worried

Hi I'm new to this site, I've been diagnosed with 3rd degree heart block and going for my pacemaker today. I work in an open plan office with lots of computers. Will the pacemaker be affected?
Should I change my diet and lifestyle? If so can someone advice on how I should adjust.

5 Comments

It's Natural to be Worried

by NiceNiecey - 2014-06-12 02:06:04

This is all new so there are lots of questions to ask and to be answered.

First, being around computers should be fine.

As for lifestyle changes, some of that depends on whether you have any additional problems with your heart (the plumbing issues like clogged arteries) in addition to third degree heart block.

I have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle because of second degree heart block and NO plumbing issues. I don't smoke, drink wine occasionally, walk at least 30 min a day as well as other activities, try to watch my weight, and eat a healthy diet. Since all of us on this site have a heart problem, I think it's best to give ourselves the best chance at a full life which includes taking care of our overall health.

Please give yourself several weeks to adjust to your new PM. It's your new friend for life so give it time.

My very best wishes to you and prayers for a good PM experience.

worried

by Lee24 - 2014-06-12 03:06:34

Wow that's a relief, I thought I'd have to stop working. I'm glad I'll be able to work. Hoping it all goes well thanks for the advice. I'm relieved I was abit anxious, one more thing I have a 1month old baby. Will I be able to lift him up?

baby

by Shell - 2014-06-12 07:06:47

You do have restrictions for the first 4-6 weeks so you won't be able to lift your baby then. You'll be able to hold him in the opposite side of your surgery (most people have it done on the left side) so he can be given to you. Do make sure to more your arm some though. Good luck! Enjoy you son too! (I miss my kids being little)

adjusting

by Tracey_E - 2014-06-12 08:06:04

You'll find that very few things affect the pm. Industrial magnets, mostly. There is virtually nothing in the way of home appliances and electronics/computers that will affect us. We can't use those electronic scales that measure body fat (regular digital scales are fine). TENS on the torso is a no-no. That's about it. I spent the last few nights playing way too much Guitar Hero on Wii with my kids, I read in bed with my ipad propped on my chest, I run with my ipod clipped over my pm, I do Crossfit (including moderately heavy weights, pull ups, push ups), I work on a computer all day near the wireless router, I use my cell phone on the left side, our new car has that keyless thingamabob (these are all things newbies are regularly post that they're afraid of or have been told not to do).

Ask your dr about lifting the baby. I was told lift no more than 20 pounds but many are told 10 or less. I'm guessing your baby is between 10 and 20 so ask. If someone hands you the baby, you can definitely hold him. Ditto the advice to hold the baby on the not-sore side. Little hands and feet in the wrong spot at first won't do any damage but it can hurt like crazy. I had a battery replacement when mine were one and two (I was paced before I had kids). I changed diapers and played with them on the floor so I could do what I needed to do without lifting or moving too much, no risk of dropping if they got too squirmy.

Simply having a pm for heart block does not mean automatic diet restrictions. You didn't say if your current diet and lifestyle are good or not :o) If they're good, keep on keepin' on. Poor diet and lack of exercise bring on plumbing problems (clogged arteries, decreased heart function) which are unrelated to the electrical problems we have. No one ever put me on a diet or told me to exercise, however I'm diligent because I don't want plumbing problems to compound the problems I already have. I would be really annoyed with myself if I was diagnosed with something I could have prevented by taking care of myself.

Best advice I can give you is heal and move on. Most of us find as we get back to feeling strong again that we are able to forget it's there much of the time and get back to our lives. There is nothing I want to do that I cannot, no one would look at me and see a heart patient unless I told them. Know that emotional healing can be harder than the physical healing, esp in someone young like you, but in the grand scheme of things this really isn't a big deal. Try not to overthink it. Heart block is a short circuit in an otherwise healthy heart, the pm programs around the short circuit. We're fortunate to have something with a fix.

p.s. I was born with 3rd degree block and am on my 4th pm.

worried

by Lee24 - 2014-06-12 10:06:39

Thanks for encouraging me guys, I'm at ease now. @Tracey I was also born with a congenital heart block. But I've been misdiagnosed with epilepsy and given treatment for epilepsy for 22yrs. Only now that I was pregnant they picked up that it was congenital block. If my heart rate didn't drop to 28 bpm during pregnancy they would still continue with the epilepsy treatment.

I'm hoping I won't be sick anymore, I need to be there for my son.

You know you're wired when...

You have a $50,000 chest.

Member Quotes

It may be the first time we've felt a normal heart rhythm in a long time, so of course it seems too fast and too strong.