my sister
Hi i hope you dont mind me posting in this forum as i do not have a pm, but my sister who is 52 has just had her 1st pm fitted a week ago. Elaine has always been very fit and active, watches what she eats and drinks etc (im the greedy pig lol) and having this procedure done has come as a huge shock to her as i imagine it has to anyone who has it done..The pm took over 2 hours to fit the first time because her muscles were/are so solid and after three days when she thought she would be home the hospital said she had to have the 'op' done again. She is now home but very weepy and scared of being alone..She still feels her heart jumping but admits that this is most likely due to anxiety..She seems to be in shock too, as she only went for an appointment to see a consultant who sent her straight home for some night clothes and admitted her to a ward that day...I know this has made her face her own mortality and as much as i can write here that these may all be symptoms she must go through on the road to recover, that is easy for me to say...So i have come on here to ask 'are all these symptoms and emotions the same for everyone and how long did it take you all to start excepting what has happened?'.I will tell Elaine about this site and hopefully when she is feeling up to it she will join your club....Thank you for giving me your time and reading the ramblings of a 'very worried sister'. x
9 Comments
welcome
by Tracey_E - 2009-10-30 03:10:58
Welcome! I hope your sister will join you here and see that we're all perfectly normal people. It's a real smack in the face to be healthy and active and suddenly find your heart needs some help. Everything you've mentioned is perfectly normal! The emotional healing is often harder than the physical. Talking to those of us who've been through it and come out healthy and active may help her accept it faster. Also, learning about her condition and pacemakers will speed up acceptance. The unknown is always frightening.
The first thing to know is pm's fix electrical problems. Working out and eating healthy prevent plumbing problems. No amount of taking care of yourself will prevent most electrical problems. You didn't mention why she needed the pm but I would imagine her excellent condition will help her heal faster.
hi roxee and sister
by Hot Heart - 2009-10-30 04:10:29
welcome to the club its a great place for a laugh and for some great info from well informed people and for support.
If you read my orignal posts you will see that I was also an emergency, my heart defect being picked up when i was having liposuction on my legs.
Tomorrow is my first anniversary of pacing; during this first year I've had lots of different emotions, scared,worried, mad, why me,etc etc. I think i went into a depression for a while, and suddenly thought i was an old lady.
Read lots of the posts in here, get well informed, ask questions at the hospital and get to know how everything works.
I've just comeback from the gym, feel great, tell sis she will get back to her normal self and to remember that we are much healthier with the pm inside us than we were without it!
HH
HH x
A good move , Roxee
by johng - 2009-10-30 04:10:34
Roxee,
I think you have come to the right place to get the best information for your sister.
The advice from Tracey and Tom say it all.
It IS a shock ,and if your sister needs to take a sedative or pain killers, in the first few days to cope with the anxiety or stress, tell her to do so.
I hope she gets the help and support that we have received on this web-site.
Give her my best wishes for the future,
Johng
Perfectly normal...
by jimmy412 - 2009-10-30 06:10:42
It is hard to cope with at first. Then you learn, you are still normal like everyone else, but just special in some respects. Pacemakers have an "old person" and negative connatation to them. I am only 43 and I have one. Give her time to adjust, and just thank technology that she is still with us, as years ago they did not have this technology, and people would eventually die.
She will probably have a few complications at first as most people do, but eventually will live normally like everyone else. Each person is different and you have to work out the kinks. She just needs her time and space to heal after such an ordeal. She will eventually get back to doing everything she always did. I never thought I would ever need a pacemaker, let alone at 43, but if it improves my life I am all for it. :) Just let her know she is not alone.
my sister
by roxee - 2009-10-30 06:10:55
Thank you, thank you to all your replies i am more determined then ever to get my sis on this site..lovely people ty x
Carolyn65
by Carolyn65 - 2009-10-30 08:10:27
My PM was not an emergency, but being told I should have one was a real shock, physically & emotionally. I went thru the same emotions of, "why me, I am in good health, scared, worried, mad @ myself for allowing myself to need "help" & to feel "handicapped" to wear a PM. After a month with my dual PM, I am back to my ol' self, just not raising my arms over my heart, lifting too much, etc. for another month as told to me by my cardiologist's office. My age may sound like a lil' ol' Lady who needed a PM, but I have always forgotten my true birth age & felt in my early 40's! One of my thoughts is, IF I had to have a PM, I would rather have one now, in this day & age and NOT back when PM first made "news" ~ those PM's were big, clunky & heavy, plus most of the time they did not work at all! There is life after PM implants ~ Have Fun, Carolyn G. of TEXAS ~ ~ GO UT LONGHORNS ~ ( :
Check out my post.
by bowlrbob - 2009-10-30 08:10:50
Check out my post just 3 down from yours here. The headline is Happy birthday to me, Pacer birthday.
Print this out and show it to her. It tells my story 4 years later.
My original surgery was also done on an emergency basis while on Vacation in Reno, Nv. Hell of a way to spend a few days in Reno. Anyway all has turned out well. Let her know she can private message on this site and we will all help as much as we can. Anytime she wants a friend who has been there have her write Bowlrbob. I will be glad to answer her questions up to my degree of knowledge. BOWLRBOB
Doing all the right things
by ElectricFrank - 2009-10-30 11:10:37
Eating right and working out doesn't make us live longer..it only seems longer! G(:
Seriously, being in good shape will help your sister recover from the surgery faster and the pacer will likely put her back to being able to continue with the workouts, etc that she was used to.
Some of the jumping and thumping she is feeling will likely become less of a problem after her first checkup where they adjust the programming of the pacemaker.
Don't hesitate to check in here anytime. We don't care whether you have a pacer or not. The only risk is that we may talk you into one.
frank
You know you're wired when...
You can proudly say youre energy efficient.
Member Quotes
Without this little machine, we would not be here.
Welcome
by tomh140 - 2009-10-30 03:10:01
Yes it is scary when you first find out you need a pacemaker. I have had my for 6-1/2 years now and like your sister i got mine quickly. Had a complete physical in January and was doing great. In March of that year I was not feeling very good, went to the doctor, he sent me to get a stress test but i never got on the tread mill. They were hooking me up and asked me how i felt. Told the ok but I was tired. They sent me directly to the hospital in an ambulance (wouldn't even let me drive my car the 3 blocks to the hospital) and I had a pacemaker the next day.
It can be very scary and takes a while to get use to the fact that you need something to help keep you alive. In my case it was mostly mental (and still is sometimes)and this site sure helped me then and even now when I get to feeling low.
I hope your sister will visit this site and get the same help and solitude I have gotten here.
Good Luck
Tom