Pericarditis....

Hello All,
Hope you are well, and at the very least... on the road to good health :)

I am coming on to my 2 year anniversary, (post SCA and pacemaker implant), at the end of June. There have been a few blips and concerns but overall things are pretty good.

My daughter, (23), received her pacemaker on April 5th. Approximately two to three days later she began to feel pressure and pain in her chest, neck and jaw. Pacemaker setting was adjusted, with no effect on her symptoms. A couple of trips to ER, a visit with her cardiologist and a diagnosis of pericarditis. To rule out complicating factors, her ventricle lead has been temporarily turned off as it was pacing about 60 % of the time and making the pressure/pain worse. (she received the pacemaker due to life long neurocardiogenic syncope occurring 2 -3 times weekly...). She is now on Indomethasone for the inflammation.

I would welcome replies from anyone who has experienced pericarditis after their implant, how long did it last, what was your treatment etc., etc., etc.,

Thank you so much
Take Care and Keep in Touch...
Lisarose





3 Comments

Ouchhhh

by Yakkwak - 2013-04-29 08:04:26

Feel for your daughter! Almost two years ago, I got pericarditis from having the leads from my first PM lasered out. I was transfered to the cardiac ICU after I kept passing out. As I can recall, treatment included steroids, antibiotics, and pain meds. The latter did not help at all when the resident cardiologist kept trying (and failing) to get a catheter threaded from the leg groin and then neck areas - 3 times. Still think of not so lovely but creative words when I recall her.... She was better though than my EP who first poo-pood my complaints of SOB and aching... then inferred I was being a baby (until I passed out). He should have ordered an echo then so he could have seen the good deal of fluid/swelling. If you're blonde and female, you sometimes aren't taken seriously, no matter how educated or informed. Just saying... Heart remained painful for a while. Had to take it easy for sometime after discharge. My Rx for her: lots of TLC, reassurance, & time. Blessings!

I am just getting over it now

by Sabine - 2013-04-30 05:04:02

I received a new dual chamber pacemaker on April 11 along with an atrial lead (I already had the ventricular lead). There was a "complication" during surgery. The surgeon thought a nerve had been irritated. The following evening I ended up in the ER since the symptoms got worse and there received the diagnosis of pericarditis. I was given Toradol. It hurt every time I breathed in, in my chest and upper back. It was exhausting. The only way to breather easier was to sit up and lean forward but I was too tired to do that most of the time. It was very intense for about 3 days and bearable after that. It seemed to go away but I've had a few mild relapses, probably due to doing a bit too much. I was told to take it easy and it would take a week, a month or longer to heal. There's no way to know for sure.

I hope your daughter feels better soon!

Sabine

Pericarditis

by Pookie - 2013-04-30 12:04:04

I had it.

I was put on Prednisone. It took weeks before I felt better, but what bothered me the most after they diagnosed me was: I couldn't lay down; had to sleep on many pillows for many months.

Eventually I got better and have never given it much thought until now.

I got mine because one of the leads poked a hole in my heart causing the heart sac to fill with blood. I coded twice, but somehow am still here:)

Just remember to ask for a CT scan (or an echo) after the meds because this test can show them if any fluid is still there. It is much more common than you think...if you use our "search" feature - upper right hand corner, you will find oodles of posts concerning this issue.

Take care,
Pookie

You know you're wired when...

You have an excuse for being a couch potato.

Member Quotes

Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.