Most Recent Messages in Surgery & Recovery

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New PM

Hi everybody!,
I had my 1st PM implanted March 9,2011...A little less than a week ago. I had my surgery in the am, and later in the night, I started having chest pains, and noticed it hurt to take a deep breath. The only way I could get any comfort was to sit up, as it was worse if I was laying on my back. They did several tests to rule out perforations, of the lung, heart, or heart attack, and kept me in for an extra day. The Dr. came in the next day, and said I may need to have my leads r...

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recovery time

Hi all! I just had my second pacer put in and also a lead removed and replaced. Haven't seen the dr again. I see him on monday.When I received my first pacer I was told to be off for 6 weeks. I think that was mostly because of the leads.
I'm wondering if I will have to be off that long. I do hair so I use my arms a lot! I'm not in a lot of pain anymore just discomfort. If u could tell me from ur experience how long u were off work I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Joy

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home

Just got home from having my bettery replaced! I now have a Boston Scientific( formally Guidant) dual chamber pacemaker. I did need general anesthesia so stayed overnight. I am happy to be home.I do feel like a truck drove over my chest. My head is absolutely pounding. All I can hear is my new rate ....UGH.
I am hoping that in the next few days I start feeling better.
I don't think it was as bad as the original placement however it is not a little procedure and I can barely move today....

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can some1 give me some advice plz

my mums just been told at 64 she needs a pacemaker,for the last 7 weeks she was getting really breathless. This has come as a massive shock to me and am so scared for her,will she get back to her old self after the op and because she needs one will it shorten her life expectancy.

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New

Hello! My name is Kelly, I am 33 and I just had my PM put in on March 3, 2011. I went to the doc with severe dizzy spells and headaches. My pulse was topping out at 36. They sent me to the hospital where I received a temp PM than my permanent one. While in the hospital I also had 2 strokes from this. I am now home and trying to cope with everything. I still get dizzy spells when I lean my head back but hopefully that will go away soon. I was wondering how everyone deals with the aftermath...

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Forgot to tell you :P

Hello,
Well x-mas of 2009 (fainted) meant I had to get a new PM but I forgot to inform you that november of 2010 I also had to get a new one... can't remember why but all is good now =D they changed the site of the PM so now its on my right not left and well everything is going well now ^.^ just thought I'd keep you informed.
ballerine.nm (16)
XXX

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one week after av node ablation

Hey guys! It's been a week since my AV node ablation and so far I'm feeling great! I do feel a little strange sometimes with my "new heartbeats", but way better than I used to! After 7 ablations, and 2 different pacemakers, I'm finally starting to feel like a person. Hope it lasts...

I was wondering, now that I'm 100% PM dependent, is there any additional precaution I should take? I've had my pacemaker for about three years, but since I didn't depend on it, I never gave it much though...

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back/shoulder blade kink

I had my pacemaker implanted 8 days ago. I am trying to balance between moving my left arm enough to not get frozen shoulder, but not too much to allow healing. I'm developing a painful kink in my back on the PM side right below my shoulder blade close to my spine. Has anyone else experienced this during recovery? On a scale of 1-10, it's about an 8. Everything else seems to be healing well, but this pain is starting to worry me.

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Replacement pending..

Hey All!

Last year, about February, was the last time I had my PM checked. I was told I would probably need a replacement within the next year.... I moved to Jacksonville in October and have not acquired health insurance through my new job yet :(  so I’m waiting till May (when I will have health insurance).   I feel good, I haven’t felt my PM lately and maybe, just maybe, think the battery is dying.  I know I should go see a doctor and get it...

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New PM and still tired

Hi there,
I am tired all the time. This Wednesday will be 2 weeks for me. I have also forgotten about my arm here and there and am praying there is no damage done from doing that. It's so darn natural to lift both of your arms you know?! I rested over the weekend, drove very little and stayed in all day yesterday and am still tired. I go to bed and wake up tired. One day at a time. I too have kicked the coffee in the morning. Maybe that is playing a role as well. Thoughts? Suggest...

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being scheduled for surgery

I'm 66 and it was just determined today that I need a pacemaker to treat bradycardia - expect to have it done in 3-4 weeks - I work full time (I teach psychiatric nursing) and I'm a church oranist, pretty active overall - please share hints re: preparing for the surgery, recovery issues [time/course/suggestions], lifestyle changes. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you. Jaynee

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numbness

I had my medtronic dual chamber pacemaker put in 2 weeks ago and the soreness has gone away but the area directly over the pacemaker is now numb to the touch and I am wondering if I need to be concerned about that or if it is normal for the skin and tissue to numb?

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abalation

hi,i had a abalation,in aug 25,2010,since then ive been in the hospital,5 times ,for fluid build up in stomache.they had to drain my stomache 4 times,tried different water pills,they had me on eplerenone 50 mg twice a day,and torsemide 20 twice aday.did not work so went back to furosemide 40 twice ans aldotone 50 twice,belly button looks like its finaly going down,feel much better.had no swellon in nkles or feet,has this happen to any one eles,thanks

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help

i join this site for my mother.she dont speak that much english but i want to know more infrormation about why she gets electrical shocks in her pacemaker. she falls out and has a lot of headaches. the doctor saids its in her head and she is crazy....any idea what she has? or what she can do?

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Blood flow in left arm

I'm a 29 year old female, and I just had my first pacemaker placed yesterday. They placed it within the breast tissue. It's a little painful, but I am more worried about my left hand and arm. When I get up to walk my left hand turns purple. This morning when I woke up, the veins in my left hand were very full. This goes away once I am an sitting and my arm is level. My doctor told me to take an aspirin once a day. Has anyone else had this problem?

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post op

Hi I just got my defibrillator put in on feb 16th and I can't sleep. I am soooo use to sleeping on my stomach and because of where the placement is I can't sleep. My back is hurting and my left arm feels funny does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do? Maybe this is part of recovery but I don't know I really could use some help.

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Bravo ph

Has any one ever had a Bravo ph put in your esohogus ??? my gastro dr did it to me last week because of my bad heart burn and acid reflux It is suppose to sluff off in 5 to 7 days but still feels like it is stuck there . when I looked up the Brovo ph sight it said no one with a pacemaker should have one because it has a magnet in it my husband and I specifically asked the dr if it was ok and he said sure. does anyone have any feed back.

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PM replacement for 5 yr old

Hi,
Our son is 5 1/2 yrs old, had PM (Medtronic) implanted at 1 yr. old after surgery to repair VSD.  I am happy to say (knock on wood, and all of that) that he has had no problems with his PM and is doing great. He is scheduled to have surgery to replace PM as the battery is running low. We are told that he will go in on a Monday and come home the following day and can go back to school the next day. Just wondering if anyone has any experience w/ a PM replacement w/ a child of...

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Pacemaker Activation

Hi
I had a pacemaker fitted the 1st of December 2010. I had two checkup since. My pacemaker read activation of 250 times on the first reading within 6 weeks, it was reprogrammed and the second reading was then 165, but I was told that this was OK. Did anyone ever experience that. I still have major symptoms, in the last two days I had strange sensation in my chest, headaches, and my teeth. Your comments really appreciated

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I'm wired.

On Tuesday 25 January 2011, I had my PM installed and my AV node ablated. Post-op I was pretty sore for a few days, but feel a lot better and my dressing comes off tomorrow. No complications and my ticker is clocking about 80 bpm. Many thanks to the cardiac clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.

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You know you're wired when...

Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.

Member Quotes

It's much better to live with a pacemaker than to risk your life without one.