Most Recent Messages

pacemaker change

Hi

Just wondering if anyone else here is in a similar situation to me.

I was really poorly in 2002, my heart failed and i was on ICU. Dialated Cardiomyopathy was the diagnosis i was given. Leter that year i had two ablation procedures performed but to no success. I actually ended up with burns on my back - has this happened to anyone? I then had my pacemaker fitted. I work in a hospital and see my technician around quite regularly, on thw wednesday i asked when she thought...

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pacemaker change

Hi

Just wondering if anyone else here is in a similar situation to me.

I was really poorly in 2002, my heart failed and i was on ICU. Dialated Cardiomyopathy was the diagnosis i was given. Leter that year i had two ablation procedures performed but to no success. I actually ended up with burns on my back - has this happened to anyone? I then had my pacemaker fitted. I work in a hospital and see my technician around quite regularly, on thw wednesday i asked when she thought...

Read More...

pacemaker change

Hi

Just wondering if anyone else here is in a similar situation to me.

I was really poorly in 2002, my heart failed and i was on ICU. Dialated Cardiomyopathy was the diagnosis i was given. Leter that year i had two ablation procedures performed but to no success. I actually ended up with burns on my back - has this happened to anyone? I then had my pacemaker fitted. I work in a hospital and see my technician around quite regularly, on thw wednesday i asked when she thought...

Read More...

out of whack

I had my icd implanted on June 19, 08 and still feel out of whack. Somdays I have that feeling like I took a pain killer or something and feel kind of depressed at times and other times I feel anxious. I have been given ativan which helps but I want so much to feel like I have some energy. the fact that I have this icd i have no problem with and very happy I have it. I just feel out of whack. Anybody know how long this lasts and how to deal with it.

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Disabled with a pacemaker

I had a pacemaker put in my chest two weeks ago. I am a disabled person for 66 years. I walk with crutches and have been walking with them for over 56 years. I was told not to use my crutches for two weeks after the operation. Are there any members in this group that are disabled and must use crutches? Are there any problems that I should look out for because I am disabled? Thanks for your time.

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Raised Area

I had my pacemaker put in on 7/14/08. I had the stapes removed on 7/22/08. There is a raised area about the size of a half of a baseball around the incision. I do not have a fever and I feel fine. Is this something I should be concerned about or will it go away in time. I weight about 200 lbs. Thank for your time.

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Nausea

Good Afternoon
I am new to this club as of today, and I am asking for information for my 85 year old mother, who had a PM in 2007. (St. Jude, 2 lead). She suffers from both rapid/slow heartbeat, but has responded well to the PM and betablockers. The problem is she suffers from bouts of nausea that leaves her very fatiqued, weak which takes her a couple of days to recover her strenght. We are journaling these episodes to see if there is a pattern and so for we have not found a pattern. We...

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Incision Healing Time

Hi everyone,

I've just had a pacemaker implanted on July 17.
My incision is still very tender and hurts. Everytime my clothing touches it, it stings.
Is this normal?
How long before it doesn't sting anymore?

Ken

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70 bpm . Defective or what??

Hi,

Ever since my pacemaker was put in, (Feb/08), my heart rate has stayed between 70 and72 bpm.

I've had it tweaked a few times, complained about not being able to walk, climb stairs or do what I want to do without SOB, extreme fatigue or just plain can't complete tasks.

Every time I take my pulse, it's 70, even after climbing stairs at a stadium!

I insisted that they "read it" today and sure enough, it reads 70 bpm ALL the time!

My Hubby t...

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Pain in PM area

Can anyone shed some light on what causes the pain in the pm area. I have experienced this for a while -- it comes and goes. When it comes, I feel like tearing it out! My docs don't seem to be listening.

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Beta Blockers vs Calcium Channel Blockers

Can anyone tell me the difference between the two? I was taking BB to supress my natural heart rate, but it was causing my blood pressure to be very low. One of my doctor's switched me to a CCB yesterday because I was suffering side effects from the BB. Since I have been taking the CCB, my heart rate is not being supressed as well and I feel awful.
I just don't know what to do! Please help!

