New Pacemaker

I just had my pacemaker installed on July 16 because of low heart rate and some pauses (sick sinus syndrome they said). I have been so looking forward to having more energy because I have been tired for so long and I was told the pacemaker would fix that. I know it's soon after getting it but is it normal not to feel better yet? I do seem to have more energy in the mornings but am almost falling asleep at my desk in the afternoons. So besides being tired still I'm also coping with the sore spot where it was placed under the skin and the fact that it sticks out quite a bit, still swollen and bruised. I know I am 61 but I feel SO old and certainly never thought I would be joining a "Pacemaker Club!" This is a very difficult adjustment, physically and emotionally. I am grateful to be able to vent my concerns and fears on this website. Thanks!

12 Comments

Recovery

by ldebaugh - 2012-07-26 10:07:16

Yes, I agree that adjusting to this new life is rough. I never expected this. I've also found that doctors' in general ignore the psychological and emotional hit of getting a pacemaker.

My GP did say to me that we are all dancing on the roof like Tevia in Fiddler on the Roof. But some of us are dancing a little closer to the edge. He said it helps to talk with someone, and do it as much as you need. That's why the Pacemaker club is so helpful.

My PM also sticks out a lot and hits my arm when I move it because I'm so small. After 6 months, some days I have sensations (arm, fingers, and PM site) all day, others it's quiet. iI's just something to get used to.

It sounds to me like your tiredness is just normal in terms of recovering from the procedure. Also your heart is undergoing remodeling to get use to the new situation.

Good luck, I can completely identify with your feelings.
M'Liz

Excellent Advice:)

by Pookie - 2012-07-27 01:07:04

Welcome to the club. I'm so glad you found us.

Excellent advice from the above 2 comments!!!

There are so many supportive members here that are willing to help you during your recovery...you are still healing under that scar and yes, many of us complain that we don't have the energy that we thought we should but give it some time. Your pacemaker came with default settings so until you have your first interrogation you are stuck with those settings...however, if you are having a hard time, call and see if they will see you sooner rather than later. Being tired is very common:( Make sure you tell them (the doctors) exactly what you are going thru.

Also, many of us go thru some emotional times ~ why the doctors don't tell us about this is beyond me, I find it so unfair. But with time, you will be back to normal.

Don't give up hope.

Pookie

Hi

by Jax - 2012-07-27 01:07:41

It took a good month to really feel better.
I was also ok in the am and by late in the afternoon I wAs pooped. Give it a little bit of time and you should be back to yourself.

Thank you everyone

by Good Hearted Mary - 2012-07-27 03:07:41

This is such a wonderful site and such great support. I feel like I am getting free therapy and from first-hand knowledge and experience! I am feeling better and better every day and trying to stay positive. I am surprised the doctors don't ask us to keep a log during the time between when we first get the pacemaker before we go in for the first interrogation. I do have a blood pressure cuff at home and have been doing that and will start keeping some notes to take in when I do go. I am interested in finding out more about the settings and what they mean. I have no idea what mine is set at! Is there somewhere on this site to look at settings and what they mean? Thanks again to everyone for responding and being such a great support system. I appreciate all of you so very much! From Good Hearted Mary in Wasilla, Alaska

new pacer

by manaman - 2012-07-27 06:07:23

At 61 you have just been given a new lease on the SECOND half of your life (not 61 years old but 61 years YOUNG). Do yourself a favor and don't check your B/P and pulse every few minutes/hours. Give your body a chance to adjust to your new MACHINE! It can and will work for you. Most doctors don't really care about our mental state after placement of a PM. Control your own destiny!. I'm about to get my third PM (any time now) and would not trade it for anything at ALL.
I found that caffine did a n umber on me , stripped my energy a lot. Actually I started taking a "B" Complex 50 and it really tuned my clock. Try it and see. As far as I know "B" vitamins do not interact/re-act with any thing that i have researche.
Hope this helps!
NOTE: loose the self pitty thing if it starts sneaking in!
Good luck and keep us informed!
Cecil

ooops

by jane32 - 2012-07-27 07:07:08

Not sure how you delete.

Welcome

by jane32 - 2012-07-27 07:07:31

It is only early days for you. Don't try to do too much too soon, give yourself time to heal. It is an emotional time, and as Pookie said, the Drs don't tell us that. I found this site so helpful in the early days, it was the first thing I did every morning was to check in. I have had my pm 11 months, I was 64 when I got it and was feeling old and tired, but it has given me a new lease on life, I get up every day and feel well, just a young chick again. Try and keep positive, that was important advice I was given from members on this site. It will get better.

Regards Jane

Welcome

by jane32 - 2012-07-27 07:07:33

It is only early days for you. Don't try to do too much too soon, give yourself time to heal. It is an emotional time, and as Pookie said, the Drs don't tell us that. I found this site so helpful in the early days, it was the first thing I did every morning was to check in. I have had my pm 11 months, I was 64 when I got it and was feeling old and tired, but it has given me a new lease on life, I get up every day and feel well, just a young chick again. Try and keep positive, that was important advice I was given from members on this site. It will get better.

