Most Recent Messages in General Posting

Post Message!

A variety of Pacemakers

I know a lady who's husband was a Cardio,he has passed,and in our conversations I mentioned to her that I have had my PM for a short time ( a year).
So yesterday,she brought in a Vince Lombardi metal lunchbox ( a old but mint condition one) full of Pacer units.
Talk about wild! There were so many different sizes and shapes that I had to touch them all,feel the differences in weight,and look at them all.
They were all new of course,and Im assuming they were for showing patients,it...

Read More...

Indianapolis area EPs

Hi I got a pacemaker 3 weeks ago and had it reprogrammed twice this week. This morning I had 2 near syncopal episode and uncomfortable thumping in my chest. Went to the local ER, they contacted the Ep on call who yelled at me over the phone and stated he could not send a St Jude's rep out to change settings as they were all tied up in hospitals taking care of critically ill patients and added a few rude comments. This was the EP on call for St. Vincent's care group in Indianapolis. I raised two...

Read More...

RAISING ARM

Two days ago i had a pacemaker fitted, and i was advised not to raise my leftt arm above my shoulder. Oops i forgot and the next day my wife found me with my left arm above my shoulder whilst sitting watching the tele. This is something i have done since i was VERY young. could this lapse of concentration have any detrimental effect on the wires ETC

Read More...

Hey donr

You are very quiet lately.....bear got your tongue??

I know the heat is getting to me UGHH !!

Read More...

About PM manuals

I know now that I am not alone in this area of being almost totally unaware of my PM functions and programming.

First of all, I would like to thank all the kind members who gave me precious advice.

Thanks donr. I appologize for not searching the site more carefully because the information was there. Well, now I have lots of things to read over the weekend (I live in the extreme south of Brazil and we are in Winter. Temperature is -4ºC in some cities here. So, why leave...

Read More...

31 weeks pregnant

Hi everyone!! This question is for any ladies who have had babies with a pacemaker and CHB. (Complete heart block) how was labor with the pacemaker? Any complications? We're you able to push the baby out no problem? What about C-section? If you had to get C-section, how was that in regard to the pacemaker? Thanks ladies for responses! Helps me so much :)))
Kelsie

Read More...

Is there any manual?

Hello my dear pacers. I'm now on my 28th day with a pacemaker. I've visited my doctor twice for settings. During the first 4 days, my electrophysician set the pm to 80BPM. I could not sleep as my heart poundered inside my chest. I asked him to slow a bit. He set to 75bpm and a fuction that I did not know of, which is a rest mode. He set such rest mode to 55bpm so that I could sleep well. Funny, I didn't know that such pm could be so "intelligent", but, of course, forgive me, friends, because I c...

Read More...

post op day 2

Im up early this morning. Slept pretty good. Amazingly im not as sore as i was yesterday. Only hurts and feels tight with certain movements. Hubby gies back to work today so it will be me and my 12 yr old home today. Will be taking iy easy. Dont have much energy to do much of anything. I would like to thank all of you for helping me get through the first part of this journey. Couldnt have done it without you! God Bless!

Read More...

BCBS Changes in coverage

Greetings, fellow chargers. I'm curious to know if any of you old timers have had their insurance change re:how much is charged for routine interrogations? I've had my pm for 15 years. BCBSNC paid for everything. No copays, no deductible. Now I have BCBS Anthem and get charged a deductible and a copay if I do a phone transmission; no copay if I go in to the office. Its probably a sign of the times and I'm grateful into have health ins at all. Just wondering if anyone else has similar incr...

Read More...

rate reponse - short of breath

Hi guys

I had a Medtronic Ensura DR (MRI EN1DR07) inserted in March 2011 as an emergency due to heart block and bradicardia.

For the first 2 years I had no real noticable problems, once I had adjusted and used day (60) and night rate (50). In February this year I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, with no real problems - well the same as the other 22 people in my group.

About 3 weeks after my return, I suffered a 18 hour period of AF. Since then I have had great problem...

Read More...

Got it!

Morning,

Got my device put in yesterday. I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 10:00a but doctor called and asked if i could come earlier. It took 45 min for the pricedure. Doc said everything went well. Last nite was not good. Had lots of pain and didnt sleep well at all. Taking Percocet for pain. Still in hospital. Cant wait to go home. Im very, very tired! Glad its over.

Read More...

pacemaker/medication concerns

I have had my pacemaker for a year due to brachycardia. It is set at 70-non dependent. When my blood pressure finally leveled out it would be around 117/70. A few weeks I went to a doc in the box with a UTI and mycoplasma. The prednisone made my bp really high but I rested and kept checking my blood pressure which did come down. During this visit the nurses pointed out that I had pitting edema in my legs. When I followed up with my pcp, I still had edema so he prescribed a bp/hctz which dropped...

Read More...

Motion Sensitivity

New member question:
Just got my PM last week for Bradycardia. I am 52 years old. Was interested if anybody has turned off their motion sensor and if so, how does that work for you?

Read More...

need advice please confussed :(

Hi everyone not been on for a while been ticking along nicely but im struggling to get my head round my little pacer friend im fine but on and off when im using the gym especially the cross trainer i get fluttering and bouncing in my chest that catches my breath my heart feels like it gets out of rythem i slow down and it passes so when i get going again some times it can return or disappears i did get this on and off but not as bad before my pm. ive got second degree block with slowing and paus...

Read More...

Scared!

I've been doing so good but the other day, my arrhythmia's started to poke their ugly head back at me. Yesterday my pulse rate had gone up to over 110 and hasn't ceased since. Called my dr. and i'm out of rhythm once again. He suspects flutter and I'm scheduled for cardioversion tomorrow,meanwhile he's got me on a blood thinner and propafenone now i'm scared.

Read More...

wonder if you notice?

Can anyone tell me if you notice when the pacemaker kicks on, I can't or I'm not aware of it.

Read More...

nursing mommies

Hi, I was just told yesterday that i need a PM... i am 32 years old. i have a 4 month old nursing baby. i am scared, but also worried about how the recovery will go with needing to nurse my baby? has anyone else had to do this? any tips? also, how do you talk to your 6 year old, 3 year old about why this is happening and why i cant hold them...

Read More...

the heat

Hi. I used to be the person who loved being out in the heat and humidity. It really didn't affect me at all. Now, with the heat wave going on (I got my PM one month ago) I am really struggling with the heat, have shortness of breath and it's causing anxiety. I want to get healthier and lose some weight, but all I feel like doing is lying down. Has this happened to anyone else?

Read More...

infared sauna

I have a question about infared saunas. I see that regular sauna are okay with a PM . What about infared sauna?

Read More...

Thank you !

Special thanks to donr for responding to my "Pauses" question and thank you golden snitch & momtotom for responding to my "Response Rate" question. I greatly appreciate it. I wish you all well.

Duke

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

Member Quotes

Your anxiety is normal. It takes some of us a little time to adjust to the new friend. As much as they love you, family and friends without a device just cannot understand the adjustment we go through. That is why this site is so valuable.