New Member

First post, and a bit of an introduction.

I had a pacemaker fitted on 6th May, 3 days ago, having been found to have AV block (Mobitz type 2). This came as a bit of a shock, as I am fitter and feel better than I ever have (50 years old). I had no symptoms at all, and was only caught by a pulse rate check at a blood donation session. In UK, they have a threshold of 50bpm, and they found my resting rate was below and irregular. Initial thoughts from the docs were that this was just due to being fairly fit and athletic and nothing to to worry about, but follow-up ECGs and Holter tests followed, leading to the decision that I needed a PM.

Three days in, and the feeling of having been kicked by a large animal in the chest / shoulder is subsiding. More an ache than pain. I can definitely feel it, but haven't needed much if any pain relief since the op. I had a sub-pectoral implant to give the unit more protection and (hopefully) allowing me to get back to an active lifestyle. It's going to be a struggle to stay away from being as active as normal for at least 4 weeks to avoid jarring or pulling the leads, but I'll be trying to find something to do to keep moving, even if it's just a brisk walk.

In terms of heart rate, my PM is set to 59 resting. I can feel the heart beating faster and shallower than it used to. I no longer hear it pounding in my ears in bed at 40-ish, dropping every few beats. It feels like I'd prefer to have it wound down a bit (to 50, maybe), but perhaps I just need to get used to it. Pre-PM, I showed no dropped beats above a rate of 50.

Before surgery, I was active at Crossfit, so high-intensity, lots of heavy weights etc, and fully intend to work back into that. I am (was) also an active skydiver, and hope to get back in the air, too.

I'm under no illusions that getting back to full steam for me will likely be months, not weeks, and will need to build up steadily... but I can't wait to get started!

No doubt I'll be on these forums looking for guidance over the coming months. :)

Pete


4 Comments

welcome!

by Tracey_E - 2014-05-09 10:05:35

Glad you found us! It's always nice to connect with others in the same boat. I'm about your age but was born with av block and have been paced for 20 years now. It doesn't slow me down at all.

I do Crossfit also. If your pm is subpec, you should be able to do anything you want once you heal. The only thing I don't do is ring rows. I could do them, but it aggravates the scar tissue then I end up sore and holding back the next day or two, so I modify.

No raising the arm above shoulder level or lifting anything heavy for 4-6 weeks. You should be able to start light cardio now, work up to running again as you feel up to it. I found it took a good month before I could stand anything with impact but some are able to run within a week or so. We all heal at different rates but I found that having it buried under the muscle makes it take longer. Ease into it, listen to your body.

Does your dr know you Crossfit? They run the gamut from afraid to let us touch anything heavy to my doc who says just don't do anything stupid.

Good Decision

by Marty - 2014-05-09 11:05:51

You were very responsible with your medical care to reach this point, and have likely added not only years to your life, but quality of life with a healthier heart. You found a wonderful site here, with caring and supportive people who know exactly what you're going through. I was a high level racquetball player when I initially was diagnosed with LBBB and at risk for sudden cardiac death. It really scared me, and I'm happy to know I have a device 'helping' my heart to behave properly. Follow the advice on your activity level as you recover - especially that left arm. You can dislodge the lead completely or move it out of the optimal placement the doctor chose if you aren't careful. To keep up my fitness level in that stage, I recommend walking, gradually picking up your speed, but don't jog for those first four weeks. All the best to you, and welcome!

Welcome

by KAG - 2014-05-09 12:05:23

Others have covered the "get back to your normal activities as soon as possible" very well.

I'll just add that in my case (very similar to yours) it came on very suddenly and unexpectedly. Total AV block but I don't need any meds so I'm lucky. The PM is a perfect fix for electrical problems. I'm also lucky in that my PM medical team like me to ask questions and work with me to optimize my PM programming for me. Advise given was to do whatever I want to do once I healed.

To that end I'd recommend that you get a copy of your interrogation report when they check your PM. It has all the settings for your PM. This site is a great source to help you if you have questions.

They'll tell you that your PM is working fine which means it's doing exactly what it's programmed to do. However sometimes that programming needs tweaking for your activities. It will take a bit to heal and adjust to your new friend, then it's up to you to see that they make adjustments if needed.

Enjoy life!
Kathy

Thanks

by PeteFindlay - 2014-05-10 10:05:03

Many thanks for the welcome!

Well... rehab starts now, and it looks like I've got a bit of a timetable emerging. Brisk walking sessions to start for a couple of weeks, then work up from that. Got my follow-up appointment through the post today... which is 6 weeks post-op, which seems like a long wait with no follow-up. It may well be the norm for the UK NHS though. At least if I wait until then before pushing the activity levels up, I should be pretty sure that the leads have settled, although it's going to make full mobility and strength recovery harder.

I've got a weeks holiday visiting family in the US (Connecticut) in a week, so that should help the time fly. The consultant managed to timetable my op to allow me to fly without having to cancel, which I'm very grateful for - not to mention the wife!

You know you're wired when...

You always have something close to your heart.

Member Quotes

So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.