Why did I not know!


My implant was a total surprise..I thought I had stumbled, fell and fractured my wrist but during surgery my heart rate fell and it was determined I had actually passed out. Three days after the plate was put into my wrist they implanted the pacemaker.

After my surgery I was desperately trying to find a support group or anyone that could help me process what happened, but, unfortunately I did not find this site until today-almost two years later! However, I am grateful I found it and will look for answers to my questions.

Thanks .

4 Comments

You are not alone

by Good Dog - 2016-01-29 10:01:02

Glad to have you aboard here! This is a great place to get general info from folks with lots of real world experience. I have had my pacemaker for 30 years.
I will tell you why you did not know. It is, because our bodies adapt so well to problems like a slow heart rate. I had heart problems during my childhood and early-on as an adult. I had actually passed-out as a child on multiple occasions. It wasn't until I was 28 that they discovered a heart block. It turns-out that my heart rate was unusually slow. Especially at night.
Then suddenly when I was 38 my heart went into a full block (3rd degree). It happened suddenly without warning. The next day it went back to a 1st degree block and I felt normal again, but the doc's decided I better get a pacemaker. As I had said, that was 30 years ago. These are wonderfully unobtrusive and reliable devices. I consider myself fortunate to have it.
Again, welcome. If you have any questions or concerns in the future, don't hesitate to post them here.
Sincerely,

David

welcome!

by Tracey_E - 2016-01-29 10:01:18

We're so glad you found us! It's nice knowing there are others out there like us.

The same

by Gotrhythm - 2016-01-30 08:01:09

The weeks ago my long time friend had the same thing happen to her. Like you she thought she had fallen and broken her wrist, however because she was hooked up to monitors while she was waiting to see the orthopedist, it was discovered that her heart was pausing--once for 16 seconds!

In her case, she got the pacemaker before the wrist surgery, because the cardiologist assured her no surgeon would touch her without it. :-)

She's still wonders if she really needed the PM since the first pacemaker check shows she isn't using the pacemaker at all. Fortunately she has me and for any questions I can't handle, I've told her all about the club.

Gotrhythm

by Tracey_E - 2016-02-05 11:02:08

Your friend could be using it. If the heart pauses long enough to pass out, the pacer would kick in to prevent that but it would only be a for a few beats. Statistically, that will show up as 0, but those few beats are crucial.

You know you're wired when...

You have a maintenance schedule just like your car.

Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.