Newbie and confused

Hello im new to all of this and its hit me like a brick!! Ive got tons of questions but I'll start with can i get a tattoo 2-3 weeks in the area area of the pacemaker? And 2nd question, how am i supposed to feel after a pacemaker? Im 47 and i dont know how this happened, one minute im told i have HCM then my cardiologist says i also need a pacemaker..... and my emotions are all over the board!

3 Comments

tattoos and other questions

by Tracey_E - 2014-10-18 07:10:39

You can get a tattoo near it but not directly over it.

How are you supposed to feel? Well, there isn't a rule book :) It's normal for your emotions to be all over the place, to be sad, frustrated, shocked, to mourn a bit. Most people heal and start to feel better and the emotions move to gratitude and eventually, we move on and rarely give it a thought. I'm a year older than you but got my first pm at 27. I truly don't think about it much at all. It rarely affects my daily life, other than giving me the energy to do things I want to do.

Know that electrical problems just happen, think of it like a short circuit. It's not like plumbing problems that can be prevented by lifestyle choices. Nothing you did caused it, nothing you could have done differently would have prevented it.

If you have more questions, if you want to chat or just vent, there are a lot of us here who have been there. Don't be shy.

questions

by bluebowtye - 2014-10-18 10:10:55

Hi Pattie,

Welcome! This is the place to come for all things pacemaker related!

I would wait at least a month after your implant to get your tattoo to make sure all the bruising, swelling and soreness is gone around your incision. As Tracey says, you should not get it directly over your device. Tattoos take about a month to completely heal so I don't think it would be a good idea to get if before as I see your surgery is scheduled in just a couple of weeks. I already had a tattoo on my chest and hated the fact that my Dr. had to cut into it, but he tried really hard to not mess it up too much.

You will feel all kinds of emotions after especially since like me one day you are completely fine and the next you all of a sudden need a PM. It is shocking news to be sure. It does get better as time goes on. It has been 8 months for me now and I still think about it but I try not to let it interfere with my life.

Good luck to you. This group was the thing that helped me adjust the most. It was comforting knowing others were going through the same thing as me and that all my feelings were normal. I also found the more I learned about my condition (heart block) and pacers in general the easier it was to cope.

~Sheila

Being younger

by Theknotguy - 2014-10-18 11:10:57

Yeah, it's harder to hear you need a PM when you are younger. Most people think PM's are for "old" people and are shocked to find out they need one. So that's a mental adjustment. Another problem can be getting your mind wrapped around the fact you need a medical device to keep yourself alive. That can be a real bummer.

But, you'll have a machine to keep you alive and it's a lot more fun being alive. So it's OK for your emotions to be all over the place.

For me, I had sessions with a psychologist. I don't have any hang ups about seeing one and she really helped with the fluctuating emotions.

With the PM I can do 99.999% of what I did prior to having the PM. You get a lot of misinformation (even from medical people who should know better) about the PM and that doesn't help either. Fortunately people on this forum will help you sort out fact from fiction - just ask.

About the only things I can't do are, 1) get a private pilot's license, 2) do free form mountain climbing. But after I found out money (and a lot of it) keeps airplanes flying getting a pilot's license wasn't on my list - so I won't miss it. Free form mountain climbing is off my list because of a busted up shoulder - so I won't miss it either. Other than the two items above I can do anything I want. I even talked with a person on this forum who was sky diving (they were using a slow open parachute). Although I don't know why you would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. So there are a lot of life options open to you even with the PM.

There are a lot of medical breakthroughs that happen every day. They're doing things with heart problems that amaze me and that's been in the year since I got my PM. (Some of the newest PM's fit inside the heart.) Also there are great strides in the medication of heart problems and that really helps too. Things that would naturally progress and make your heart problems worse are now being treated and stopped by medication. It's a good time to be alive.

Feel free to come back to the forum with your questions. There are a lot of people here who can give you good information and help a lot.

Hang in there. Life does get better.

You know you're wired when...

You run like the bionic man.

Member Quotes

I'm running in the Chicago marathon.