Most Recent Messages

Post Message!

Warfarin sensitivity

A Reuter news report of today starts like this: Use of genetic screening on heart patients helped cut hospitalizations related to the widely used blood thinner warfarin by nearly a third, according to a large study that marks a step forward in the fledgling field of personalized medicine.

The news source is Atlanta, USA.

The news report informs of two genes, related to Warfarin sensititivity.

Anybody with knowledge of the gene test?

Read More...

Leprechauns

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of my new friends! I wanted to share our families experience with the leprechauns with you all.

So...every year we build a leprechaun trap, try to see if we can catch a leprechaun. Well, this year we decided not to build a trap. We decided, instead, to write them some letters, see if we could learn from them, become their friends. Our boys (we have 4) wrote some great letters to the leprechauns & we left them on the table last night.Well, unlike last yea...

Read More...

Boston Scientific Suspends ICD & CRT Sales

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH31577_2010-03-15_19-26-42_N15186051.htm

BS has temporarily suspended ICD sales. It's not a recall. BS says there are no safety issues involved.

Hopefully EPs who have recently implanted BS devices will be extra wary of monitoring them.

Read More...

remove the icd and cap the lead

My Medtronics ICD and sprint Fidelis lead scares the heck out of me. Has anyone had the device removed and the leads capped? Should a patient's mental well-being be a consideration in his therapy?

Read More...

Infection at incision scar

Hi everyone, I feel I am still pretty new at this, got my PM 6 weeks ago, two leads and things seem to be going along good and 5 days ago a mean looking red spot developed at one end of my scar. I went to see heart dr. (my surgeon was out of country), the dr. just prescribed antibotics, and I am now waiting to see infection specialist ... just wondering, any one out there have any problem with post surgery infection? How long to resolve problem, how was that done? Will appreciate your info ba...

Read More...

nervous

I haven't posted in about a year. I'm the one that had to put a second mortgage on our house to pay for pacemaker surgery in July 2008. because I have no insurance. I don't know if anyone remembers this. Tomorrow I'm going in for a routine PM check. I've canceled the last 3 appts for this because I have very little confidence in the technician, and my PM Doc seems indifferent. We have to pay cash and sometimes, for their mistakes, which is hard to take. My question is this: my "upper sett...

Read More...

Question

Hi Again,
I'm still here in the hospital and no new news. i have spent today going through emails and psotings. Boy, I didn't realize how sick I was. Anyways, i have noticed that Paulb hasn't written in a while. Was wondering if anyone has heard from him or know what is going on. Paul if you can hear me, let me know you are OK.
Taryn

Read More...

Leads and unit failure

Recently I have been having some of the same symptoms as before my implanted dual chamber medtronic PM such as lightheartedness, breaking out in a sweat when I exert myself at all associated with some shortness of breath but no chest pain or discomfort. When I relax the symptoms subside. These things started right after taking a shower a couple of weeks ago and accidently slipped and in trying to support myself by grabbing the rail that swung the arm on the side of my PM up and over my head...

Read More...

Who has lived the longest with a pacemaker?

In the new letter it says Arne Larsson has lived the longest (41 years) with a pacemaker implanted. It will be 42 years for me this summer.

On July 3, 1968, at age seven, I underwent open heart surgery for an ASD. I then developed a complete heart block. I received my first pacemaker on August 5, 1968.
I have survived two cardiac arrests and a heart attack. I received an ICD in January 2005, which is my twelfth device.
August 2006 I had open-heart surgery to replace a va...

Read More...

St. Jude

Hi everyone, this is nothing serious, but the first time for me, my pacemaker which is my thrid pacmaker, the other two was not in long enough for the battery to run down, but now this St. Jude has been in for 4 years and they tell me I have about 6 mos. worth of time on the battery, I now have to call in to have it checked on monthly basis, now the question is do they just replace the battery or do they put in a new pacemaker?

Read More...

