Cool

Hey ~ 26 hours and 19 minutes until I arrive at the hospital to have a dual chamber pacemaker implanted. I'm a single female who turned 57 the end of March I am feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Last fall I started having episodes walking from my car up to my front door then they became more frequent, just walking across the room or rolling over in bed. Now here I am. I just hope this constant shortness of breath will be gone. On my birthday I went to the hospital for a stress test which I had been told would last 45-60 minutes. Well when I got on the treadmllI for what was supposed to be 15 minutes, after less than 2 minutes the cardiologist said "we're done here" and I said "that can't be good" and he said "no it isn't". :(
What I found interesting was that these past several months what I thought was my heart racing when I exerted myself was actually my heart rate dropping. Anyway they had me wear the Zio-patch Heart Monitor for 2 weeks. Then after waiting to get the results back and then waiting for ther Cardiologist to return from vacation, I fianlly had my appt Tuesday and he is operating on me on Thursday.
I have asked to have it implanted on my right side because I sleep predominately on my left and also because I drive a lot and don't want the seat belt to be an issue. I hope that's a good decision.
I am glad I found this site because living alone, although my son is nearby, I still feel quite alone dealing with all of this. Sooooo Thanks for being here.

8 Comments

seatbelt

by judyblue - 2014-05-07 08:05:28

mine is inserted on left and after 7 months I still cannot wear seatbelt. I have nerve damage so it will probably always be super sensitive. I never knew I had a choice, but would not have known what to choose because all I was told is that everything would be fine after a short time. Not so in my case. good luck!

Thanks

by stormynw - 2014-05-07 09:05:29

Thanks Patty, this is actually pretty cool that there is a website to go to. Funny how life isn't quite what we planned. :)
Dami

its scary

by capecod - 2014-05-07 09:05:29

but it will be over soon. this is a great site. folks helped me before my surgery 12 days ago and i will be eternally grateful for their support. i have learned a lot and it has helped me to better understand the recovery process.

many folks have felt what you are feeling. i was so anxious i didnt think i would make it. but after hearing from folks here, i wanted to get it over with! so glad i did.

try to stay calm- yah i know that's tough :)
patty

plans

by Tracey_E - 2014-05-07 09:05:56

Things rarely turn out like we plan, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You found out what's causing your problems, there is a fix. That's a good thing.

Good luck!! If you have any questions about the surgery or recovery, don't be shy.

seatbelt

by bluebowtye - 2014-05-07 10:05:48

I forgot to mention, mine is implanted on the left, and I have had NO issues with my seatbelt whatsoever.

Welcome!

by bluebowtye - 2014-05-07 10:05:57

You have come to the right place! This site has really helped me a lot. I got my PM implanted almost 3 months ago and did not find this group until about week after so I had NO idea what to expect before surgery. My need for a PM came about very suddenly and was totally unexpected. I felt really good and never had any symptoms except for 2 syncope episodes one night and it wasn't until I wore a holter monitor for 24 hours that my Dr. discovered I had 2nd degree Mobitz type 2 heartblock and told me I needed a PM right away. 5 days later I was having surgery.

Good luck to you. Everyone on the site is very friendly and knowledgeable and I found the more I read and learned about pacemakers and my condition in particular, the easier it was to deal with, especially mentally. It was very comforting knowing there were others dealing with this as well. Except for about 10 pounds of extra weight I gained during recovery I am almost back to about 100% of where I was before surgery.

Take care, I hope your surgery goes well!
~Sheila

Right side will be fine.

by stormynw - 2014-05-08 01:05:27

My doc said while they usually use the left side because it's more of a C shape for the lines to go in. He does implant on the right for left handed patients and the only difference is the lines make a very slight S shape and is a little more work for him, he said but that it will be just fine on the right side. I really hated the Zio-patch being on my left for 2 weeks so I'm really glad that I had that experience first so that I know that I definitely want it on my right. I've also had three shoulder surgeries and a Biceps tenodisis on my right so what's one more :)
There is a third reason too. I have always carried my purse on my left and have tried to switch but have never been able to keep my purse on my right shoulder so it's all good.

Go Left

by NiceNiecey - 2014-05-08 12:05:17

Hi Stormy.

The only problem with implanting on the right side is that it's further from the heart and I wouldn't want the leads any longer than necessary.

I, too, sleep predominantly on my left side. After some adjustment (it's been 4 months since I got my PM), I'm pretty good at sleeping on my left side again.

In addition, I am a "driving machine" and the seatbelt doesn't cause me any problems. The first few weeks it was irritating but I padded the belt with a soft rag. Then it got better and I was able to stop using the rag. It was seriously only the first few weeks that bothered me.

Keep us posted!
Niecey

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Good luck with your surgery. It will improve life amazingly.