Lack of information regarding pacemackers

Hi de hi , I have just had a pacemaker fitted on the 15th sep and as is the norm don't have anybody to tell me what feelings to expect when it is working, can anybody help need info.

7 Comments

Per my Doctor - Nope

by COBradyBunch - 2009-09-18 02:09:31

Now this is from my doc although people here will have more personal info. Per my doc I will likely never no when my pacemaker is firing and when it is not, although I would probably bet if I was at a low, constant rate I would be pacing. It is hard for me to tell because after my first pacer check I had not fired once and won't know if any of the strange sensations I felt were my pacer firing or not.

But again, per my doc probably I will never feel it working but I am also only paced when my HR drops below 50 bpm.

what to feel

by Tracey_E - 2009-09-18 02:09:49

You shouldn't be able to feel when it's working, tho some people say they do. The pm is simply doing what our hearts would do on their own if they worked properly. You didn't mention why you got the pm. Everyone feels different. Some people get significantly more energy and symptoms like dizziness and fainting go away. Some feel the same but they are safer. It all depends why you needed it.

Please don't hesitate if you have questions.

what not to feel

by berrybasket48 - 2009-09-18 03:09:28

You should not feel severe pain or thumping in your side. Other than those, per my doctor you should not notice your PM working. It's just doing your heart's job. Most people have more energy if bradycardia was their diagnosis. Mine paces 76% of time and can't feel it.

Is it working?

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-18 11:09:11

As long as you are feeling OK, go ahead and get on with life. Just avoid lifting your arm over your head etc. You should be having a checkup scheduled within 2-3 weeks. The pacer keeps an internal record of its activities and they will download the readings to a computer to verify operation.

In reading the posts on this forum remember it is folks who are having issues with their pacer that do the most posting so don't let all the problems get you jumpy.

frank

thanks

by tadeusz kostka - 2009-09-19 01:09:51

Hi de hi,
thanks for the info ,the reason I got the pacemaker is that I suffer from slow and very iregular heart beat I think it's called arail arithma, or near as I can recall. I had a an abilation last year and this worked great but after about 6monthes I started to get more breathless and tired felt realy bad ,today I went for a good and find a lot better stamina wise,hope this is a good sign. What things do I have to keep clear of so I don't get any iterferance from EMI soarces,didnt no that I shound,nt lift my arm above my head, any more suggestions?

Suggestions

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-19 04:09:09

The arm above the head thing is to keep from pulling a lead wire out of the heart wall. They usually tell you to avoid this for 3-8 weeks depending on the doctor. After that the lead has scarred into the wall of the vein and you can go back to using the arm.

Unless you are involved in activities that put you very close to high powered sources of interferences like electric welding, very large machinery, etc the interference isn't much of a problem. Check the web page for the manufacturer of your pacer. Most of them have information on interference.

And finally for what it is worth, I would quit thinking about it as "suffering" from slow heart rate etc. It tends to affect the way we feel.

frank

well frank ta for the info

by tadeusz kostka - 2009-09-19 04:09:20

thats great to get feed back from you all puts my vivid mind at rest,it's been full of organising my 6 months stay in spain, nice place to overwinter, this will be our second year on the warm costas.We travel down with motorhome and tow my yamaha 900cc divertion on a trailer.(life is for living) and we enjoy the time spent abroad,thank you all.

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