Most Recent Messages in Coping

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pace maker Dependent

I hope someone can answer a question for me. My son was pace maker dependent and had to AV node ablation. He passed away suddenly two weeks ago. How could his heart just stop beating if the pace maker was doing the beating for it. he was fine and suddenly couldn't breath and was gone within an hour.
If anyone could help me understand this I would appreciate it so much. I was in to much shock at the time to ask the ER dr and now I can't seem to find him.
Thank You for any help you may h...

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Disappointed - but encouraged

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read my message and share your thoughts and experiences. I feel a lot more optimistic about the future now and am so glad I found this club.

I am going back to the hospital next Monday for another check and to see if any more adjustments can be made. I will try to get a copy of the programming reports.


Pete

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Troubled Heart, Cluttered Mind

Hello to all, My name is Lmo and Im 30 yrs of age.
All my life Ive known that I would eventually need a Pacemaker, I have a Complete Conginital heart block and Murmur. Recently my Doc told me 'its time'! Im not really scared of the Pacer- but the after math of it all.
I have several questions and am hoping someone can offer some advise. So, Whats changes? Will it be the clothes I wear? I like tube tops and halters, you know the girlier side of things. How will my sleep be affected? mo...

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Disappointed

Hi - I am a new member and had a dual chamber Boston Scientific pacemaker implant last Friday (17 April). I am 53 years old and was reasonably fit for my age - played squash, football, running, hill walking etc.

My pulse has always been lowish at around 55 resting sometimes dropping to low 40's. Started with palpatations 9 years ago and told I had 1st degree AV block. Had a period of dizziness in May 2008 and rate wouldnt budge from low 40's for a week. Ended up wearing a 6 day event...

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looking for lost pacemaker friend

Hi Friends,

This question is for Blake or anyone else who knows.

I met a wonderful pacemaker friend when I joined. She posted under the name of Gellia. Gellia was a Godsend to me with many words of wisdom.

I have been searching for her for months. Does anyone know what happened to Gellia? She was a regular, who answered almost daily to anyone who posted. Gellia was from New Jersey.

I'm hoping that she is well and someone in this club has heard fro...

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marks from cardiac arrest

Hi, they had to shock me 8 times after I went into cardiac arrest. I now have these lovely marks on my chest. It has been about 2 months. Anybody know of any way to get rid of them? thanks for the help

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I'm surprisingly better

Someone left me a message a couple of weeks ago responding to my question about fatigue. I lost the website and could not log back in (I'm a little clueless when it comes to technology) I wanted to say thank you. Your insightful suggestion that depression could be contributing to the constant and numbing fatigue made me think about it. I stopped feeling sorry for myself as being hard done in by life, fate, my family etc. Almost immediately I felt better, got out of my bed of self suffering a...

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I was wondering if anyone had been shocked by defib

I was wondering if anyone had been shocked more than 38 times by their defibulator, and if so how are they coping with the fear (if any) of being shocked again.

Kind Regards,

Simon

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panicing over sumat silly

hi everyone well yep its me again well as you all no already huby has a merchanical mitral valve and a pm ,had pm about 6 months and valve 9 months i seem to panic over every little detial when he is not feeling well as we all probly do ,just me being silly i guess ,well just wanted to ask he not feeling to good he put it down to the flu coming ,acheing upper back ,neck,shoulder ,slight sore throat ,and sakes ,his one side of his face last night went like ice cold ,i was just woundering if this...

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Thank you my dear friends

Hi to all my pacer friends who replied to my travel anxiety last week. You guys are absolutely wonderful!

My trip to Florida over Easter was very relaxing. I am a worrier so I do imagine things happening with my pacermaker while traveling. However, all of your kinds thougths helped me with my anxiety.

This is such a great site. I'm thankful for all of my pacer friends!

Hugs,
Donna

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New to all this...

