Going in for my first Pacemaker

Hi there

I'm going in for my first pacemaker in 2 days time. I'm 20 years old and have been fainting regularly for about 7 years now. I've been to so many doctors over the many years, had MRI's (they found an arterial venous malformation and thought it could be the cause but no such luck), EEGs, ECGs and all sorts of tests. In the last 4 months, my resting heart rate has dropped noticeably. It's now in the low 40s and whilst i'm young, I am by no means extremely fit. So finally the one doctor recommended I do this tilt table test which we only recently got in my home town (it is quite small).

The test was a bit of a disaster - within 3 mins of being at 80 degrees I had passed out. I went into asystole for over 90 seconds and woke up to the technician pumping on my chest only to loose consciousness and flatline again for over 60 seconds. When I came round, all I could hear was the nurse saying "this girl is going to need a pacemaker". I started to panic because when i think of pacemaker, I think of elderly men whose hearts aren't working as well as they should - not a young 20 years old. The cardiologist confirmed what the nurse was saying - I do indeed need one.

So, 2 weeks later, and after much reading up on the web and on this site, I think i've finally partly come to terms with it. My operation is in 2 days and i'm going under local anesthetic because I'm having it placed sub-mammary and by a plastic surgeon.

I'm starting to get very nervous now and was wondering if anyone had some good advice. I'm currently in my final year of my undergrad and can't really afford to miss too much class; I have the idea in my mind that a week of rest and recouperation will be enough - am I being optimistic?

5 Comments

Depends

by Theknotguy - 2014-02-25 04:02:01

There are a lot of things that can affect how fast and how well you come out of the procedure and how fast you adjust. It just depends.

However, you seem to have a good attitude which means you'll probably bounce back very well. You'll see other posts on this forum where Napoleon said, "In war, the mental to the physical is three to one." (Or something like that) So if you think you'll do better, you probably will.

A week of R&R and you're back 100% - maybe, maybe not. But if it takes longer than that, don't get discouraged. Whatever time it takes, it just will take that time. Hang in there. If it delays your undergrad by a little bit, so what? It's a lot better to lose a little bit of undergrad time than lose your life. Hang in there.

It's OK to get nervous. You're young, have never experienced anything like this before, and it's scary. Most other people who chime in will tell you it isn't that hard. Serious, yes, but not hard. Just keep thinking positive.

You've got a lot of life to live. Go out and enjoy!

Theknotguy

Welcome to the Club!

by SaraTB - 2014-02-25 04:02:14

Sounds like you have a good attitude, and reading here will help you see that getting a PM at a young age is not that uncommon anymore.
I think if you do a search for 'submammary' using the search facility at the top, you should get an idea of what others have experienced in terms of recovery time.

Most women have trouble with fastening their bras during the first week, when trying not to stretch their arm too much, so be prepared for that - if you have someone you trust to help you dress, that might help! Front buttoning shirts were helpful in the first couple of days. Long hair can be difficult to keep brushed while your arm movements are restricted.

Bear in mind that when your PM is first implanted, the settings are the doctor's 'best guess' - they will almost certainly need fine-tuning, and this is usually done at your follow-up appointment, so if things don't feel as you expect, be prepared to take notes, and talk to your doctor at subsequent appointments. For some people, it can take several appointments to get it 'tweaked' appropriately for their particular needs.

Keep visiting us here at the PM Club, and post any question you might have - we've all needed them answered ourselves at some point. It's a pretty supportive place.

Going in for First Pacemaker

by iheartemh - 2014-02-25 07:02:19

I have to admit that I didn't know there was such an option as submammary implant. It sounds as though these have been quite successful and favored by many women.

You won't know how quickly you will heal until after the surgery is over and you are released from the hospital. All of us recover at our own pace. However, do be cautious when it comes to handling weight -- especially anything over ten pounds! You definitely will feel it! Of course, you also shouldn't raise you arm above your shoulder as this may pull out a lead. If nothing else, it will hurt.

I bought a hair blow dryer stand to be able to dry my hair for the first week or so. BTW, get someone to carry your text books, especially if they are heavy. Perhaps you could visit each of your instructors to let them know about your surgery, and ask if they can assign you work via email in case you aren't up to going to daily classes.
I found that I tired easily the first two weeks, but I was 65 at the time (but I normally had lots of energy before my surgery).

My only problem was when I started to experience some throbbing pain near the top of my device. It is thought that this was due to internal healing/inflammation, and I was told to use an ice pack to help with the pain. Fortunately, this didn't last too long.

I hope your surgery and recovery goes smoothly. I'm sure this will take care of your Bradycardia. Good luck!

Thank you everyone!

by nickibsa - 2014-02-26 02:02:52

Thank you all so much for your advice. It's so nice to know that there are people out there who have been through the same thing and are willing to help.

I will definitely let you know how the surgery goes and when I am back on my feet. One this is for certain, I will be visiting this site regularly to keep up with all the fellow PM owners.

Welcome

by jeanlancour - 2014-02-26 12:02:02

How lucky you are that they are finally going to take care of your problem. Yes there is some discomfort at first, and it is different for each persom. TracyE will be able to tell you more as she has hers placed the same place and was in her 20s with the first one. Just remember this does not affect your mind so you will have time to get some reading in, see if you can get some assignments to keep up. Good luck Jean

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