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29 with pacer and ready to start a family

I'm 29 and have had a pacer since I was 17. Things have gone well over the years and I've only had 1 battery change since but my doctor tells me that in the next 2 years I will probably need the surgery again. He also said I could be considered high risk because of a slight arythmia. Of course, my husband and I talked about having a baby in almost exactly 2 years too. I don't take any meds and I'm very active but I'm concerned.

For those of you who have had children with a PM - did an...

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inappropriate or appropriate?

This is a very private matter for me because I am pretty new to the whole pacemaker thing so I don't exactly know if this was ok or not.
I went in for a check up on my pacemaker and everything with my device is fine. I just need to know for pacer check ups where they have felt around your pacers and how low down your chest they feel. It probably sounds silly, I didn't think much at all until some more awkward things happened in the appointment with just us two and the closed door.

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Tate's Getting PM on Aug. 6

Hello new friends,

WOW! This is all so new to me. Please offer any information that might be helpful to us. Our soon to be 5 year old son (Tate) will receive a pacemaker on Monday, Aug.6, 2007. Tate was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and has recently developed a slow heartbeat & irregular heart rhythms. Tate has had 3 open heart surgeries & several heart caths during the past 4 1/2 years. He has gone into total heart block on 4 different occassions. We knew he would...

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update time once again!

I got my day finally scheduled to go to Mayo Clinic it will be Oct. 1 and 2nd. The first cardiologist apt was suppose to be in Aug. and he referred me on right away is what the lady over the phone told me today. I take it that he knew he couldn't do anything for me.
I still have been pretty weak and continue to get tired really easy though have came to realize that i'm just going to have to work around this.
My chriopractor has been one of my great friends through out my child ho...

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To Smitty

Hi Smitty - I responded to an email from Vicki, a newbie, on this site. However, my answer is really inadequate. Would you please once again post your explanation of how a PM works, when it works, etc.,; you did this for me last year & it made everything so clear for me. She has an unusual set of circumstances and you are the best person I know of to help her understand. There are some other newbies, too, who I believe will benefit from your words of wisdom. Thank you, my friend. God bless...

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Ablation

Hi everyone. I have just returned from an appointment with consultant and he is advising me to consider having an ablation.
This is because my A.F is getting worse and worse despite them trying different medication and strengths. I have a pacemaker which he says will make it easier. I dont really remember mush of the info I was given can anyone fill me in on the pro's and cons..many thanks Jude.

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Breast Cancer & PM

I have a question fro the group:
Have anyone here developed breast cancer within a year of having their pacemaker implanted? Within a few months of recieving a PM I developed BC in the same side the PM is implanted. For the first few months following the implantation my PM was going off daily. As I recall from previous science clases, submitting a cell or other living thing, to constant shocks can cause it to grow out of control or at least much faster than normal.
Jean

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Hello..Newbie Here-Complete Heart Block

I am so glad I found this site. I am almost 58 with no serious heart problems in the past. I was diagnosed a few years ago with a leaky valve (not mitral valve prolapse but something like it) and an irregular heart beat and sometimes rapid. I have been taking 100 mgs. of Toprol XL for a few years now. Two Sundays ago I was at work when I started feeling weird. Heart racing, feeling hot, weakness in legs, hard time breathing. Went to ER and they told me I had complete heart block and very l...

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Finally got my PM

Well everyone,

Finally got my PM yesterday. I am in a little pain and have been taking paracetemol (tylenol). My shoulder and wound area are sore. Feels weird when I breath in. I got a chest X ray yesterday and thy said that it was ok, but still have concerns.

I hope that it is just brusing and will sort it self out over the next few days.

Finding it difficult not using my arm, but I know how important that is.Still to attempt washing and drying my hair. That...

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The New Guy

Hi everybody!

I had my PM installed July 6th. I had had months of weakness, heavy arms and legs, and occasional dizziness. One night when I got up to let the dogs out, I almost passed out, so, even though I like to blame everything on allergies, I knew something was up. I threw on my blood pressure cuff and my pulse was 50. I was diagnosed with AV heart block.

To make a long story short, you can imagine where I spent the week of July 4th...not exactly the fireworks I was lo...

