Most Recent Messages in General Posting

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Lucky Man

A man goes into the doctors feeling a little ill.

The doctor checks him over and says, 'Sorry, I have some bad news, you have Yellow 24, a really nasty virus. It's called Yellow 24 because it turns your blood yellow and you usually only have 24 hours to live.There's no known cure so just go home and enjoy your final precious moments on earth..'

So he trudges home to his wife and breaks the news.

Distraught, she asks him to go to the bingo with her that ev...

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new heart

Just wanted to let everyone know that on January 23. @ 3:45 am recieved my heart transplant. Starting to feel good and ready to get home. Love u all!!!!

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Chest Pain

Hi All! I haven't posted in awhile but pop in now and again to see how everyone is doing :)

I have another question to my fellow pacers our there. For the past week i've been having mid sternal chest pain. Pressure/Heaviness 2-4/10. Not enough to stop me but more of an nussiance... Also some shortness of breathe with any type of activity. I did have a little bit of a head cold earlier in the week and just contributed it to this but once I started feeling better and it continued, I'm...

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Heart Transplant

Well, I can no longer be in denial! This coming Wednesday, I start the testing process to get on the heart transplant list. I knew the time was coming but in the back of my mind kept thinking, well maybe it wont happen.

There are 19 steps in the process of testing to go through so I am not sure how long the whole process takes. I am thnking it will take a few months to get through it all.

They have to be very thorough from head to toe to make sure they aren't giving s...

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Life is Fun

I wrote the following for a reading at our local Writers Club. Thought you might like to know me better.

Life is Fun
My 82 years of life have been exciting.
Ø I know what it is like as a 7 yr old to stick a knife in an electric outlet just to feel the shock.

Ø To walk the rails across a bridge as teenager with a train coming.

Ø The thrill of exploring old mine shafts in the desert.

Ø Enjoy falling all over the sky in an airplane with me at...

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Now that was weird...

Last night while laying down and watching tv, the area around my PM started to twitch. It lasted for about an hour until I fell asleep. It was a pretty strong twitch too. The only other time this happened was several years ago after this PM was implanted. The muscles would twitch at the gym to the point where I could see my shirt move while looking in the mirror. They fixed it with some adjustments at my next "tune up."

This was weird because i wasn't doing anything out of the or...

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3 years post op

It has been abut 2 1/2 years since my pacemaker implant. I just recently got back into swimming after 4 chest surgeries. Dealing with a lot of scar tissue pain from my open heart surgery. My high school graduation was last week. It was amazing. I have come so far in the 3 years since my first surgery. I am living breathing proof miracles do happen

Elaina

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Sort of Girlie Questions

I am now up to Day 5 with my new and first PM. Boston Scientific. By the way, who else has a Boston? I just painted my fingernails and noticed that for the first time for I don't know how long my hands weren't shaking. Also out walking yesterday my balance seemed much improved. Now this really is a girlie question. Other than with help from another person, how do other women go putting a bra on when supposedly only doing gentle movements with the left arm? Not wearing one is not a good look...

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Past and Future in PM Technology

I had my first PM implanted in 2009 and I was wondering how far the PM technology has come since 2003 and what can we expect in 10 years from now. I have been following with interest the development of the small pacemaker that Medtronic is developing but I haven't read much about it since this 2011 article

http://singularityhub.com/2011/03/03/medtronics-tiny-pacemaker-no-surgery-no-leads-wireless-communications/

Also what do you think the possibilities are that a viable "...

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I am scheduled for a CRT-D

Pending insurance approval and good results from my Nuecular Stress Test I will have the new St Jude's CRT-D implanted January 30th. Less than a week away. My surgeon was agreeable to implanting it under muscle so it won't show through my skin. I was concerned about that. I checked out this device and it really is very high tech with a lot of features that will be good for me. Does anyone out there have a similar device?

I will have a local. I told the doc I want lots of drugs...

