pacemaker recommended for lazy A/V node

So, my Doc has recommended a pacemaker for a lazy A/V node problem, which, basically, causes my heart to skip a beat or two maybe once or twice a day. Recently, I was in the backyard having a beer, and smoking a cigarette ( rare occasion... I don 't smoke, except every once in awhile...), and I fainted. Due to an incident that occurred 4 years ago, where I was flying a hang glider and my left hand slipped off the control bar, so I decided to land... and told my wife about it, and she rushed me to a hospital, and they thought it was possibly a TIA, she again rushed me to the hospital. They could find no probable cause, but they ordered a 48 hr Holter monitor to see what's up. Well, it came back with 3 skips, one of which was 6 seconds, although I never felt it.

At any rate, my Cardiologist has suggested a pacemaker for caution's sake. Thjen he tells me that I won't be able to chop firewood anymore, because raising my left arm over my head and exerting sufficient for to split wood could possibly rip the anchor out of the lower chamber...

So, anybody have a similar circumstance?

6 Comments

I'm not sure

by Theknotguy - 2014-10-15 09:10:46

I'm going to let others chime in on this but I feel your doctor is being overly cautious. I was lifting 90 pound 4x8 sheets of wood prior to my incident. Doctor told me to hold off for 90 days (which turned into seven months). He wanted my body to incorporate the leads before I went back to heavy exercise.

There were a couple of times I pulled the leads before the 90 day period and it really hurt. But other than that, I haven't had any major problems.

I'm thinking your doctor is concerned that you'll do really hard chopping. If so, he's probably right that you "could" rip out the lead in the heart. But I don't see where working with wood would cause that many problems. If you use a wood splitter and only use the axe for incidental chopping I don't see where that would hurt anything.

After the first 30 days, you can lift your arm over your head. After 90 days you can lift and stretch. If you move the wrong way, it will stretch the leads, they'll hurt, and you'll know you can't do that. So you more than likely will pull the leads under your collarbone before anything happens in the heart. On this forum we've had numerous people report leads in the heart coming loose, but I don't remember seeing where anyone pulled a lead out of the heart by exercise. We've got people sky diving, swimming, weight lifting, biking, marathon running. No one has reported leads coming loose because of exercise.

I'm volunteering in a woodshop. So I'm lifting anything from one pound all the way up to about 50 pounds. I was told not to lift the 4x8 sheets because if I slipped and dropped one I might exceed the 100 pounds per shoulder weight limits. So I've stayed within a 50 pound limit. Mostly I've had problems with pulled muscles.

What did happen was I would work for three hours, start to hurt, then have to quit. I talked to my cardiologist and he said, "Your point?" Most of his patients could hardly make it into the waiting room. So me complaining about not being able to work for three hours was off his charts.
At first I thought it was a problem with the chest tube scar but that wasn't the case.

My PM, a Medtronics has the accelerometer in it, so with all the extra moving around, constant standing, and just general exercise, it was zapping my heart more frequently. My massage therapist found the muscles directly behind my heart were knotted - probably because of all the extra shocks from my pacemaker. She worked on the muscles, got them to relax, and I got rid of my pain. I can now work for five hours at a stretch but after that amount of time I still get sore and have to quit.

Because of other problems at the time of my initial collapse I was delayed from getting back to "normal" life for seven months. Due to my overall weakness, I took it easy for the first couple of months when I got back to volunteering. I started out volunteering for a couple of hours at a time at the woodshop. One day a week at first, then moved up to a couple of days per week. Then started increasing my time. I ran into the problem with the muscle pain in my back which held me back for a couple of months. Now I'm volunteering for three to four days a week up to five hours at a time. Usually I'm staying at the three to four hours at a time.

Mostly you have to listen to your body and not push yourself too hard. If you do, you'll really start to feel it.

Like I said, if you use a wood splitter for the heavy work and limit your activities, I don't see why you couldn't go back to wood cutting.

get another opinion

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-16 05:10:37

If your heart is stopping, then yes a pm is appropriate. One short pause without symptoms? It's worth watching, probably not treating. However, if you are passing out, that's a symptom, and not just a little one. Have you done a longer event monitor?

You can chop wood once you heal. There are some drs who put restrictions on us but the vast majority do not.

Passing out is not a good sign

by Ellen - 2014-10-16 06:10:58

For years I would black out when I was younger and doctors never had me wear a heart monitor or have a EKG. They thought it was low blood pressure, or bad nerves, or an inner ear problem. They were so wrong. If I had a pacemaker back then, MAYBE, I will capitalize on that, my heart might not be as bad as it is. I have been 100 percent pacemaker dependent since '2003 because my heart slowed down completely to 13 beats per minute. Not good at all. I was always scared when I was younger that I might pass out while driving my car, causing my children in the back seat or another driver to get injured or killed. My doctors never told me to stop driving. Your cardiologist sounds like he's right on. But if you are feeling up to it, indeed get a second or third opinion. But don't put it off. I love gardening, and was told not to pull weeds but I do if they're not that bad. Reaching up over your head is a definite no-no when a pacemaker is first implanted. Chopping wood is pretty darn strenuous not just on your arms but chest and side muscles, so go with your cardiologist. You may be fine after 3 months of healing. Wishing you the best!

A second opinion is good

by LuCas - 2014-10-16 07:10:55

Hello,
I have a heart muscle problem (not only AV node problem) which enlarged and made the electrical system of the heart to malfunction. I was diagnosed with 2 second pauses, but I never fainted. I think that it is wise to investigate more the cause of faintness. Faintness could mean many things - from electrical system malfunction to heart valve malfunctions. I was tested three times with a 24h Holter test which indicated extra sistoles and the 2s pauses.

As to our friends who insist not to wait the tissue to heal properly, there is always a price to pay. I think it is always wise to understand that our body cells do not have the same speed as our impatience or fast mind. Let's give time to time, heal properly and then restart exercises. Otherwise, we run the risk of going back to surgery because of lead coming out of place inside the heart.

On the other hand, I will also help our friends here and ask my physician if we can cut wood, because, as far as I know, there is a very sensitive sensor which does not tolerate strong impacts. But, I am a total ignorant in electronic parts and devices and my opinion is based on what I've read.
Lucio
Brazil
Happy with my St. Jude Medical Access

Good advice

by Griddlebone - 2014-10-17 01:10:04

I've been meaning to write up my experience because it might be informative to folks considering a PM. I won't do that right now, but I will say that there are many parallels between what's happening to you and what happened to me, and I'm glad to have the pacer.

To Theknotguy, thanks for giving me an idea of how long my activity restrictions will go on. Thanks also to others who chimed in. I've been totally in the dark about that - a week? a month? a lifetime? I need to be a little more careful around the puppy as she's eager to go go go go go and can jerk whatever arm I'm using to hold her lead.

I'm not going to ask my doc when I can lift 100 lbs because it's kind of like asking if I will be able to play the violin after the surgery - I couldn't lift 100 lbs before (or play the violin) so it's not likely I'll be able to in the future. :)

griddlebone

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-17 08:10:29

It depends who you ask. The average time for restrictions is 4-6 weeks. Some drs put lifting restrictions on us after that, most do not. I was lifting more than 100 pounds this morning. I worked up to that after getting the pm, with my dr's blessing. :)

The puppy isn't likely to damage anything but that doesn't mean it won't hurt if she gets you! So yeah, be careful around her for a while.

You know you're wired when...

You have rhythm.

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