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Follow up on muscle spasms

Hello, well I went to the cardio and after all day of testing and x rays, I found out that the spasms are from the ICD. The upper lead has worked it's self out and wound around the generator. So next week they are going to replace the lead......The lead had been firing into my muscles. I have never heard of this, but the Dr. says the it happens once in awhile. If any of you have wierd symptoms, make sure they figure it out. Good luck and God bless you all.....

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Found the tunnel we were looking for a did not realise how dark life could be

Many thanks for all the help and support everyone has given me the past month. I realise that everyone has really tried very hard and really do appreciated all the feedback that you all gave me.

Unfortunately was told something that I never expected.

Wishing everyone good health for themselves and their family.

Heart broken Debbie

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Pacemaker donations to animals

Hi,

Just found this great club & it is very interesting. I wanted to donate my pacemaker after I pass on & found a 800 # for American Vet Association on this web site so I could donate to an animal in need. But I am sorry to report that I was told that they no longer accept used pacers donations. Person I talked to didn't know why this policy was started.

Any body got any further news?

Keep up the good work folks in supporting each other.

Janet

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shocked

Im a 58yr old male who never had a heart problem. Several weeks ago I had an awfull night sleeping. Chest pains, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizzy and chills.Since I had just 2 months ago passed a yearly exam with flying colors I ignored these symptoms. I drove to work feeling very dizzy. My family made arangements to bring me to my Doctors office. An ekg discovered I was in statge 2 heart block with a suprisingly low pulse of 26.Still in denile I was brought to the ER where the Doc...

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Update and SVC article link

Hello everyone,

In my last post I wanted to provide the link for the article I mentioned about SVC syndrome becoming an increasing complication with pacer (and assuming ICD) implants. I am not quite sure yet how to incorporate links directly in my posts, so I hope these will work:

Try:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555441 OR

http://www.nature.com/ncpcardio/journal/v4/n4/full/ncpcardio0850.html

This article was just published in this journal...

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what just happened???

Hi there. Just sleeping away down here in Australia at about 1 am, when something happened!!!

I was lying on my tummy sound asleep when I was awakened by something electrical, a bit like a small electical shock and a noise like a zzzzzzzzzz. At first I thought "oh ___" what was that!!?%&#*

Well I am truly awake now and am about to look through the site to see if I can find as answer. If anyone else is out there and can help me I'd appreciate it.

I have a Medtroni...

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So Understand Jessie!

I so get where you are coming from. I thought when they were young and dropping raw eggs from the fridge and pouring cooking oil all over the kitchen was going to make me crazy.What I wouldn't give for those days. I had know idea that even though they were rasied in a baptist church and all 3 had been saved .I was teaching sunday school,my husband a deacon in the church, involved in bus ministry, sang in the choir,we both worked in the sound booth. In church 3 times a week and my husband went on...

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need to know

Hello there I am a new member would like to know if there are any men who dont like the location of there ICD> Mine is above my left chest and sticks out some. I am a tall 6'7'' guy and really like to work out,. The doctor said I could not work out or play golf or catch for two months. Already dont really care for the way it looks when I wear a T shirt. Question is when I work out will the ICD stick out more. I am not being vain. This is all new to me and would really like to have this question...

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Newbie

Hi, I am brand new to this site. I am a 46 year old woman and I just got my pacemaker 2 weeks ago. I was diagnosed with severe vasovagal syncope, my tilt table test was postive, I was without a heartbeat for 48 seconds. The doctors told me that medication alone would not be able to handle my condition, which has been getting worse in the last 6 months. My surgery went smoothly and I was checked today by my cardiologist-he said all looks great. Just wanted to say hi!

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New and confused

Hello there I am a tall 6'7'' 39 year old male. Just had a ICD put in me two months ago. My life has changed so much and now I have so many questions. Find it hard to sleep at different times of the day and evening. I am still young. But this ICD is getting me depressed and man do I worry alot now. If anyone can answer questions that I have which is many. Please do.

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You know you're wired when...

You can feel your fingers and toes again.

Member Quotes

I am no expert, but I believe that without the defibrillator that I have, I would be dead.