Most Recent Messages

Symptom help/advice please

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here, just found this site and would be grateful for any help or advice you could offer.

I'm 36, from the UK and was diagnosed with complete heart block in June. It's a bit of a long story so apologies and please bear with me. I had a routine high blood pressure check with my practice nurse in April and she did an ECG too. She showed results to doctor who sent me to hospital where I spent the night hooked up to a heart monitor. My HR was low 40s, droppi...

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Fishing???

I have a St. Jude Medical pacemaker Model 5342 in my chest since 2000. I love to fish but have been reluctant to go out on charter boats because I have found no one to give me a definitive answer regarding the radar on board ship. Will these shipboard radar units affect my pacemaker?

Would appreciate whatever data you can provide me on this matter.

The fisherman

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~~~~~Photo Album~~~~~~

Hi Guys,
Just thought we all need a bit of a reminder about the Photo Album we are trying to raise $500.00 for.. it has now been running for about six weeks and although we have managed $300.00 in donations.... it is not a lot when you consider how many members we have...I honestly thought we would reach the target in a week and still have some to go to Blakes charity.

It would be great to get this off the ground and for those who want to show their faces this will be your chance...

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Best pacemakers.....?

Hi to all:)
I will have my pacemaker replaced soon. Since I had an AV-node ablation I have a dual pacemaker..and I am totally dependent. I do not know almost anything about pacemakers.
Which once are good or not so good. I need to get to get something very dependable...since my life depends on it:(.
Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

Anyone else here with an AV-node ablated?...I did meet one person from UK.

Thanks
Krys
PS: I did post my fi...

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Medtronic class action

Does anyone have information regarding the current status of the class action law suit against Medtronic?
What I heard was that a settlement was reached just a short while ago.
Anyone here involved?

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Single Chamber


I was operated and have a single chamber pacemaker year 1999. Now, this year got a gallstone and gallbladder operation. My doctor told me that I have a single chamber which is not clear to me if I really need then to hae the dual chamber. My question is what is single chamber and dual chamber all about? And if dual chamber battery is advisable why then they did not inform us as to have dual before. I just married year 2006 and still no child for I am not sure how safe for me to be pregnant...

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Strings of Shocks

  • by fibby
  • 2007-09-18 09:09:42
  • ICDs
  • 2073 views
  • 2 comments

Ive been petrified for years and on anti anxiety and amiodarone most recently to ward of anxiety attacks that seem to increase my heart rate enough that it registers as VT. I have also read that if you have unnecessary shocks it can knock your heart into a lethal rhythm.
I have ARVC and have had ablation and am on my second device after two years. I have had over 200 shocks and many times almost 27 in a row, am I alone in this? It doesn't seem worth it. I thought you would only need a shoc...

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Long QT anyone?

Last September, I had a cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation caused by "long QT syndrome". I know my condition is pretty rare, so was just wondering...how many of you who are reading this have the same diagnosis?

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Does PM help lung problems (i.e. COPD)?

Hello, I am 38. I had TGA open heart surgery (Trans of Great Arteries) in 1968 and Mustard Proc. in 1970. My heart rate has always been in the 40's & 50's at rest and does respond to exercise well. My sleeping HR is 28 to 35's. (This may have been the case for years.) I have been advised that it is now time for a PM. I also have a left lung issue most likely COPD (Chronis Obstructive Pulmonary Des). I have had pneumonia twice this year. And also I have had sleeping problems ever since....

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Motor racing feeling

I have had my pacer for a year and a half and a few weeks ago I have begun to feel something in my body have an intermittent humming that actually wakes me up at night. It will run and stop off and on that is getting more profound. My phone check was ok so I'm not sure whether to persue it or just try to ignore it. It is more noticaable at night but if I am real still I can still fell it but not as bad. I work at least 45 hours a week and always busy but I am sure I would of felt this before...

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Any updates on Valerie?

Has anybody heard how Valerie is doing? I tried calling her the other day but got her voice mail. Hopefully one of you have heard how she is doing and can give us all a update.

