Scared and depressd

You are not alone

by Good Dog - 2016-11-18 20:25:57

There are so many of us here that were fine one day and in the hospital the next day with a complete heart block. I can tell you that it is a scary and very unsettling thing to deal with. However, the good news is that with a PM you will be able to live a completely normal life. I do mean a completely normal life. I was much like you when at age 37 (actually just turned 38 by a couple weeks) I thought my life was over. I had no idea at the time (this was before the internet) that I would ever be able to do anything. My neighbors were out shoveling snow and I thought I'll never be able to do that again. It was seriously depressing.

Little did I know that within six months I would be playing basketball and running a couple miles a day. Honestly, there is nothing I couldn't do after getting the PM that I could do before. Now during the previous 30 years with this thing in my chest my life has been completely normal, except of course for the checkups and the generator changes.

So cheer-up. You will be fine and I am confident that you'll go on and live a long and happy life. Of course, the happy part is entirely up to you. 

Sincerely,

David

ditto David's advice

by Tracey_E - 2016-11-18 20:35:22

What was your diagnosis? If the only thing wrong was a low heart rate, the pacer fixes that so we can heal and get on with our lives. I've been paced since 1994. I hike or ski every vacation, do Crossfit 5 days a week, love to kayak and zipline. I ran my first 5k to celebrate 20 years of being paced and my daughter conned me into signing up for a half marathon. There's nothing I want to do that I cannot. It can be a blow and take some time to adjust emotionally in addition to the physical healing. Know that it's normal!  

life going forward.results

by Figallegro - 2016-11-19 10:17:25

My 2 lead PM was installed 8/12/16 and I too was very depressed about life going forward. With a couple of PN adustments and all the good advice here, my wife and I are amazed at what I can do at age 70. I usuallt put inabout 5 - 6 miles with everyday walking and outside work using chain saws, splitting wood, riding bike, canoeing just to name a few activities. Initially the met=ntally down times were due to BP meds that were changed. Live ,ife to the fullest.

You will get there

by Grateful Heart - 2016-11-19 23:10:50

It's a process and it takes time.  We are all different and recover in different ways.

Yes....it's a shocker (no pun intended).

Like Sparrow said, attitude is key!  There is always more than one way to look at things.  Consider it a blessing that you had a BP check and your heart condition was discovered.  Many go undetected and sometimes it is too late.  We are very, very lucky. 

Knowledge is power, so learn about your condition and device and that will go a long way to ease your mind too. 

Another vote here for Cardiac Rehab.  I tested my device and worked it as hard I could at Cardiac Rehab.  I figured if I was going to have a problem like collapsing or such, that was the place to be....surrounded by Nurses and a crash cart.  My Nurses were wonderful!  And by the way, I did not have any problems while exercising there.

Acceptance is also key.  We needed this device and we have it.....again, we are very, very lucky. 

You will get there.

Grateful Heart  

Thank you

by Mcd - 2016-11-20 20:09:08

After  reading all  the comments I feel a little better.  I know it's only been 10 days since my PM.  But what a hit.   Attitude is everything.  I'm hoping to be able to run again and just continue on with my life.  That is my new goal.