Daughter getting PM soon

My daughter is almost 16 months old and will be having a pacemaker placed on July 11th. She has sick sinus syndrome and has problems tachycardia due to having OHS at 10 days old. anyone have any advice on pacemaker placement in a toddler?

3 Comments

children

by Tracey_E - 2013-07-01 10:07:02

I don't have any specific advice about the surgery, but I was a kid growing up with a heart condition so I have lots of insight on that ;)

Kids bounce back quickly. They don't understand a lot of what is happening, they don't dwell, they don't stress about the future. They deal and move on. This is a LOT harder on the parents than it is on the kids. As I got older and understood my heart was not the same as everyone else, it never once occurred to me to be afraid. My parents always told me God made me special and I didn't question it. I got annoyed when I was told I couldn't do something. I sometimes got hurt when the teachers or other kids treated me differently. I sometimes milked it when there was something I didn't want to do in gym class lol. (I always figure that made up for the times I wanted to participate but was stuck keeping score instead) Other than little things here and there, I had a perfectly normal childhood and your daughter will too.

I will be forever grateful that my parents never treated me differently from my sister, they always focused on what I could do rather than what I could not. I'm sure they were terrified at times and fought the urge to hold me back and baby me, but they never let me see it. I think facing health challenges as a kid helped me mature faster, it made me stronger and more empathetic. I believe strongly that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason and I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing about who I am, wonky heart and all. I am 46 now, healthy and active, mom to two healthy and active teenagers. I look like all the other moms.

Your daughter has a bright future ahead. Some day down the road I think you'll look back on this as one of life's bumps, a scary time that you got through and came out stronger. Best wishes for a smooth procedure and recovery for your daughter, and peace for you.

Thanks

by Wija0603 - 2013-07-01 11:07:56

Thank you so much. I feel like this is the right choice for her little heart, but I just want to get her PM in and over with. Thanks for the advice on SSS, definitely one thing that I am curious about as far as how it will affect her in the long run.

Pacemaker

by ABelle - 2013-07-01 12:07:58

First let me say how sorry I am that you're both going through this. As a mom of a 16 month old myself I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. I have sick sinus node syndrome a well... I've had my pm for 3 years now and it really has helped. I think ultimately this is going to be the right decision for your little one. Lots of children with pm's go on to lead very healthy normal lives. I would give you advice on two things pertaining to SSS though. One we actually need sodium so make sure your little gets the proper amount. Two we consume a lot more water than normal. So it's important to keep this in mind for your little one as well. I keep smart water and Gatorade on hand all the time. The electrolytes really help. You may want to do the same with pedialyte or smart water in the future. Especially after the surgery. Children are so resilient. I've heard several stories of how quickly little ones can recover from heart surgery. Hopefully your experience will be the same. If you ever have any questions about SSS or just need someone to talk to please let me know. I hope all goes well. Abelle

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