Most Recent Messages in General Posting

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Patient/Doctor Relationship

I have been fortunate to have met some really caring doctors since starting my pacemaker journey, but I know it hasn’t been the same for all of us.  Some have really struggled to be seen, to be heard and to get answers, so my question is what makes a good doctor and what makes a good patient and how can we get the most out of our appointments that often have severe time constraints placed on them that can significantly compromise our quality of care?   

What are you...

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Drinking enough water?

I read somewhere reminding that we need to drink more water after the pacemaker, after our baseline heart rate increases. Because since the blood flow is better simply because of the faster heartbeat, our bodies may not have the same thirst. Is there something to that? Help me out!

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PMs in the cold.

So, I'm 9 weeks out - and now I'm a lot more comfortable with being out and about - I took the kids and I to a beach for some fossil hunting. 
I'm in ON, Canada - so it wasn't a warm daytrip by any stretch, and I got cold and damp, and then that really cold damp that seems to seep into your bones (we had a lot of fun though and spotted lots of fossils :D ), and although my head and appendages were warm - I didn't have a scarf or such over my chest area - and...

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Drummer with no excuse...

Good evening from the 'land down under'!

I'm a recent recipient of a Medtronic ICD (nicknamed 'The Flux Capacitor'), installed Feb this year. The circumstances around it's installation were sudden and immediate having had no cardiac issues in my previous 49 years but to suddenly suffer blackouts and two cardiac arrests a week apart from each other, there was no over choice but to walk out of CCU with a device. The best part about it was the fact that I could...

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Don't try this at home

In the interest of science, I dug out an old metal and voltage detector (Bosch DMO 10E) used to find buried cables etc.

Having recently advised not to put anything involving EMR close to the PM, I couldn't resist seeing what the detector made of of my metalwork.

The DMO 10E sat on top of the PM and lit up like a Christmas tree. 8 out of 8 bars for metal plus a message "do not drill here".

It also quite nicely picked up the leads for maybe 20 centimetres. And no...

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Medtronic A2DR01 3 lead

Good afternoon to all, I just jointed the club. This is my first post.

I have a 3 lead pacemaker, only 2 leads are connected as per the doctor who installed my pacemaker. The doctor stated at the time of install 2018 the 3rd lead is there in case in the future you need it.

I am trying to get a MRI, my local hospital head MRI technician stated they can not do an MRI due to the open 3 rd wire, it could possibly cause burning from the MRI. 
Has anyone had this issue?

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Broadening of QRS complexes

It has been mentioned to me by a cardiac physiologist that people with pacemakers will have broader QRS complexes on ECG. Does anyone know why? 

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Pacemaker & Meds after TAVR

When I had my pacemaker put in and prior to, I was put on Eliquis, and they said it was to thin my blood to help with the flow of blood due to the size of my aorta. Three days prior to TAVR I was asked to stop Eliquis. Upon discharge the TAVR Dr. changed me from Eliquis to generic Plavix (clopidogret). Has anyone else had a change after TAVR? My TAVR Dr. said the Eliquis was for A-Fib. I have A-Fib so I am trying to find out between the Pacemaker Dr. and the TAVR Doctor just what should I be...

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Pacemaker implantation under muscle

Hello.
I'm looking at having my pacekmaker(which is my second and was put in last August)reimplanted under the muscle. The one I have now has been poorly fitted, very bulky, very wirey and it appears as though scar tissue has adhesions and rubs on the wires. I'd like to hear from people who have theirs under muscle......recovery time,complications etc.Thank you.

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Golden Oldie! Viagra plus CRT-P ??

My implant is a triple lead pacemaker with the 3rd wire being transeptal,as the surgeons decided to make a hole in my heart and pass the 3rd wire through, so that it sits in the left atrium.Reasons?It would give me a better quality of life??? My meds are Apixiban,nebrivolol,candersarten and solfenacin..

Other problem,,Arthritis.

Put plainly my biggest problem since treated heart failure, is getting a worthwhile erection!! So can I take Viagra safely/

Should add my wife is 20...

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Lots 2

Greetings!

