Checking In

Hi everyone, I haven't been on in a while but I am nearing my 3 month mark since I had my pacemaker put in. I do feel better, and I have started to notice that I am able to do things that I wasn't able to before. Walking up a very steep hill without feeling like I'm dying, just barely out of breath from it, carry a 5 gallon bucket of water across the yard without trouble (it was below 20 here last night and all water pipes froze and busted) I actually wake up around 8-9 and even earlier if I need to, used to I could sleep til 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I actually hear my alarm clock go off now, when before it was like I was in a coma it was so hard to get me awake. just little everyday things that I never knew I was missing out on, I am able to do. :) but one thing I have noticed, I am off balance a lot more than before. I easily get disoriented sometimes, and other times not at all. I'm 23 years old. Thank you all for helping me when I had my surgery and the few weeks after when I was terrified over every new thing I encountered. 

5 Comments

Nice update

by confused - 2016-12-11 10:05:12

Glad to hear you are doing better. Isn't it great to get your life back! 

I would definitely mention your disoriented feeling at your next appointment if not sooner.  Maybe a call to your doctor's office would be a good idea.  A simple adjustment may help.

Tammy 

Taking any meds?

by Grateful Heart - 2016-12-11 11:50:13

Sometimes that is the cause.  Like Tammy said, talk to your doctor.

Good to hear you are doing so much better.  The newbies need to hear the good stories.

Grateful Heart

GREAT news!!!!

by Tracey_E - 2016-12-11 18:11:06

So glad to hear you are doing well overall!!!! It's amazing how we tell ourselves we are ok, then later realize maybe we weren't as ok as we thought. 

Ditto the question about meds that might cause the disorientation. Another thought is vertigo, which is inner ear not cardiac. I had that last summer and it was crazy! I'd be fine then out of the blue falling over, then fine again. I went to a physical therapist who did thing with my head to reset the inner ear crystals and it worked like magic. So, check with your gp to rule out vertigo and medication side effects. 

Thank you all

by robinclaire93 - 2016-12-12 00:47:04

Thanks for the friendly words everyone, yes I am happy I got it put in even though sometimes annoying but other than that I'm glad I have it and so happy I feel better. as for medications, I'm not taking any at all. not even Tylenol or anything. I was personally thinking vertigo myself.

Another thing that happens to me is while driving on the road, if I am going down a hill, I have to slow down and I can't look directly in front of me at the road I have to kinda look to the side so I don't watch going down the hill, or I feel VERY disoriented, kinda dizzy in a way, and my stomach will do flips. this is new to me. 

Stomach flips and dizziness

by Selwyn - 2016-12-12 06:12:26

It is nice to appreciate how useful your PM is and what a great improvement in your health you have had with its placement.

The driving business, associated with the stomach flips is almost certainly likely to be anxiety related.

I see that you say you were "terrified" to some extent after your PM.

Most of us are somewhat reassured that we now have a system in place with more reliability than that which nature gave us.

Vertigo is a turning sensation (a bit like being on a round-about or merry go round) , rather than dizziness, which is more of an imbalance.

I find that sometimes there is a little dizziness/lightheadedness if I try to suddenly do heavy exercise ( like running up stairs from being sat down for a long time), as the PM rate response still has a lag time, in spite of being set to the fastest response setting. It may be worth checking that your PM rate response is similarly adjusted to the fastest onset setting.

So glad you are feeling better overall.

Selwyn 

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