On another note. Sorry I haven't been able to keep up more often. Still am not up to par. Met with my surgeon this week who told me he has no idea what the next step is and he was glad that I made that Mayo apt. Oct is coming and i'm ready for it to be here. So thanks for all the continued prayers..

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Help

Hello (hope you guys can understand my english). My husband passed out some days ago,so i called 911,after 18 hours of monitoring ,the cardiology said that his pulse was so low,so he needed one PM,We were so in SHOCK,my husband is just 37 years old and He's in a good shape.after 4 hours he got the device(PM).He 's having trouble @ work,however his DR said that he may return to work NO RESTRICTIONS.He's (helicopter)Flight mechanic,so! sometimes he should be flying as a part of the crew,He love...

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Swollen area above pacemaker

Hi, I am 34 years old and had my 1st pacemaker replacement operation in January. Since then everything has been going pretty much ok except for some swelling around the incision area around April that did not last for over a week. For the last 2,5 weeks the incision area of the pacemaker has been painful and swollen. As of today the area is in fact very swollen but it is not painful. My doctor did a blood test last week and noted that as my CRP levels were bellow 1, there was no sign of an infec...

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Abbreviations

Just a suggestion!

Could someone give us newbies a "cheat list" of abbreviations?
EG: PM = pacemaker
BP = blood pressure
ICD = ?
VT = ?
ICD = ?
ARVC = ?
PVC = ?
PVB = ?
etc etc etc

Would be soooooo appreciated to have a general list. Maybe even listed under FORUMS?

Thanks!

Pat

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Ding Dong of Doom

Hi, I had my pacemaker put in 2 years ago this month and was so scared I didn't know what to do. I posted a few messages and eventually started feeling better. I had passed out once in the back yard and just thought I was over doing. Then a week later passed out at work and then 5 times before the ambulance took me away and they put a pacemaker in right away. I'm 100% dependant and have had some anxiety attacks. One thing that does bother it is big powerful speakers. I went to a work party...

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Feeling AF Beats

Hi Everyone :)
Have had my pacemaker for ( AFib) almost 5 years and for the past year I have felt "rumbling"...."heavy beating"......"sludging" while at rest on my left side:( The feelings are at the rib cage area. Not ALL the time but very frequently. The arryth dr had me start taking baby aspirin daily....still does it? Am TOTALLY dependent on the pm.

Has anyone else had this feeling? It's kinda unsettling as I start wondering if the pm is acting up!?! PM is checked onc...

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BPM ?

hi everyone, well i went for my first check up since having my defrib inplanted my doctor said its set to 180 bpm but when i work out it may go that high and shock me for no reason , can you tell me what normal heart rate setting is .

thanks
chris

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john's bipass

hi everyone who was so kind to me. john is good now. he spent 4 days in icu but it was because his b.p. was very low and they had to give him drugs to raise it. then they had to slowly wean him off. he is discharged in the a.m. he is doing well. meanwhile i woke up sunday a.m. and every muscle ached and i could barely walk. i had a fever and so i went to e.r. they found out i had 2 infections so put me on antibiotics. our daughter is flying here to care for us.for a week, i think it will be bett...

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What are "P" waves?

I just had my second pacemaker check since getting it. During the testing, everyone came into the room to look at and check out my readings. They told me that my "P" waves were really long (like this was very unusual). I didn't know what to make of this information. Does anyone know just WHAT a "P" wave is, and is it something that I should be concerned about?

Barb (thanks)

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pacemaker syndrome

hi everyone,

can you please tell me what tests can be done to investigate possible pacemaker syndrome?

would an echo show anything?

my atrial pacing has gone up another 8%!!! the dr.'s don't act concerned. i have had this fullfeeling in facve and neck for alomost 2 years with an increase in pacing (mostly atrial but ventricular too) everytime i get an interrogation. i have a burning constant chest pain too. i swear it is my device! how do i get my doctor to...

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You know you're wired when...

You invested in the Energizer battery company.

Member Quotes

In fact after the final "tweaks" of my pacemaker programming at the one year check up it is working so well that I forget I have it.