Getting a pacemaker soon- questions

Thinking about about my need for a pacemaker. I am a 58 year old athlete. I missed a chair while sitting and busted my head open. Two weeks after that I noticed I had lost my breath. I go to lifeline have a screening, then see my doctor, he refers me to Cardiologist. After ekg's ,holter and echo I am diagnosed with 3rd degree heart block. Time for a pm. I have Bradycardia with hr around 40. This kind of sucks. I thought I might not ever break.

Now I get to have a St. Judes, pacemaker in less than 3 weeks unless insurance balks or delays decision due to the state of Texas changing their insurers in August. I am positive and have a what happens, happens attitude. I have not spent a night in the hospital in 52+ years. Planning on retiring in 2 years. So I am hoping for the best.

So a few questions, insurance deductibles should I assume to buy as much health insurance now as I can afford. Will this be a major expenditure for the rest of my life. My doc told me I could do anything I wanted once I was healed from implant. I normally lift weights, yoga, tennis, and run , walk and swim about 10+ miles a week. Use sauna, steam and whirlpool 3-5 times a week. I have read conflicting reports on this. Research has left gaps in my overall opinion of the outcome. I know I cannot live with this condition without a pacemaker to spend up some retirement money. I am just seeking some input into performance with a pacemaker, insurance and general life changes and requirements.


Jim

3 Comments

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by mckate - 2014-06-17 05:06:55

Hey Jim! I am 28 with 3rd degree heart block, mine was congential, but have been healthy enough to only be paced the last 7 years! I thought my answers could be of some help to you since it's the same diagnosis.

Having a pacemaker can be a big expenditure. It depends on the type of insurance. When I was underneath my father's insurance which was BCBS federal, nearly everything was covered except about $1500 of surgery costs, and all checkups even if not routine were covered except the copay. Now I have my own and I pay a good chunk out of pocket.. especially if the checkups are not routine.

The pacemaker implantation itself is not necessarily an expensive procedure, depending on what you consider expensive.. mine have been around $20,000 before insurance, but compared to the cath lab cost for an EP study which was nearly $60,000 I thought it wasn't bad! Also, depending on St. Jude's details, if a pacemaker needs to be replaced before it's predicted time (it has to be significant), they might refund you. I had this happen, but I have Medtronic. My first lasted 4 years but was predicted to last 11, so they basically covered everything that insurance did not cover! Do look into this if you find that happens to you. It can save you money.

I do anything I want, and sometimes it scares those around me who know I have a pacemaker! It took a while to get used to the feeling of having this weight beneath my clavicle, but once you heal and get used to it, things are the same. I have done all the things you listed with no problems. Although I do still mow the grass and am around power tools, I am aware of when it is interfering with my pacemaker and just step away. You'll find this with certain things, not others. But most importantly, my physicians have told me it is better to exercise in what ever way, than to not. So I keep on doing what I want!

When it comes to others parts of life, here are some things I have learned that you may not hear from the physician..
It can be difficult to get comfortable with seat belts, sleeping, and in contact sports - you have to protect this little box and sometimes it feels as though it'll get in the way. Don't let it discourage you.
You may not feel better right away, although you could feel more energetic. I couldn't sleep for a month, so they turned down my pacing lower end limit so I could. But I'm also a person who could fall asleep in a loud movie theater because my HR would drop so low.
I'm sure most people can relate to this one, but I have had to get my settings redone multiple times. They come with suggested factory settings, or your physician will choose one for you. Be active in this, there are ways they can make your life easier by simply changing the settings. For instance, I found it took 5 minutes of running before my pacemaker would realize what I was doing, so they adjusted the sensitivity and now I can do things without feeling light headed. Since you are active, they might allow your upper limit to be higher than most.. this is true for me, mine is 170bpm pacing, although even with complete heart block I can get my HR faster by running.
Keep your pacemaker card on you. There have been many times I did not have it, no one will hold it against you, but it makes things easier when going through metal detectors. You will basically bypass these and sometimes they'll use the wand and tell you to hold your hand over your pacemaker.
Most of all, be an advocate for yourself. If something doesn't feel right, don't wait, go see the pacemaker rep for a check.

But to answer the bigger question - general life changes have been a huge improvement for me. I went from feeling tired all the time to getting close to a normal energy level. I am able to keep up with everyone. Overall, my life has significantly improved by being bionic!

Getting a pacemaker soon- questions

by jpotts - 2014-06-18 02:06:56

Thanks, I often wondered about sleeping if they turn it up. I have always been an insomniac. If I am not tired I will not sleep. I guess it will be a positive thing having a pacemaker. Although it came on quick. I will see how much I get billed for the pacemaker and decide how much out of pocket maximum I am will to live with verses cost.

I am really looking forward to retirement and getting out of Texas. It has turned into a desert here in Corpus Christi no rain and heat factors of 105+ for months. Planning on PNW
I have a desire to climb some mountains, get another dirt bike, and go snow boarding. I really hope this pacemaker gives me the opportunity to perform without limits.

Thanks for the reply. I hope my date with bionics allows me to perform.

Jim

Made it through surgery for Pm

by jpotts - 2014-07-03 07:07:45

Had my Pm St. Judes 5820 2 lead Tuesday at 12:30 PM. All went well. I am sitting up in my private room and start having twitches on my lower right side. It continued thought the night asked 3 rn's and they said it was not pacemaker related. The next morning it was a complete twitching /spasm of the right side you could see it through hospital gown. Told pacemaker guy about it and he said it is a pacemaker problem. One of the leads was shocking a nerve. He turned the power from 1 volt to 2 volts it disappeared and when he tried other settings it would reintroduce the spasm. It really sucked I went from a race car with spasms to a regular car with no spasms. I hope it can be reset higher after some scare healing at point of attachment.

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