Hello all! I am new to the club...just got my pacemaker installed yesterday, so needless to say, in a bit of pain and quite uncomfortable at the moment, but looking forward to feeling better. I only just started this journey in January - blacked out while driving and then started all kinds of neuro testing. Thank God for my Neurologist who looked at my EKG from the ER and thought something looked wanky. She set me up to see a Cardiologist and on the way, I had about 20 more episodes includin...

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Going through the stages

Well, I'm about 12 hours away from 2 weeks post PM implant. Due to being a bit of a genetic freak, my incision site finished healing nearly a week ago and with the tweak to my PM last Tuesday, I no longer feel any pain or discomfort from my PM. Physically, I feel nearly normal aside from the bump in my chest now from the PM. I am still working on accepting the PM as a part of me now, not really much closer there. I am bi-polar also, so am really watching the depression trying to keep it from...

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travel info

Hi Everyone, I have two questions one is I will be getting on a plane latter today and have not gone through security or flown since I got my pacemaker. All I need is my card (that says I have a PM) that I carry in my wallet, correct?
The second question I have, is does anyone know why we shouldn’t run a chain saw. Is it due to the vibration or is it something else?

Ron

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newbie here

Hello All,
I am two weeks into being a PM recipient, and have been reading the posts here since shortly after getting out of the hospital. Figured it was time I introduced myself.

I'm 45, female, married, and an over-the-road truckdriver from Las Vegas, NV.

I started reading this board hoping to learn more about what has and is happening to me. My doctors don't seem to be volunteering information, and I don't have a clue what to ask them. All I know is that back in...

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Trying to Cope

Hi Everyone - I just joined because reading all these messages has made me feel a little better. My pm was installed 3 weeks ago today, and I'm doing okay physically, but really fighting depression, which is so unlike me. I basically felt fine, had no symptoms, until I passed out twice and then, in the hospital, my heart stopped for 8 seconds. So now I have a back up battery.

It's all a little too science-fictiony for me. I had no prior warning that anything was wrong. I am 60, walk,...

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SRANGE VERY LTTLE DROPPING SENSATION AFTER TOUGH EXERCISE

Hi
Allan(42 edinburgh dual lead pacemaker) here wonder if anyone can help I have has pacemaker for nearly 2 years now and been feeling ok .But I have been training really hard with a personal trainer and after we do our gymn stuff he
likes me to do approx twenty minutes vigourus boxing which is basically me hitting his pads as hard as I can .But he really makles me loose my breath doing this and now after i have finished exercises and when i relax I am getting anoying little dr...

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Still trying

How long does it take to get past the idea of having a PM installed? I had my PM installed on 3/30/09 so it is still pretty new, but I am no closer to accepting it. They are saying now that my pacer was set too sensitive because even if I laugh to hard, my pacer doesn't detect the heartbeat and creates another one causing me to be in arrhythmia almost all the time. Does it get easier to accept when it is set right?

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Back to real life

Okay - it has been four months since I received my PM which I am told is working at 100%. I had complete blockage when I had it implanted. I had not realized how bad I felt until after I received it and than felt so good that it didn't bother me at all. Now ever little ache or pain or strange sensation in my body makes me worry that something isn't right and I start expecting to drop over dead. I am sitting here crying because I stood up and felt light headed. Is this normal?

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Social Event

My wife & I are planning to attend a Heartbeat International fundraiser on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in Tampa, Flordia. I was thinking other members and possibilly their spouses may want to join us.

There has been much talk about a social event for members and I thought Flordia would be a good location. I was thinking we could have a wine/cheese reception on Friday evening, visit Bush Gardens on Saturday and then attend the Heartbeat "Dancing with the Stars" dinne...

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In honor of Peter Nash, dinner

Good day everyone,
I wanted to remind those of you who are going to enjoy dinner to honor Peter Nash that tomorrow is his day. The day will begin with our Aussie friends and work it's way around the world... as the day goes on the dinners will be continue around the world!.... becoming connected with memories, tears and laughter in honor of the friend we so recently lost.

I for one will take a minute to honor Debbie as well, a sweet and funny lady who I am sure Peter is enjoyin...

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You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

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.