Head/Neck pressure and headaches.

Hi PM fellows . .
I have been reading as much as I can on the above symptoms that I have been experiencing and would appreciate any feed back.
I had a duel PM fitted 2 weeks ago (stitches out yesterday) because of a 3rd % block.I mentioned to my Cardio Specialist that I constantly have this feeling of head/neck pressure and headaches, with the occasional dizziness as well. Not sleeping well either - wake up suddenly feeling like I am short of breath, occasionally.He told me that I am suffering from anxiety and must just relax! He really is one of the best, but I feel that there must be more to this?? My PM is still set at factory settings and will only be adjusted around 6 weeks time.
Also feel very weepy (sorry guys!) if someone looks at me sideways!
Help - I expected so much more straight away. I am very blessed and know I should be really grateful that the op went well - so cannot really understand why I feel this way?

3 Comments

Ok to weep!!

by km42410 - 2012-08-15 08:08:07

Weepy happens you will come out of that. Sleeplessness could be a number of things including getting used to the different feeling your body has. Your site is still swollen...time.......patience and support! I still get headaches after 2 yrs....once in a while. Work on one problem at a time....Recover first....Good luck!

Congratulations! You are officially...

by donr - 2012-08-15 09:08:29

...now a wimpy, hysterical woman! You have been so designated by a MAN in a white coat who knows everything!

It is so easy to kiss off those kind of symptoms w/ that line - "...it's just anxiety, you have to relax." Of course, the man saying it doesn't have the symptoms.

For starters, it very well MAY BE anxiety. But you rule out everything physical first. That takes tweaking the PM's settings & there are literally thousands of combinations of them that can influence how you feel.

Do YOU know what the factory settings are? Were you even consulted about the set up of the device?

You really didn't say - are the headaches, et al, ONLY since the procedure ? OR - do they pre-date the procedure?

Some harsh reality: The "Weepy" is a typical female post-op issue. (Face it - men & women are wired significantly different in the emotions department!) It is very real & usually an anxiety issue. But you still try to rule out the physical before making that diagnosis. At the two week point would have been a good time for a quick review of your settings. It may have saved you lots of grief for the next 4 weeks & adding more fuel to a potential anxiety fire.

Let's sort out two aspects of recovery from the procedure:

1) Physical - you lost a knife fight to an expert. Someone was grubbing around in your chest with fingers as big as large sausages w/ all sorts of sharp instruments. They shoved things into a vein & harpooned the insider of your heart like a great white whale. They opened a pocket under your chest subcutaneous fat & plopped in a blob of metal the size of a good sized slice of tomato! Hey - that's gonna hurt for a while - sometimes. Feel extremely lucky if you don't!!!!! Sounds like you have a pretty decvent handle on this.

2) Psychological - Yep - it SOMETIMES happens to new PM Hosts. Dirty little secret of the trade. It happens just like it does to people who have bypass operations & valve implants & other major invasive procedures inside the heart. No one will EVER tell you about it pre-op. Then post-op they blow you off w/ "It's anxiety - get over it!"

Would you believe that MOST of that anxiety is caused by something physical that can often be fixed? Yes, you have to adapt to a new reality of having a little Bionic Buddy helping your heart. IN your case, w/ a 3rd degree block you will probably be paced nearly 100% of the time - at least in the ventricles. Yes, that CAN SOMETIMES take getting used to - but that does not usually show up in the first few days.

A possibility about waking up SOB. IF your PM is like most, it does a self check daily. USUALLY in the middle of the night when you are hopefully sound asleep. It is something you are not used to, so your mind may be sensitive to the sudden changes in Heart Rate & wake you up suddenly. Picture this: You are peacefully asleep w/ your heart coasting along at its base rate of about 60 BPM (The lowest allowed by your PM. also known as your resting rate.) Suddenly the little Gremlin engineer that lives in your PM wakes up, stretches, walks over to his control panel & Instantly jacks up your heart rate to 85 BPM & runs a voltage check on the PM. Then he runs it up to perhaps 100 BPM & runs another voltage check. Maybe he does it twice. Then he yawns, returns you to your base rate, stretches & goes back to sleep. He leaves you in whatever state of wakefulness you happen to be in.

Also, dizziness can easily be caused by settings. At the 6 week point, don't let them brush you off - it's the easy way out for them.

Got any questions, ask away - that's what we are here fr.

Don

Thank you!

by Heartbless - 2012-08-21 11:08:36

Hello PM fellows! I just want to thank those's that replied to my posting. Don, you made me realise that I am not a neurotic simpleton - so many thanks for that. I actually have a few unanswered queries that I will take up with my C. Specilist on my next visit i.e factory settings etc ??? Unfortunately, my headaches persist, as does the feeling of pressure in my head (all only started once my PM was fitted) I did expect alot straight away and only hope and pray that once my PM gets "tweeked" I will return to being more of my old self . .

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