Most Recent Messages

Post Message!

Newly bionic, scared to death, hi y'all

Short and sweet, went to bed, woke up with the EMTs asking me to get on the stretcher. Seems I had a "seizure" and family called 911. At the ER the telemetry showed a 9 second pause, a 5 second pause and a 4 second pause within the first 1/2 hour there.

I'm 63, on a bunch of depression meds, a Calcium channel blocker for mild hypertension-well controlled, and just had some GYN surgery the week before my "events'. After the ER, a muga/ultrasound, a heart cath I got a dual pacemaker...

Read More...

Andersen-Tawil Syndrome

I would like to communicate with ANYONE who has been diagnosed with Andersen-Tawil Syndrome.

Thanks!
Victoria

Read More...

hot tub question

Has anyone had any experience with their pacemaker and time spent in a hot tub?

Thank you,
Searching Woman

Read More...

Photo Album Donations

Hello Friends,

Just signed on and I am thrilled to see that a total of $390.00 has been donated toward the Pacemaker Clubs' Photo Album. For those newbies out there, this is a project which Blake, the person to whom we owe a huge THANK YOU for this website/forum, is willing to design & develop if we can collect a total of $500.00 which is the estimated cost. Many of the "old-timers" requested a photo album so we can put names and faces together. Since 99.9% (my guess) of us will...

Read More...

High Blood Pressure

I had my PM for 7 weeks and have been battling high BP since the implant. Prior to PM I was on 40 mg of Vasotec and BP was controlled. Since PM BP has been anywhere between 150/80 to 205/102. Doc first tried 50 mg of Toprol XL which brought it down some but never to normal. Yesterday he increased the Toprol XL to 100 mg. This morning upon getting out of bed my BP was again 190/100. I have taken two doses of the 100 mg, one yesterday and one today. Any thoughts on how long it will take the n...

Read More...

Five years later

Am now one week post pacemaker and doing well.There are two things that I find unusual about my case or maybe they are not.Five years ago I passed out for approx 15--30 sec,had complete neg w/up,all went well till last week when I again passed out in a grocery store,again for 15-30 sec.Taken to hospital and in the ambulance my ekg was flat for 18sec.! My Ekg except for that 18 sec has remained normal.Am glad it didn't happen 2 weeks ago when I was up on my roof.

Read More...

pacemaker

i need to have my pacemaker replaced and i am scared to death.
can you tell me about your experiment
thnak you ingrid

Read More...

Lead Extractions

I am scheduled to have my old ICD leads extracted, due to a low grade infection, in October at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr. Wilkoff. Hopefully they will not have to extract the ICD leads on my functioning unit.

My first ICD was put in in 1995 at St. Luke's Hospital in Houston.. A replacement was put in in 1999 at Massachusetts General Hospital. I got an infection in 2002 and the unit was taken out and most of the wires were cut off at the clavicle at St. Luke's. Now the rest of those...

Read More...

St. Jude Medical Rate Response

I've had a St.Jude pacemaker for 12 years. Three years ago the rate response monitor began malfunctioning bumping my pulse from 60 to 110 at the slightest physical activity. I tried multiple times to convince my doctor of the malfunction but he didn't believe me. Eventually I asked the technician to turn off the rate response and for three years I've gotten by with my normal heart rhythm without any pacing above the minimum 60 bpm. In the meantime I'm waiting for this unit to run down so I can g...

Read More...

Hi Billie

maybe I should have read your post about the lamb ,it must sound horrible about me eating my lamb one day, sorry about that but as I sit here writing this I can't stop laughing, my sister who took care of my Mum this last weekend also had to feed the lamb and was not impressed when it was ready she could come for tea, she said I'm not eating that lamb. I used to foster children and as we nearly alway had a lambs to feed we gave the boy Ben one that was his pet lamb, anyway the lamb got bigger a...

Read More...

Hi folks 26/9

dear Billie you'll have to read my comment on the post Hi Folks on the 26/9 to understand the one I posted before this one

Marie

Read More...

Upper Respiritory Infection

Does anyone know the complications of having an upper respiritory infection with a pm? As in will it last longer. Because I've taken antibiodics and now 3 weeks of having the infection the area where my pm is hurting. What I mean is beneath the skin between the pm, pain everytime i move or i slump or slouch. It's also becoming hard for me to breath. I was talking to my mom over the phone and she said she could hear me breathin funny. So anyone know????
p.s sorry for my tangents, I'm a teen...

Read More...

Muscle Twitch

Hi All,
I just received a replacement pacer in July. This is my 7th replacement (first pacemaker was 1975) and I seem to have developed a twitch. If I hold my hand over and press lightly down on the pacemaker I can feel a muscle twitch with each beat. Sometimes if I hold my arm in a certain position it actually jumps. Anyone ever have this? It's a new one on me. I did notice that this generator seems closer to under my arm than the last. It can be a very annoying feeling. Thanks for...

Read More...

Support Group

My name is Brendaa and I am 40 years old. I had a pacemaker put in 8 weeks ago and am still in shock. My severe bradycardia and fibrosis came out of nowhere and I am having a hard time accepting my limitations. Because of my age, I was given a PM with a large battery and I am constanly experiencing discomfort. I spend most of my days crying and cannot find a support group in my area. I feel very much alone.

Read More...

RBBB develops after pacemaker insertion

Hi -- I had a CRT-D implanted in Feb 06 to help my cardiomyopathy & LBBB. I've been doing well, no firing of the defibrillator, thank goodness! Today, my internist did an EKG as part of my annual physical. It showed a right bundle branch block, something I've never had before. Anything to worry about? My cardiologist isn't in today & I was just wondering if that had happened to anyone else after having a pacemaker.

Read More...

Question

The doctors are now admitting that my husband had 35 episodes of PMT in their care. What does this mean? Should they have tested him for tachycardia? Should they have put a difibulator in him while replacing the pacemaker having known this? Please help!!

Read More...

Things to avoid

Had a question about things your to avoid when you have a pm. I've had one for 11 weeks, wondering if you come into contact with things your not suppose to if you feel it or what happens, will I know if there is a problem right away or not.. Just started to use a shock collar for my dog and was holding the hand held transmitter in my chest pocket and was worried if I should be using it, also I keep forgetting and I put my cell phone in chest pocket..Any body have problems going back to something...

Read More...

An iPod alert for pacemaker, ICD users

By Harvard Heart Letter
September 25, 2007

If you have a pacemaker or implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), you have probably been warned not to keep a cell phone in your breast pocket or hold it near your heart.

The same rule should apply to an iPod or other portable music or video player. A study presented at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting this spring showed that a turned-on iPod held two inches away from the chest for five to 10 seconds can interfere with...

Read More...

Discomfort

Hi, I am 51 and had my pm fitted in Juy 2007. I am uncomfortable with my pm. I have been told that I have to wait for a period of about 6 months for this to ease. I have itching under the skin and also a pressure feeling when I move. Is this normal?
I do hope someone can assist with these queries.

Sheila

Read More...

Hi Folks

Hello to all. Seems a while since I posted. Have been really ill with bad flu which then gave me shocking asthma. Weather here looked like spring had sprung then turned back again to wet, cold and windy. Not very helpful when the new roofing materials turned up and the guys want a run of about five clear days to get the new roof on the house.

I have been suffering with the pain in my left shoulder again. The doc gave me a needle to see if it would fix it but no success. I get pi...

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

Member Quotes

A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.