Most Recent Messages

Healing time

Can someone tell me how long does it take for the swelling to go down?

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Mixed feelings

Saw the EP doc today and he will take my pacer out on 11/18. I know this is what I wanted for a long time but I am a bit confused as well. I mean I have had this thing in me for the past 11 years and I kind of feel sad to not have it in me anymore. Does this make any sense to anyone? I also don't know how I can readjust to life without the pacer as I don't handle changes too well.

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(Emergency) Healthcare in the UK

Hi guys,

I'm headed to London this fall for some film school (for about a month), and am tempted to ask around about emergency healthcare in England and Scotland. Has anyone had experience with the system? It's pretty scary to pass out in the street pretty much anywhere, but I'm wondering if the way the Brits respond is different than the treatment you might receive in America. Thanks in advance for anything you might be able to pass along!

(I am also accepting pub/park/res...

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SOB = partially collapsed lung :(

There goes my 5k training. Pooh!
Just a little bump in the road. Maybe in a few days, I'll be good to go.
Don't get scared pacer/ICD people.....I also have lung issues from a complicated ablation I had back in April. This setback has nothing to do with my PM. I wish it would do wonders for my lung like it has for my heart rhythm.

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Medical tourism

hi all,
This is in response to Mike's question ( exsailor66) about medical tourism. I don't seem to be able to get the private messaging to work, so I hope it's ok on here?
I found this site I wanted to share. Perhaps someone can benefit.
http://www.europaenmedicaltourist.com/heart-surgery.html
Just go the pacemaker section, it has a contact at the bottom of the page. They will get back to you with details of what they can do for you, plus a price.
Hope this helps
E...

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feeling low

hi guys i just thought id have a little moan. i hope you dont mind ive had my ablation 2 weeks ago and i feel alot better so why do i feel so low. iam having my pm moved on friday at the moment it just doesnt seem to end the hospital appointment and operations. i wrote a few weeks ago about depression and how people cant get out of it. well ive been so surprised by the affect of not taking my medication has had on me. the last ten days have been hell withdrawl symptoms but it is like a cloud of...

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having a frustrating out of breath day

Hey ya'll,
I sure can't breathe today. It's very frustrating. Every time I complain to my cardiologist there's nothing he can really do, so I just quit complaining and deal with it. Doesn't make it any easier though. I'm wondering if I need to go back down on my beta-blocker. It's been a few weeks since my increase, and I wonder if it's now starting to get the best of me. I just really feel like crap. I think I'm gonna call him anyways. I have a history of phrenic nerve damage back in April...

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Question

Im going to cardioligist tuesday just want some advice. Im almost 4 weeks into my implant, 10 weeks after high risk bypass, and an ef at 20%. Started back to work last tuesday, was able the first 2 days not having to do alot, got tired and a little short of breath, thursday and friday I tried to do more work, well thursday i got short of breath pretty bad and light headed, friday got short of breath and dizzy felt like my head was numb I had done quite a bit of work, kinda of scared me cause i r...

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PM Removed for Now

After 21 days in hospital and 7 procedures since June, my PM is out for while. I dodged a bullet 3 times, avoiding endocarditis and major infection.

I'm left with a gaping wound under my right clavicle because it couldn't be stitched due to tissue necrosis and scarring. My wonderful wife is left with wound care, which includes packing the "pouch" with 2 feet of gauze soaked in Bernell's Solution. The wound is painful, but looks clean actually. It has never shown any outward signs of...

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I'm new to this....

I just received my 1st pace maker 2 weeks ago tomorrow. Every time I get up and move around, I fell little electric shocks in my chest area....as soon I am sitting still, they calm right down. I said something to my doctor about this at my last check up and he said something about my heart & pace maker not working together. He has given me a RX of Diltiazem CD ER to control heart/pacemaker rhythms. It is not helping, that I can tell. This constant "flicking" feeling in my chest is driving...

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Good Information site

Good morning,
Just sharing a site I find to be very informational and easily understandable. Copy & paste the url in your browser window.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/index.html


I placed a short-cut link on my desktop for quick access. I hope you will find it as informative as I have.

"Happy Canadian Thanksgiving" to all whom this greeting applies!.....

Karen...from the Lake of the Ozarks.

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Pacemaker Syndrome

Hello! I received my 1st PM/ICD for my 30th birthday present! Wow! Anyway, my PM's have only lasted 2-4 yrs. and I just had my 3rd one implanted in Aug. of this year. I've always felt great since my original implant until about a year ago. I've been having light headed spells off and on. Lately, they seem to be more on than off! I went last week for an interrogation and lead check and for a post surgery follow up. I seemed to be very sensitive to the lead checking. They said one of my t...

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Today is the Day...

...of my 2 year pacer anniversary! And things are going great. Had a check on Monday and no issues--just some PMT's due to my upper rate setting and my new found love of running. LOL Thanks to all my pacer friends for their support over the past two years. I even got water baptized at church today on the anniversary of the new life He has given to me! How cool!

Happy pacing!
ela-girl

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Staying Healthy

Sometimes this whole pacemaker thing is weird for me. I've had mine for 16 years, but it was implanted when I was just 11 and so often I feel like Im learning things about it for the first time, things that if I had been implanted as an adult I would probably already be aware of. Sometimes thats a good thing and sometimes thats a bad thing.

I had a sucessful ablation done when I was 18 (I'm 28 now) so for all of my adult life I've really been able to ignore my heart condition for th...

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Left arm hurts at night

Hi PMates,

Its been two weeks since my PM implant, and I feel my PM is now more noticible than before and hurts more than before. I also feel it moved downward a little bit. I can of feel it loose which my Dr. said it was normal.

Also last night while sleeping on my left side, I felt the PM triggering which woke me up. I turn and everything went back to normal.

Have any of you experienced any of these symptoms?

Thank you.

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Boston Scientific Rate Smoothing PM

Does anyone out there have one of these?
Any opinions on this kind of PM?

I am scheduled to get a replacement of my current (faulty) PM and the doctor is suggesting this kind.

Thanks!
Chesca

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Extraction

Wednesday is the day!
It has certainly been along hard road. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive!

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first week in and

Hi all the first few days i was able not to do alot, the next two i tried to do more so i would know what was going to happen well as much as i could with restrictions, i got dizzy and it felt like my head was numb, short of breath, so now i dont know what to do couple of times it really felt bad, i stopped what iwas doing and tried to just do the breathing techneick and calm down. called cardioligist go in tuesday after work. going to have one of those techs there to adjust and talk with cardi....

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HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING

hi i wish to extend to all my fellow canadians on the site a very happy healthy thanksgiving. i won't say prosperous as it seems to be a bad word right now at least in ontario. lol jesswhere did all the manufacturing go?

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What is going on?

I am 25 years old and I had an abblation done on May 8, 2008 which was unsuccessful and received a pacemaker on May 19, 2008. Since the implant, I experience terrible pain and throbbing in my chest as well as other areas of my body, has anyone else experienced this? My doctors are lost and now so am I please let me know what you think........

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You know you're wired when...

You forecast electrical storms better than the weather network.

Member Quotes

I feel so blessed to have this little gem implanted in me. When I think of the alternative it is quite overwhelming sometimes.