Most Recent Messages

Anybody have icd while pregnant?

I was wondering and wanted to see what was your points of view on pregnancy and having an implantable icd, if the female were to get a therapy zap, wouldn't that harm the baby? Any stories u guys might of herd or anybody experienced this?

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Ouch!

Ok, it is currently 9:30 over here on the east coast and my *self - appointed* bed time was and hour and a half ago. So why am I up??? We just got back from my grandmother's house/ my family's farm and I am sooo tired! So, I am gonna give you the goods and hit the sack.

First on the agenda, QOTW!!!! And because I prefer to kick it old school, we have a quote from George Gershwin!!!!!!

"Life is like jazz. It's better when you improvise."
...

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29 yr old son, professional musician, pacemaker

My son, who is 29 years old, is a professional guitarist, singer, songwriter, & performer since the age of 14. He has developed a triple threat of heart conditions: (1) sinus tachycardia upon the slightest exhertion, (2) bradycardia down into the 20's, and (3) a Mobitz II (or A-V type 2) heart conduction block. He has progressed to a full type 3 full heart block on at least one occasion.

He was hospitalized at the local university teaching hospital in the CCU for 8 days within the la...

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What is the pm doing

I have not completely understood what the pm is doing when it is checking or testing itself every day. Mine cheks (makes rather uncomfortable pounding sensations) itself every 8 hours on the dot. In addition to that, it does something similar almost every day, what seems to me at random. It doesn't actually hurt, but it doesn't feel very good either. The doctor just said that if he changed the tests to every 24 hours, there would be risk of fainting. What could the extra 'thumps' be about? If I...

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New generator

On Friday, 7/10/9, I got a replacement generator. Before this they said my old generator was working fine; however, I was having all kinds of physical problems such as - hyperventilation, chest pains, nada energy. They kept saying- "Your pacemaker is working fine." Over and over I heard that crap. I thought, well, if it isn't my pacemaker then my heart must be failing because I have a major problem. I couldn't go up the stairs without gasping for air. To make a long story short- replaced generat...

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exercise bikes

Hi Everyone,
just over 1 week since implant and that side of things going really well. However, been back into hospital with acute lower back and leg pain. (canal stenosis). Back out again today.

I have been told that an exercise bike (not recumbant) is the best form of exercise for this.
Went to the shops and all the bikes are magnetic drag. They all create a magnetic field when you pedal them.
Any thoughts or advice appreciated.
There must be exercise bikes that...

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electrical stimulation

I was wondering if with pacemaker you are allowed to have the electical stimulation that they use when they do physical therapy? I am a bit confused because I know you cant use a TENS unit, is that considered the same thing?

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Feel ill after check-ups ??

Hi PM friends

Just had another routine PM check-up and have come away feeling worse than previously. I have a Guidant dual chamber PM and did have to undergo some complex tweaking because of twitching. However that was all sorted in February and from then until last Wednesday I was feeling GREAT. However, I went for the check-up, explained to them all about the twitching and asked them not to change any of the settings etc.
Since then I have been experiencing a horrible heart thu...

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New on the site!

Hello everyone. I am new to the site and wanted to ask a question and introduce myself.

I am going in my 7th year with my first ICD. It was implanted at 17 and was wondering if there was anyone else at a young age with an ICD and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on the site? I had an ablation done and it was not until after the ablation that I started to have chest pains, racy heart, and light headedness and then they put in the ICD. Just wanted to see what everyone else had to say!!!!

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Leaking valve

Had a letter from my cardiologist saying Ive got a slightly leaking valve but not enough to be causing problems. Got pm for 3rd degree HB and 100% paced. Get Afib but decided not to take the medication, too scarey! Just a little nervous since getting the letter, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks guys, you are all a great support!!

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Kindle

Does anyone know if the Kindle is okay to use without it interferring? Also any other thoughts on interferences as I am knew at owning a pacer. It was put in in March and I am still not strong. My pacer deals with slow beats but my fast beats are the problem. I do so love all the learning I have gained from all of you. You are so supportive.

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checkups by other physicians

I may be having a pacemaker installed in a city where I have my summer residence, however I go to Florida for about 6 months. I have a physician there and have seen a cardiolgist
there also. Once this thing is installed can checkups and monitoring, adjustments etc. be done someplace else.

thanks

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Please forgive my venting

Hey everyone,
Since finding this site I have asked alot of questions and have received wonderful feedback from so many. Thanks to all of you.I read so often how so many get very depressed after getting there pm. I was one of the lucky ones and never went thru that. Now comes the venting if you want to call it that. Sorry in advance. I am so unbelievably depressed and filled to the brim with anxiety. It has been building up and now I am close to exploding. I have been to my doc but only ga...

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Loud music and big speakers...

Hey everyone! I'm a new member and had an ICD since Oct. 2007. Yesterday I was at a local event to hear my friend's band play and he asked if I would hang out with him on stage. I stood near one of the biggest speakers (along with some small monitors). In about 15 minutes, I felt light-headed and then WHAM-O....I was shocked. This was my second time getting shocked since I had the ICD. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard about really loud music affecting heart rhythms or even being ar...

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Low Battery

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. I GO WEDNESDAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED AND I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED

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another question

Hi again,
Have any of you ever been told during an interrogation that you had far field r wave oversensing? I did back in June. THe medtronic tech called his tech support person, and they tried many things, but it wouldn't go away completely.
He said it's when one lead is sensing the signal from the other, and it's not supposed to. He said he never saw one that didn't go away when they tweaked the settings...but not to worry about it. hmmmm. since I feel fine, I figure it's cool....

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Whole Body Imaging at the airport

I flew out of Salt Lake City today and they have the new whole body imaging technology at security. They still have the regular metal detectors in most of their lines, they sent me to the line with the new millimeter wave machine when I said I had a pm. They politely answered all my questions then left it up to me if I wanted to walk through it or have the pat down. The scan takes less than two seconds, I was on my way in about ten seconds. Even with the time I spent asking them questions, I was...

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Waking up Similar distressed feeling...

5 months post PM surgery for heart pausing, which caused me to wake up from sleeping very nauseus, lightheaded, vomiting etc. After over a yr of docs saying I had vertigo (inner ear condition) they found out after I passed out I was having 8 to 19 second pauses!
I have recently experienced 7 different "attacks" that seem very familiar to b4 pm, lightheaded, panic feeling, nausea....only after falling asleep briefly or waking up very disoriented. They check pm, only going off 2%, never letti...

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ICD

i was told low battery and replace soon ! I think the reading was 2.6 St Jude ! What is the reading for replacement ? Any help ?

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Interesting website

I was bored earlier and decided to find more information on PMs, and I came across this really useful website, which answers pretty much any technical question you can ask!

It's even got ECG readings of the heart being paced. I found this especially interesting because when I was having an EEG a couple of months ago I was also hooked up to an ECG and the tech kept asking if I felt OK which at the time I found weird because I was absolutely fine! My cardiologist later told me that the...

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