Update: Visited EP this week and remain pacing less than 1%.  He also provided extraction contacts. Yay, though he was cautionary that they most likely wouldn't remove it. I have an appointment in Aug with one and am pending follow up with the others. Unlike he prior clinic, he'll cooperate with the extraction clinic.  So good news.  Ugh: the pacer app now displays the average years of battery life.  It's a bit disconcerting

A f...

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8 Weeks Today!

Hi Everyone FG here. Well, it's been 8 weeks! Today! Went fast. The time, not the heart he he...

I'm at a rock solid 50 bpm at rest, with my natural rate response from AV node still good to about 140 during exercise. Dual chamber Medtronic MRI conditional PM. DDI is my setting. I am still in 100% persistant AF but complete heart block keeps all those extra little signals away from my ventricles. Taking Eliquis twice daily. Feeling fine but went back to e...

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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Starting to gather info on Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). I recently bought 4 bottles of GOLI gummies at our local Dollar Store and thought about doing more research on this ACV.

I Googled some info and wanted some first hand info from someone who has used it,  I know generations ago it was used to make a drink called "switchel" (not sure of spelling). Made with mostly water with a little ACV in it.  Suposedly used by farmers to replenish fluids lost thru sweating.

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New Generator!

Good morning! 

Upgraded the Iron man gear yesterday! First generator lasted for bout 12 years! Doc said this new one should last me maybe 20yrs if my condition stays the same! I remember during my first two surgeries I felt like I was half sedated...in this one they knocked me the hell out haha! 

Anyways, just wanted to share the good news! I did have a St. Jude but apparently they are Abbott now. Leads looked good so they didn't need revision. Just gotta revocer for...

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Medtronic bedside monitor just beeped at me!

Since August 2020 ave had a Medtronic Azure pm to fix Right Bundle Branch Block.  Earlier today the bedside monitor beeped at me.  Have no new symptoms - in fact have had no symptoms since pm installed.  Am wondering if a passing storm interrupted the signal and that caused the beep?  Am waiting for a call back from the EP.  Anyone have any ideas about what might have caused this?  Checkup in February indicated 10 yrs battery life left.  

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pacemaker settings

I had a Medtroniic Azure PM implanted 4 weeks ago after a 7 day Holter Monitor which showed an average heart rate of 53 bpm.  I have bradycardia due to sick sinus node with periodic very low heart rate.   The cardiologist set the base rate of the PM at 40bpm and his tests showed it was pacing 80% of the time while i was in hospital overnight.  Since then I have been checking my heart rate and it is frequently at 40bpm.   It seems that my bpm is now consistently much lower...

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Abnormally high heart rate after a big meal

Ever since I've got my pacermaker in January 2021, because I had a complete heart block (my HR was usually 36-42bpm, asymptomatic). I've noticed this phenomena that every now and then after I've had a big meal, I'd notice my chest/heart pounding fast. I have a Garmin watch that can track heart rate and it shows over 100bpm. Even without Garmin, I could tell that my heart was pounding. I thought nothing of it, maybe my body was working harder to digest the food...?

J...

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Update

A little update from my appointment yesterday. It was like information overload! He thinks it's moreso my heart than the CLS. He has thought I had IST since I started seeing him. He upped my ivabradine to 7.5 twice a day. He thinks I will end up having a sinus node ablation but is worried because I have had so many complications. He said my risk of infection is very high having a 4th surgery in 2 years and am lucky not to have had one yet. The helix on my RV lead is into my heart too much...

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A 4 week Journey through Anxiety and Insomnia

This is my second post on here, but I do love reading  all your posts, they are so helpful.
My last post was following my first op for a PM on 5th April. I had a very uncomfortable 2 weeks, I was on Propranolol and experienced jumpy heartbeats, which prevented me from sleeping. Unfortunately, insomnia is now a continued problem for me.


I also experienced severe high Blood Pressure,  182 over74 at one point and worse, due I am sure to anxiety and lack of sleep.s...

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Genetics

My sister is having surgery to remove a blood clot from her heart today. She has had multiple clots, both venous and arterial. She has a few in her lungs, the main one has completely blocked off the lower portion of her lung, and it has basically died. She also had an 8cm one in her brachial artery that had to be removed in January. She's had every clotting test done, and still no answers. I've also had two blood clots that had to be removed after injuries.

Maybe I'm graspin...

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You know you're wired when...

You have rhythm.

Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.