pacemaker confusion

ok ,im actually doing this for my aunt who just had a pacemaker put in last week on the 5th,back in oct she had open heart surgery ,with a valve replacement and 2 bypasses , then this ,she in our eyes is doing great but she says she just does'nt feel right ,she says that every once in awhile she gets light headed while sitting and then has a couple of hot flashes,has anyone had this happen to them ,she is 78 yo ,and its rough trying to get her to understand that shes doing great ,that it will take some time to get back to almost normal .she's always been a go getter but im afraid this is gonna stop her in her tracks ,please help thank you !!!

1 Comments

A lot of reasons

by Theknotguy - 2015-02-14 09:02:41

My stepmother at 91 was similar to your Aunt. Medical problem plus medical intervention meant immediate cure and end of problems. No matter how much I told her things wouldn't immediately change she was convinced whatever was done wasn't working. And since you are in Dayton, Ohio it probably means she's a long lost relation to my stepmother - at least they seem to act the same. It can and could drive you up the wall.

There are many reasons why she gets light headed and then has hot flashes including hormonal change due to medications. None of which has anything to do with having a PM.

Suggestions: Not knowing where she is - at home, nursing home, assisted living .... Not knowing what additional medications she has.... Not knowing preexisting conditions.... What you can do is - if you are around - keep a written log of when she says she's light headed. Or have her keep the written log. You only need one of those steno pads to keep track. Review in a week, call one of her doctors and see if something's going on.

If it's a ploy to get attention, at which my stepmother was a master, she will refuse to give you enough information to act upon. If it is a problem, you've got the written times which will help a doctor make a decision. She will probably refuse to help but, at least, you've listened to her - which she wants- and have made an effort to solve the problem. Prepare to be thwarted in your attempts to help as quite often the reason is to get attention.

The helpless act - I hurt - where do you hurt - I hurt - routine gets to be real old real fast. It has you jumping through hoops and doing cartwheels while they sit there and watch all the action. Fun for them, exhausting for you. And, of course, it muddies the water enough so you might miss a real medical condition.

Worked at a health plan. The head doctor said, "Ultimately the patient is responsible for their own condition." It's up to ourselves to get help when needed for our health conditions. But if we create a condition where we have confused people and it ends up killing ourselves, we have no one else to blame.

I applaud you for trying to help your Aunt. Shows you are caring people. Hope you can get your Aunt to participate in her own care. Hope you can find a solution for her.

You know you're wired when...

You make store alarms beep.

Member Quotes

The pacer systems are really very reliable. The main problem is the incompetent programming of them. If yours is working well for you, get on with life and enjoy it. You probably are more at risk of problems with a valve job than the pacer.