Feel worse after pacemaker.

Hello all.
I am feeling pretty anxious as 3 weeks after my dual chamber pacemaker was fitted I now feel considerbly worse.
I had complete heart block catagory 3 and the pacemaker was fitted as an emergency. I had 2 hours notice!
That took a bit of adjusting to once home, but for the first week felt better - apart from the expected soreness.
Healed nicely, no infection.
However now I feel much worse. On exercise (which includes walking on the flat, going upstairs to the loo etc) I experience palpitation, dizziness, I feel as though I am going to feint and my chest hurts, my heart races, but interestingly my pulse drops down to 55 - 65. On resting my BP is low and pulse high.
I went back to hospital last week (a small local hospital) and they checked the pacemaker, did a few tweeks and said it's working fine. I had an angiogram and that side appears to be ok.
But something is very not ok. I really feel as though I'm about to have a heart attack half the time.
Is this normal? Do you think I should ask for a referral to a bigger teaching hospital?
If I lay flat and don't move or sit still, I'm ok, but I can't live life like that.
Cheers Jane
Oh I should have added I'm getting some shooting pains up my neck as well.

4 Comments

Jane21

by zawodniak2 - 2015-08-08 09:08:29

Emergency pace maker procedures at a small hospital could be problematic, However, there is no choice in the matter at the time. I would seek a higher level specialist and focus on these issues.--Was the procedure done by an experienced electrophysiologist, was the right type of pace maker implanted and were the settings correct. I would definitely go to where the experts are. Good luck and let us know how things turn out!
Rodger

pain

by judyblue - 2015-08-08 10:08:21

Please seek another opinion. So many health professionals think just because the numbers on the pace maker interogation are fine, the patient must also be. It took me awhile to get someone to listen to my pain issue.
good luck!
judyblue

Hi and thanks for your help/comments.

by Jane21 - 2015-08-09 04:08:57

I do appreciate the time you have taken to help me. I have included some points here which were raised in your comments.
1. My pacemaker was fitted by the cardiology consultant.
2. I have been back to hospital 4 days ago, was in over night, wired up to telemetry and the technicians came down to adjust the pacemaker. I was in bed the whole time, so none of my symptoms were there. They said I was ok.
3. I am NOT having panic attacks and I am not on any new medications. I am a well balanced, well adjusted, very capable woman. I don't lie around thinking OMG I could have died, I accept I didn't and am ready to get on with the rest of my life.
I never bothered with any pain relief after implantation as a) it didn't hurt that much and b) the body's pain mechanism is a good way of gauging how much and what you do. I am not in any pain now, site still a bit sore, but nothing unusual.
4. I now feel much worse than before the pacemaker. Undeniably so.
I could go for a gentle walk (I live on a small farm and have an active life there as well as being a Primary teacher) before I had the pacemaker fitted. I now have difficulty going upstairs or walking anywhere at all.
I will go back to my GP next week and ask for a referral to Leeds which is nearish and has a very good cardiology department. Whatever it is, there is something wrong. I will report back.
Cheers Jane

I have no idea

by hilowell - 2015-08-09 06:08:47

Be safe! I hope you feel better thats all I can say. You can beat this ! Hopefully it starts working soon. I hate to hear that you're in pain.

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