What is the normal recovery time of a pacemake wit

It has been 7 weeks going on 8 and I feel worse than I did before the surgery. I am very weak and I have very SOB. I am 73 years odl and overweight. Is this normal and when will I get my energy back. I am afraid to exercise ;would it help me to exercise?

5 Comments

Recovery Time

by TalkinCardio - 2012-07-08 01:07:04

Hi Bodie, everyone's recovery time is different and also probably depends on how sick you were before implant.

With that said, it does seem like you should be going for walks by now, but not unless your doctor has given the okay to exercise. Once you get moving and exercising, I think it will help with your recovery. I also think that cardiac rehab might be a great idea for you. Please talk to your doctor about your options.
Take care, Cathy

2 months post implant

by natandhop - 2012-07-08 01:07:25

Good morning,
I've been thinking about you since I read your post earlier and waited for more experienced folks to respond. Listen to HurtHeart, she is most helpful!

I'm now at 3 months post implant and can say I feel good most days. But at the 2 month mark it was hit or miss with dizziness and fatigue still in the works.

It took my full attention and get desire to reap the benefits of the pm. I didn't have to think about my heart - that was solved, but the rest of me was still a bit messy.

I've readdressed my diet, my walking/running plan, my Meniers Disease and every thought that pops into my brain. And it takes a lot of effort and as Hurtheart said about pushing to get the right rehab, that is to be applied with each doctor you will/may encounter. They know their stuff and you know you and the two don't always see eye to eye. It's tough when you don't feel well, but to get better, you must get deeply involved.

Here is something you may want to try: Get a blood pressure/heart rate monitor from your local drug store and keep a log of your pressure/rate along with exactly how you feel. This information can be helpful for you and possibly a doctor - more for you. When you see the numbers and they are normal, then you can begin to figure out what the rest of your body is doing and why. It's like a research project of yourself. Study yourself to see what you can change and begin to heal yourself alongside the medical profession.

This is the site to get all the information and support you need to work with the health professionals and for you to find the ways to feel good for the rest of your life.

I wish you well today,
Natalie

What symptoms are you having?

by Mary1998 - 2012-07-08 07:07:11

You say you don't have energy and don't feel well. I didn't feel well after my 3rd implant. Long story short, after a month they removed it; put it on the right side with new leads.

Do you feel your heart, have an upwelling feeling in your chest, feel pressure on you esophogas when you move, etc.? Are you light-headed? It sounds as though you need to get checked out. Please list your symptoms and talk with your doc and tech - keep talking and returning until they pay attention. I did; I'm a 14-year PM patient and it still took me a full month to get things straightened out.

Unless you have other conditions, you should be able to walk, etc. a week or two after the implant.

Best of luck.

Recovery

by Zia - 2012-07-08 10:07:08

time depends on many factors, but usually the folks here seem to have gotten better very soon. Seven weeks sounds like a long time. What does your doctor say? Were you told not to exercise or are you just being timid?

I got my PM at 75 and am pretty overweight too, but I felt pretty much as usual right after the surgery and much better by the second month. I wasn't given any instructions either, but never had any drop in energy level after the PM was in.

Let's wait & see what everybody else has to say, but I think you need to ask your medical person, if you have one you trust, just how much you should try to exercise or if there is something else going on here.

New Pacemaker & Feeling Bad

by SMITTY - 2012-07-09 08:07:14


Hi Bodie,

There is no recovery time per se for a pacemaker. When the dr finishes putting in the last suture the pace maker is already at work doing what it has been programmed to do. From there on recovery is the time it takes you to get over the surgery itself and that an take a few days to a few weeks. However, getting over that will not cause SOB or a lower energy level. Certainly you should not have weakness after 7 weeks. Sounds like you have been abandoned by your dr.

I was 71, yrs old and over wt and had other heart problems when I got my first PM in 2000. All the pacemaker did for me was speed up my heart rate from about 60 to 80, which is what it was supposed to do.

If I can GUESS and that is all it is, I would say the settings on your PM need adjusting. Now it is not uncommon for a new PM to need that. On my first one the settings had to be fine tuned at about 3 weeks.

My suggestion for you is contact that dr and tell him abut the problems you are having and insist on help, whatever that may be. And don't let up until you get the help you need. Just remember unless you tell that dr you are having problems he will think everything is fine. As you go along if you continue to have problems tell us about them, some of us may be able to offer suggestions for help.

One other thing, as for your question about exercise, we should all get exercise. But get the dr to tell you what kind and how much.

Good luck to you,

Smitty



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