Amanda

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70 bpm Defective or Stuck?

Thanks to Smitty and Joy for your responses.

Smitty, In Toronto, you get whoever is working the pacemaker clinic, so I've seen a few docs and they keep adjusting the settings.

It sure should be going over 72 but doesn't respond to my activity levels.

Joy, I'm only on coumadin, I should have mentioned that but it's not drug related. Thankyou for the suggestion, as it's certainly possible when you're on heart meds. Thankfully, I was able to toss my meds. after my...

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Jeremy

My son Jeremy has had a pacemaker since he was 3 yrs old. He is now 15. He is doing great. He is in the band and can play three or four instruments. He is a A/B student and most people do not know he has a pacemaker. He is very normal and we forget he has a pacemaker. At least other people do. I am mo and I try to act like I forget. I worry for when he graduates hopefully from college, about how he will do with insurrance and things. Here is a paper he wrote for school. I thought it might incour...

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How to feel

I had my ICD put in June 19th 08 and have had relatively no problems, I do feel some times a little disoriented and forgetful and I am sometimes frustrated of this condition because I used to workout and go dancing (I am only 52). I do drive sometimes but short errands only. the reason I am writing this is because when I see my doctors they ask me how I am feeling and I always tell them I don't what to feel other than the symptoms I described. anybody feel the same way?

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INTERFERENCES

Anyone interested in guidlines for interferences and pacemakers could do worse than typing in google the following
- safe distance from magnets for pacemakers -
the first hit will be GUIDLINES : HOME AND WORK
There are links to click on to other pages for more information.
Cheers pete

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Pulse oximeter prices

If anyone needs a Pulse Oximeter for home use let me tell you about the one I purchased. Last year my husband was very ill, in and out of ICU for several weeks because of end-stage emphysema. He would be coming home on continuous O2 24/7. But, the providers of home oxygen equipment do not provide a PO to monitor O2 sats. We were expected to "guess" at how my hubby was doing and adjust the O2 based on this. So, I did some searching on the internet and found a PO for less than $100.00 (actuall...

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PAIN AFTER SURGERY?????

Hello All,
Got my PM yesterday!! Thank you all for all the help I received prior. I don't think they liked that I knew half way what I was talking about thanks to you....but it sure helped me.
I did not get the right settings...the doctor said I decided not to set it where I said I would....after the surgery. I thought that was pretty rotten. When I feel well enough....He will be hearing from me.
HERE is my QUESTION......I had it put down deep so that I would still be able to b...

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Very Concerned Daughter...

Good Morning,

My father had a two-lead pacemaker (defibrillator) by Medtronic placed Tuesday, July 1st. Still today, he has a half-baseball sized swollen area, terribly large black/blue bruising over his entire left chest, pressure and more difficulty breathing when in a laying position, pain, and is losing ground.

He went to the cardiologist and was checked on the 14th. He was not the cardiologist who inserted it, but looked at a CAT scan taken on the 11th and found n...

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Tightness in shoulder

Hi,

this is my first post here, having had my PM implanted at the beginning of May 08 for carotid synus hypersensitivity. This was diagnosed after a rather unpleasant tilt test, where my heart paused for a sveeral seconds a couple of times after the neck massage bit. Generally things have been fine, the pain has on the whole long gone, and the kids are enjoying having a bionic dad.

However, some days I get a tight feeling across my shoulder when I move. It is not painfull,...

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PM's in work enviroments

I just had a PM installed on July 22nd 2008. St. Jude Model 5826 two leads. Installed only for low pause rate. I do not have the defib unit. I workin a manufacturing facility as a maintenance supervisor with lots of CNC equipment. Our Nurse is looking for information on what to be aware of before i come back to work in a couple of weeks. If there is anyone out there that knows what the guidelines are and what we need to be aware of please let me know.

Thanks

Rick War...

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Member Quotes

Hi, I am 47 and have had a pacemaker for 7 months and I’m doing great with it.