Regards Jane

Welcome

by jane32 - 2012-07-27 07:07:33

It is only early days for you. Don't try to do too much too soon, give yourself time to heal. It is an emotional time, and as Pookie said, the Drs don't tell us that. I found this site so helpful in the early days, it was the first thing I did every morning was to check in. I have had my pm 11 months, I was 64 when I got it and was feeling old and tired, but it has given me a new lease on life, I get up every day and feel well, just a young chick again. Try and keep positive, that was important advice I was given from members on this site. It will get better.

Regards Jane

Thank you Cecil

by Good Hearted Mary - 2012-07-27 09:07:25

I appreciate your comments and will get some "B" Complex 50. I regularly take dissolvable B-12 only so maybe need the complex B! And yes I know that the self pity can sneak in. I have to remember that self pity is a form of self centeredness and I sure don't want that!! Thanks again!

Advice is worth what you pay for it...

by donr - 2012-07-27 09:07:33

...and you pay NOTHING for ours!

Actually, ours is worth a lot - we've BTDT, wear that tee shirt, so we speak from experience. How many Cardios & EP's Host a PM? Hmmmmm?

Here's some stuff to help you sort out your issues:

1) you are recovering from a knife fight where you were the loser! Just how long do you think it would take you to recover, had the surgeon just cut you open like he did & sew you back up? Factor that into expected recovery time.

2) You talk like you were tired & beat up going into surgery. That will make you feel pooped quicker post-op. F'rinstance - when I got my replacement PM I went for 5 days feeling like I'd gone 15 rounds w/ an angry polar bear & survived. I WALKED into the OR & climbed up onto the table - barely. When they finished, I awoke briefly & went back to sleep for another 8 hrs, waking up in a hosp room asking for a sandwich!

3) We are all different in how long it takes us to feel good again - they SOMETIMES have to tweak the settings. There are so many different parameters to set that the combinations reach into the multiple thousands - & they have to find the right one for YOU!

4) If you are scrawny, like me, it sticks out for a while & is swollen badly - refer to 1) above for explanation.

5) Age - lessee, now if you are older than 5 days, you are old/young enough to join the club. No matter what your age - you are JUST RIGHT!!!!

6) Dr's don't want you to keep a log or anything else - they don't want you to DWELL on your new situation, way of life or responsibilities as a PM Host. DID you have high BP pre PM? If so, take your BP a few times to get confidence that it's where it was pre-op then STOP!!! You will have enough issues psychologically w/o creating another one to worry about.

7) You are RIGHT - cardios DO NOT tell you of the potential psycho issues that MIGHT erupt post-op. They never do. They don't want to plant the seeds for it. We collectively criticize them in here all the time for that.

8) See 3) above for initial comment on settings. There ar so many of them. BUT.. Here's a list of the ones that most ly affect your life right now & crude explanation for you. As time goes on, you will understand more about them.

Lower (base) rate - usually around 60 BPM. The HR that your PM will NOT let you go below. You reach this low ONLY when at rest, USUALLY.

Upper rate - usually around 120 BPM. The HR at which the PM stops actively pacing you (if you need pacing) & becomes a passive observer/ monitor. You said you have "Low HR" That's called "Bradycardia" & you will read us using it all the time. PM's do a good job at correcting Brady! BTW: Your Pm only "Paces" you when it senses that a beat will not occur on time. so, any beat that will come on time according to the lower rate, will be waved at by your PM as it passes by. UP until it hits the upper limit. What happens then will be covered in PM 102. This is PM's for Newbies (as opposed to Dummies).

Nowhere on the site where all the definitions are listed.

When you have your first download, ask - very politely & forcefully - for a copy of the printed report. It is your right to get a copy. Here's how you do it: Stick your hand out, reaching for it & say "May I have a copy of my report, please?" If they hesitate or appear to waffle, look them straight in the eye & DO NOT retract your hand. Tell them that it's YOUR record & you have a right to a copy. Often they fight hosts on this issue - after all, knowledge is POWER. Don't let them give you the lame excuse that you would not understand the report. Tell them THAT"s why you want it, so you can!

Take it & open it up & you will see that it is written in Sanskrit or ancient Greek - definitely not a language you understand. Ask them to show you & explain the data that is most important to you AT THIS POINT IN TIME. Lower & upper rates, The Histograms telling the % of the time that your heart has spent at each HR in your pacing range, the % of the time that you are sensed/paced & the "Event counters."

After they begrudgingly answer your questions (which is not unusual) fold it up, stick it in your back pack, put on your mukluks, pick up your rifle & trudge out into the Arctic blackness to your igloo & its computer. After blowing on your electrons to warm them up a bit - send us a message w/ your questions & we will start PM 102 - intermediate enlightenment for Newbies.

The Devil made me ask this question - Do/did you know Sarah Palin?

Welcome aboard.

Don (in the blazing hot state of Georgia - right now, at least)

Thank you so much

by Good Hearted Mary - 2012-08-13 06:08:40

Don, I am so stupid to not have noticed your response until today, August 13! I never checked back to see if anyone else responded to my questions. You are so kind and so thorough and helpful. I am going to print off your message and digest it thoroughly at home tonight because I am at work right now and getting ready to go into a staff meeting. I will respond back after I read it. And YES, actually I am Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and when I started here 11 years ago, Sarah Palin hired me to be her Executive Assistant for her last 2 years as Mayor here. I could write a book of my own! It would be called "A Tale of Three Mayors!" Because I have worked for three of them now and each has/is unique.

You know you're wired when...

You need to be re-booted each morning.

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