fea...

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Helicopters

Pacemaker 5 years coming up now. No issues. Bradycardia and 3rd degree heart block. Going to San Francisco and alaska in 3 weeks. Helicopter ride think just nervous any tips! For any of it!  Thank you. It is the farthest I have been and think that is what is unnerving me. 

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Going through it

Hi everybody- names Chris, 53 year old male, 3rd degree heart block. Implanted about 4 months ago and back to work. I have been feeling pretty good until  recently, have been dealing with reflux and nausea. All that is fine, but mentally I've been watching my Apple Watch hit 60 bpm more regularly and I know that if the PM wasn't there I probably wouldn't be writing this post. It's just.. I'm going through a lot existentially right now. I'm pretty young to hav...

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Hard time dealing

I had my PM placed in May 2024. It was a fast process from the diagnosis to the placement I didn't have much time to process anything. Since the surgery my QOL has decreased. I'm in constant pain at the incision site, my body rejected the stitches and started "spitting" them (imagine fishing line coming out of your chest, terrifying) Feeling of pressure, pulling, pinching, ect... I work as a nurses aide and it's physically demanding, the cardiologists office gave me 4 we...

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Heart beat sensation

I'm almost a year out from getting my PM.  For much of the last year I am very conscious of my heart beating harder than usual even at complete rest.  It feels like it's beating harder than it used to pre-PM.  I'm 100% paced in my ventrical.  Is this normal?   It's not painful but it's weird.  My resting heart now is 70 so it's not high but I'm stuggling to feel ok with this constant pounding.

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Member Quotes

I am 100% pacemaker dependant and have been all my life. I try not to think about how a little metal box keeps me alive - it would drive me crazy. So I lead a very active life.