Medtronic Sure Scan Pacemaker installed with two leads - due to a Full Heart Block

• by LORIAAA
• 2016-11-09 20:00:25
• General Posting
• 1190 views
• 3 comments

I am a 65-year old female.  On August 15, 2016, I underwent surgery to receive my first pacemaker due to complete heart block, caused by Wenchebach Mobitz I.  One week later, I experienced the onset of illness, and an echocardiogram revealed a small amount of fluid around my heart.  This fluid level remained stable for several days, but then I had two acute instances of blacking out.  It was determined that one of the pacemaker leads had penetrated my heart wall, causing bleeding that was compressing my heart.  Consequently, I underwent surgery for placement of a drain, which removed 400 to 500 cc's of blood.  The next day, I underwent another surgery for replacement of both pacemaker leads.  One week after being released from the hospital, on September 8, 2015, I was re-admitted due to chest pressure, which was diagnosed as pericarditis.  Subsequently, I have experienced two additional flare-ups of pericarditis seemingly triggered by too much movement and vaccines (flu and pneumonia). 
 
Currently, I do not feel like I am making a lot of progress.  Although I am not experiencing another acute flare-up, I tend to feel worse in the afternoon, have slight pain and pressure when lying flat or learning forward, get sore throats that radiate to my right ear, and have fatigue.
 
I am being treated with several medications:  Colchicine, Metoprolol, Pantoprazole, Ibuprofen  

This brings me to my questions.  
Before the pacemaker surgeries and pericarditis, I was extremely active (biking, swimming, walking etc).  Now, anything more than walking around the house seems to make me feel symptomatic.  -Is this normal?  What can I do to get over this?
-Does anyone else have a problem with sore throats?
-Is fatigue normal?