Tachycardia

Well I went back to the Dr. Today for my follow up to my Echo-cardiogram. Good news is that my Echo came back fine... Bad news... There are some things on my pacer check that shows Tachycardia. I know on my last check I had about 10 episodes of Tachycardia and now with my recent hospital visit and the dizziness the Dr. is more concerned. They have lowered the threshold for high heart rate captures. It was set to record at a heart rate about 180 but now they have set it to record any heart rate a...

Read More...

Pacemaker self-checks

I have been reading a lot of previous posts on here and have seen the term "pacemaker self-checks". I don't quite understand what this is and don't remember reading about this in my Medtronics Adapta manual.

What does the pacemaker do when it does a self check, how would I know it is doing one, and how long does it last (is it preprogrammed for a specific time.)?

Anywhere where I could read up on this?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Read More...

Interesting conversation

Funny...
I met a friend's 87 year old father this past weekend who happens to have a pacemaker as well. He's hard of hearing so I had to gently shout to him in order for him to hear me.

You should have seen the looks from people in the restaurant when we compared stories.

"I'm on my 2nd pacemaker.", he boasted proudly.

"Well, sir, I've just recovered from my 4th pacemaker surgery and I'm on my 2nd one as well."

The conversation really turned inte...

Read More...

black outs

Hi everyone,

Just a query re the heart etc. I am a 47 year reasonably fit male from Perth, Western Australia. I had a dual lead pacemaker (medtronic ) installed about six months ago due to very low pulse ( resting 28 ) and everything had been well leading up to christmas. However over the past few months I have felt very dizzy when standing up after either sitting down or laying down for any lengh of time. For the most part I had managed these incidences OK but two weeks ago I woke up...

Read More...

Good news!

Hi everyone,
I'm not lout of the hospital yet and probably won't be for a while. I had to have surgery again over the weekend for a hernia and a bloodclot in my thigh. I'm up and walking a bit, but they really want me off my feet for a little bit longer which really seems counterproductive for the bloodclot. The EP guys came today and said that I definately need a pacer, but will not put it in me until I am totally healed from everything I have gone through and they are sure the infection i...

Read More...

You all are the best.

I was going to post this under my post about being so upset and not being able to cope. However in reading the heartfelt, beautiful responses to my plea for help I decided you were too important to do a group thank you.

Please be patient with me as this is going to be rather long. :-) but I feel like I need to thank everyone.

Dear Patch, I don't know who you are, or what you look like, but I love you too no matter what. Thank you.

Tracey, what a wonderful spec...

Read More...

URGENT:Boston Scientific (Guidant) screws up again

The Associated Press today reported that Boston Scientific has suspended sales of its defibrillators after failing to alert regulators to changes in manufacturing. I have said since the beginning of the lawsuits against Guidant that these people cannot be trusted. They have now failed once again to tell the truth to our doctors and to the FDA. When are we and our doctors going to wise up and boycott this irresponsible company.

Read More...

post-op blues??

Had my PM surgery on Friday morning, I am only 34. All i keep hearing is, your so young, or too young!! UGHHH its making me crazy. I had my first episode of the post-op blues; I am very itchy all over, why I have no idea, and sore. (no pain meds just Ibprophen) the hubby keeps gettin onto me about not doing stuff, and the kids...well they are not much help. Soooo yeah I have the blues. I have quite smoking obviously, since the emergency trip to the hospital and surgery...and all this is jus...

Read More...

Guidant Pacemaker

Thanks to all that gave their opinion on the Guidant Pacemaker that I had put in in 2006.To Canadian Kirk - I looked up the Guidant website you suggested and I feel so much better now knowing that my pacemaker is not one included in the class action.A real relief!Thanks for your info.

Nette

Read More...

3 years today!

Today is my three years of having a pacemaker. It is weird that three years has passed by already. What a blessing these little gadgets are that they have kept me alive so far. In this three year period I have had three pacers also. Seems kinda crazy.
I hope all of you are doing well. It's been a hard recovery for me and not very much energy. I hope each of you are doing well and soon I hope to be back on more frequently.

Love and Blessings,
Tammy

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Trade secrets can be smuggled inside your device.

Member Quotes

My cardiologist is brilliant and after lots of trial and error got me running. I finished this years London Marathon in 3hrs 38 minutes.