coincidental need for pacemaker

My wife and I are physical therapists. We have practiced for forty years. In 2005 my wife developed a decreasing heart rate, I brought her to the ER and it was determined that she needed a dual demand PM. A ST Jude was placed and she's doing well. Almost a year latter to the day, I developed shortness of breath and a decreasing heart rate. A medtronic dual chamber demand PM was placed and I'm doing fine. My quandry is how could this coinsidence happen? Could it have something to do with our profession? On all stress tests for both of us are no evidence of any type of heart disease, no diabetes, non smoker and always exercising.

4 Comments

Yikes - both of you!

by auntiesamm - 2007-03-28 04:03:46

Hello Georgieboy and wife-welcome to the club. You certainly have one of the most unusual situations we have had. I believe both of you must have given everything you had to your patients all those years and now you both REALLY needed recharging. I worked many years in rehab and I know how hard Physical Therapists work and how much "heart" goes into what you do. How are the 2 of you doing now? Are you still practicing? There sometimes is just no explanation for incidents that occur. How wonderful that you found this website and the club members; I got my pacemaker last May and my friends in the club have been a wealth of information and the best support I could have asked for. Collectively, these club members have helped each other, I believe more than the physicians, etc., can or are willing to. Across the board the members represent just about every profession and lifestyle. It is just amazing how we have all come together to form this "family". I sincerely hope you and your wife derive the benefits from it that I have and that you make many new friends. God bless you both.
Sharon

Welcome

by Suze - 2007-03-28 05:03:40

First of all welcome to you both. I'm glad you are doing well now. You will find interesting and informative people on this message board......

Boy, that is quite a coincidence, but it's nice to share experiences, I guess. Although, it does seem a little extreme. (LOL)

Again, welcome aboard.
------Suze----

another PT

by patriciapeter - 2007-03-28 07:03:56

hi, I can't believe you both needed a pacemaker! That is quite a coincidence, who knows what the statistics are on that! I am a Physical Therapist too and got my first PM in 1998 and got my 2nd PM 12/06. I am still practicing also and have been for more than 20 yrs., I never thought about our profession having anything to do with it but who knows? Sress is part of the job but would it bring on sick sinus syndrome, I don't know. I too don't have any other problems with my heart except the electrical stuff and heart problems don't really run in the family, guess we should do a study! Anywway this is very interesting, I'm glad you both are doing well. Let me know what you make of all this, take good care now. Pat

Coincidental need for pacemaker

by djmann - 2007-09-02 05:09:20

What a coincidence, amazing odds and lucky you both can share your experience together, as you have shared your work together. I had a dual lead Medtronic implanted in July 2003, after almost 6 months of the doctors not finding enough symptoms....missing events of shortness of breath and dizziness. The day the pm was put in, a mad rush to the hospital emergency room because of swellingin the legs, showed a pulse rate of 32 and they put in a temporay lead to my heart till surgery the next afternoon. I had no heart disease, no high blood pressure, no heart-related medical history; but in conversation with the surgeon and relating how a viral cold 6 months earlier had taken out my voice completely for a full month along with an inner ear infection, he surmised viral attack to the heart, via the vestibular nerve, an electrical pathway to the heart, the nerve, as I understand it, passing the larynx and affecting my voice that full month. In reading your question as to how this could happen to either one of you, I wonder, in the absence of heart history, how many of these heart events are the result of viral damage? Perhaps I will never know, as there is no way to test then or now; but good luck with your shared pm's; you will always have something to talk about :<) And God Bless you for all your years of service to others. The PM club is a life-saver and a great incentive
to keep learning and sharing.

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I finished 29th in London in 2 hours 20 minutes 30 seconds which is my fastest with or without a device so clearly it didn’t slow me down ! I had no problems apart from some slight chaffing on my scar - more Vaseline next time.