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Smitty and Electric Frank

Mea Culpa. My PM is evidently making me less alert. I had read the winter of 2012 newsletter, and did not pay as close as attention as I usually would. The article on Smitty was followed by an article by Electric Frank and I attributed all to Smitty, I guess I was so excited about the content I did not pay attention to the dividing titles. So now I get to thank you both. Electric Frank, please read my posting entitled Smitty.

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Assistive hearing device

I have had my two lead Boston for a year now. I wear a hearing aid and am thinking of purchasing an assistive hearing device called a "loop"....you wear the device in front and it loops around like a necklace. It contains batteries, etc. Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about, and would the device interfere with my pacemaker?

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confused,scared ect

I'm 33yrs old i just had a advisa DR pacemaker implanted back in Aug 2012. My Doctors nurse called twice this month the first call was a few days after i did my 1st home pacemaker check and ask how i was doing and felt i let her know i was having episodes daily still and still sore @ the implant site and that it stings and feels like a shock to the point my whole body will jerk she said its probably a nerve so she said she would relay what i said back to my doctor and that he would speak with th...

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pacemaker

I'm a 33 yr female that had a Advisa DR pacemaker implanted back in aug 2012. The Doctor has called saying i have alot of svt going on. So he's has talked to a partner and said there is two things they can do they can try to do another ablation or they will have to do a AVnode ablation. So my question is if they have to destroy my AVNode and they do put the permanant one in if it malfuntions will i die right then or do we have time to save me?

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Question for UK members....

I was advised today that my 10 month old son who has a PM may be eligible for disability living allowance. This possibility has never crossed my mind as he's not disabled.
After a bit of googling I've found that he might qualify if I put forward an application.
I'm not sure how I feel about applying, having a PM isn't a disability but if he qualifies what's the harm??
Does anyone in the UK have any experience on this or have any advice.
Thanks in advance.

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congestive cough

Hi all,

Just joined this group and great to be here.

I'm coming up to 6months post implant now and currently having my settings tweaked with. I have my RR switched on and im on a beta blocker to keep my HR down. Was having problems with flat rate response, would always stick around my base rate of 80 now sown to 70. They upped my sensitivity which i didn't respond well to so they tweaked more. I'm yet to see how my HR has responded. Walking has become diffucult since last t...

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Brand New Pacemaker Person

Hi there. I had my first pacemaker implanted only 3 days ago. I am endeavouring to rest and take it easy but I am a natural "doer" and have to be strict with myself. In the past we have travelled quite a lot and hope that we will still be able to do this. We live in Australia and travel here and internationally. I would appreciate any tips for my new situation. My usual exercise is an hour walk a day. Wonder when I can start this again. Logically start with shorter times I guess.

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Smitty

Just read the profile and Q and As about you from last years newspaper. Makes me wish I was an engineer if it would help me understand more about how our PMs work. Have you in all your research found a site or anything that would explain the different programs available and the pros and cons of each. I learned more from your treatise written with knowledge and clarity than I have from my nurse, tech or cardiologist. Cardio Dr. wants to learn more. Don't see EP who did surgery until March. I gues...

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Finally got it

For background, this started a year and a half ago or so when I blacked out while driving and crashed a gasoline tanker. Spent a week in the hospital while they did tests and left with an implanted loop recorder. A year later I finally have another blackout and they catch a 14 second "pause" in my heart. Doc says I should get a PM, I hem and haw for a while and get a nearly worthless second opinion before I finally decide to go ahead. And I haven't had a drivers license since the crash, medical...

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one hour and counting

WEll... I guess there's no turning back. One hour till I get my pm. Surprizingly how calm i am at the moment. 2 and a half years fighting with dr and Im finally letting them do it. Hope Im making the right decision.

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You know you're wired when...

You name your daughter “Synchronicity”.

Member Quotes

A pacemaker suddenly quitting is no more likely to happen than you are to be struck by lightening.