Great article for new pacer recipients

• by Angelie
• 2009-10-21 11:10:26
• Coping
• 1648 views
• 8 comments

Great article:.............

If you've recently had a pacemaker implant, it's probably likely that you're feeling somewhat less complete as a person than you were before. I would also bet that you're wondering just how much that little machine is going to change your life.

• Will it cut into the activities you used to enjoy so effortlessly?

• Will it always be a part of your conscious thoughts?

• Will you always be wondering if, at some point, unannounced, it will stop working?

• Will you ever again have the confidence to forget it and just go about your life normally?

Having just had a pacemaker implant, I asked myself the very same questions, and experienced the very same doubts. But let me assure you, it's not as bleak as it might at first appears. Naturally, I can't tell you the total impact that it will have on your life, simply because everyone is different. But I can tell you how it affected me, and how I have gotten along since the implant. And I think you'll find it encouraging.

Without a warning in the world, my heart decided that it no longer wanted to conduct the impulses that keep it beating. I had never had any heart problems in the past and at the time of my last physical (less than a year) I was in perfect health. But, abruptly, my heart rate slowed to 40 beats per minute, the normal being 60 - 80 beats per minute. I began to feel faint and tired. When I went to my doctor, it was discovered that I had what, in medical terms, they call second degree AV block. My doctor immediately shipped me off to the hospital by ambulance.

During my stay in the hospital, I was observed for several days and given antibiotics in hopes that my condition resulted from a possible infection with Lyme disease. After three days, my heart rate was down to a consistent 21 beats per minute, I was now in complete heart block, and it was decided that a pacemaker implant was necessary. At the age of 53, I was about to begin a new life...one that ran on batteries.

The day of the surgery, everything went well, and I was discharged to home the next day. At first, I was just plain glad to be home. But then, something happened. I began to think about how my life had changed, and what it could possibly mean for the future. I was always an active person...working full time as a scientist, running a rock-n-roll cover band that performed on the weekends, exercising 4 times per week, being an avid writer, romping with the dog, etc. I wondered if this was all going to slip away now because my heart beat on an artificial machine that was buried under my skin.

As the weeks progressed, I got stronger and less sore. And I found myself able to accomplish more and more of my daily routines, with the exception of exercising with my home gym equipment. But I was still worried about how much stamina I would have when I had to push myself. I worried that, for the rest of my life, my activity level would never really be the same again. I just didn't feel exactly like the same person I was before the pacemaker was put in. Even though I was assured by the surgeon that everything would eventually be fine. I still had nagging doubts about just how much I could and would be able to do.

About 4 weeks into my recovery, I decided that I needed to see just how much I really could do. Without going overboard, I NEEDED to see just where I was as compared to my "old" self. During this time, my band had been sitting idly by. For me, it was time to start to pull things back together. I scheduled a band practice with the thought that I would take it easy, and see just how much I could do without wearing myself down, or, worse yet, experiencing any heart symptoms.

To my own surprise, I felt great. The practice lasted more than two hours, and I really pushed myself. In fact, I actually felt that I was singing and playing better than I had before my heart decided to go on strike. I wasn't short of breath, my chest didn't hurt at all, I didn't feel lightheaded or dizzy...all the things I was worried might happen. For me, this was the beginning of a new life, or should I say an old life. I found that I was no longer overly aware of my pacemaker. I KNEW that, although it would sustain my life, it wouldn't run it. My confidence in myself was back.

So, what I can tell you, if you're a new recipient of an artificial heartbeat is that everything will come together. You won't have to spend the rest of your life focusing on the little machine inside your chest. You will be able to be the person you were before.

I must say here, though, I suffered ONLY from a conduction defect. That is, I had no other heart symptoms. If you've had a heart attack, or other heart related problems things may be a bit different for you, and you should, without a doubt, follow every bit of your cardiologist's advice. But even so, I'm sure that, within the bounds of healthy precautions, your life can return to a normal beat.

© 2008 Thomas A. Bradley