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Itchy Pacemaker

I have had this device installed for nearly 2yrs now...and it has been itchy...is that a normal side effect or is there something wrong!?
Thanks

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Help with Leads

I have a pacemaker and I am thin in the chest area. I have one lead that sticks out right under the bra strip. I have gotten a bra with wider straps but still need some protection for the lead. Any suggestion as to pads or anything else that would help with the rubbing across the lead.

I had a revision done because I could actually hold the lead with my fingers. It was put in deeper but still sticks out.

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Is Hanging up-side-down bad?

Someone told me that Yoga positions where you hang up-side-down or stand on your head are bad because they could pull out your electrodes. I think it's bull. It seems like it would be insignificant when you think of the way the electrodes whip around all of the time. Has anyone else heard of this?

Thanks,

Jim Jim

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moving PM

Hi everyone I go my pm one month ago and still in pain . It feels like the pm moves at time especially when I am on lieing down on my side,can anyone tell me if this is normal? And will that heavy feeling go away with time.
thanks

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Worth a Read

This is worth a read:

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24990051-5005369,00.html

Such a young man with so much life ahead of him!

Kind of makes you refect a little.

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A couple sleeping questions, mainly for women

Hi there,

Took me a week or so to work up the nerve to post this breast-related question, but I'd rather start with the women in this group than my cardiologist.

I've had my PM for a week and a half, and have my first checkup coming up on Tuesday. Hopefully all will be well. Had to take the steri-strips off a couple days ago because I was reacting so much to the adhesive I was getting welts at the top and bottom of the strips. The incision looks really good and is healing...

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Plavix VS Coumadin

A friend of mine who is a heart surgeon said that the side effects of Plavix were way easier to deal with, and that Coumadin was only 1 1/2% better at preventing strokes than Plavix. Apparently with Plavix, you don't need to be drug in for blood tests all of the time. Also, Life Extension had a good artical on Vitamin K and Coumadin doses. Vitamin K has more roles than just clotting, and Coumadin can deprive the body of it.

Has anyone switched to Plavix? Anyone have any imput? I'...

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small sharp pain / help

Hi everyone I’ve had my PM for almost 2 months and over the last couple of days I’ve had a sharp pain that will come and go. It will last up to 10 min each time (sometimes less) two or three times a day. The pain is located near the outside edge of the PM toward my shoulder. I saw my Dr a couple of days ago about it, and he had me get some blood work done to make sure it’s not an infection (I don’t think so). He didn’t think it was infected either, but didn’t know what the pain was from. But wan...

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exercises using weights

hello, does anyone know about using weights with doing exercises. I am now using 2 handheld weights each one weighing 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
even with this I am still a bit concerned about breaking and/or damaging one of my leads to my heart failure pacemaker that I have for the cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Anyone know up to what weights is safe?
Thanks for any info.Greetings Pacey.

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PM and hair removal

Hi
Does anyone know if you can have laser hair removal with a PM in situ??????
Thanks

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BB & pm

What about the contact aspect of BB, how durable is a pm and can it take an elbow or shoulder blow w/out damage?

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BB with pm?

I'm recommended for a pm due to av node complete block, my question is whether, with a pm, I can continue to play over 40 pickup basketball, I play 4-5 times weekly, full court, some of the games are fairly serious, because if you lose, you sit.
2nd question, will my cardiac condition improve w/ a pm, my ejection fraction is 55% w/ a resting hr of 33-37, max hr during exercise of 105-108.
I'm 62 and still have a few years left in the over 40 games before moving to the retiree games....

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Medtronic ICD

Hello:

I have a Medtronic ICD- installed on October 1, 2007--it was a four hour ordeal. I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, V-TACH and AFIB on July 10, 2007- ICD was implanted on October 1, 2007. I was 46 years old- I am now 48.
So..it's been about a year and 1/2. They think I've had this bad heart for most of my life, but no one caught the symptoms.

Anyway, I am still not sure what to make of this whole situation.
I never know if I am o.k.---or just...

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HeLlPpPp!!!

i hate my stupid pacemakerrrrrrrr i just want to die....i am 26yrs old i had an unsuccessfull ablation when i was 17 for tachychardia where my doctor nicked my goodpathway cause me to have bradychardia...so instead of a fast heart rythm i now have bradychardia....im so damn frusterated....so i went to get a second opinion and been under the care of my second doctor for 9 yrs now..i held off from getting a pacemaker because my doc said i was young and i wasnt showing sighns...so in the past 2 yrs...

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1st Checkup, Pacing 99% / 47%

Great Site!! I've learned a lot in the past 2 weeks since my pacemaker implant and hope to learn more!

I had my first follow up on Thursday, the tech said there could be a problem with one of the leads placement but they would wait and see and make changes slowly. If they have to turn something(?) up too high, it may quickly drain the battery - but it might work better on its own? Does someone know what she was talking about? My Atrial paced was 99% and Ventricular paced 47% -...

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Had my first week inspection

Incision is almost healed and they said it looked good. I had already come to the same conclusion, but glad to hear it anyway. First pm check will be in 3 weeks. So far I am VERY pleased with this new one. No events so far that I am aware of. I'm hoping some of it was pm induced by the old unit. Got my fingers and toes crossed!

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Thank You....

I wanted to thank you all so much for your responses! Tracey I didn't realize that when my EP said I was using my PM 15% of the time, that he meant daily.
I thought it was since the last time I saw him which meant I wasn't using it much at all.
NOpe, no desk jobs at work, I have been asking all year. They were hoping with a new budget they could create a position, But with the economy there is more chance of lay offs than that:(
Thanks so much for he info on Disability Cabg Patc...

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Drug Costs, Effectiveness, Lipitor

I am in the US. Just calculated my probable drug costs for 2009 at about $3000 after insurance and out of MY pocket. Yikes. Three drugs are the issue: Plavix (75 mg had a drug eluding stent placed July 08) might need to take "forever." Lipitor (40 mg) needed "forever" and Amiodarone (400 mg-tried Toprol and Sotalol, but on those my ICD fired 8 times). They are trying to get me off Amio and may consider Ventricular ablation.

Lipitor is $1400 a year. Zocor is like Lipitor and has a US g...

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Generic for Toprol XL

My mail- in pharmacy sent me a letter saying they can no longer get the generic for Toprol XL. I asked at my local CVS and they agreed it's almost impossible.
Of course, I'll have to pay a much larger Co pay for the brand name. Has anyone else run into this problem?? I know many of you are also on this drug...

Thanks,
Suze

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1st. PM check

I had my first PM ccheck yesterday. The Techo. said all seemed OK and It had been 20% of the time, he did not seem to want to expand on this apart from saying thePM was doing it's job. Any comments on this?
Arty

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You know you're wired when...

You have an excuse for gaining an extra ounce or two.

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