First time user!!

Hi All

My name is Chris, I'm a 57 year old lady. This time last week as far as I was concerned I was a fit (ish!) person with no health problems except for occasional rapid palpitations for which I'd had a 24 heart monitor recording on 3rd March. When the monitor was on I had not been aware of any palpitations or anything untoward at all. That all changed on Friday 31st March last week when I was food shopping in my local supermarket and I took a phone call from my doctor. She commented that it would be an interesting conversation in a supermarket and then, after checking I was ok to have the conversation there, proceeded to tell me what my 24 hour tape had shown - at least one 7 second pause between heart beats and intermittent complete heart block with a diagnosis of Mobitz Type 2. She told me she was going to contact a cardiologist for advice, that I might need to see a cardiologist that afternoon, and would ring me back. I drove myself the mile back home - the doctor had said I would need someone to take me to an appointment, but didn't say I shouldn't drive at all.

20 minutes later and a bit cross that I had driven a mile home, the doctor rang back saying I should go to A&E at Watford Hospital as soon as possible where I would be expected. I was admitted from A&E that afternoon and told that I would need a Pacemaker fitting on Monday, but if there was any problems over the weekend I would be transferred to Hammersmith Hospital for emergency pacemaker fitting.

After a very boring weekend hooked up to a monitor and little sleep, my pacemaker was fitted on Monday morning. It was a horrible experience. It took 2 hours, I was told it would be 1. Whilst they were feeding the wires in I got some chest pain which the doctors weren't concerned about, but I was! Admittedly all the heart tracings on the monitor were fine but that's no comfort when you're in pain. I was left battered and bruised and with a pain that felt like idegestion that dis go away for 24 hours. Several check ECG's and an ECHO showed no problems. Now I'm home and supposedly being 'looked after' by the most uncompassionate husband, who just happens to be a nurse. And now after an almighty row, it looks like he's leaving. He can't cope with tears and anxiety and to be quite honest after the shock I've had this last week, all I feel like doing is crying! It's been a massive life changer but apparently that doesn't matter.

I'm absolutely petrified the pacemaker isn't going to work properly, and all sorts of other probably silly things but I'm assuming that's all natural, early reactions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

I'm petrified by the whole business of having a pacemaker

 

 

8 Comments

fear

by Tracey_E - 2017-04-05 14:22:19

Fear of the future, fear of the unknown, taking some time to learn to trust the pacer to do its work... it's all perfectly normal! As we heal and feel better, as we learn more about our conditions, it gradually goes away and this becomes our new normal. My trip for emergency surgery was in 1994. I've been paced every beat since and rarely give it a thought. They are high tech computers with a virtually non-existant failure rate, much more dependable than our wonky hearts. The heart always has the chance to beat on its own, the pacer only kicks in when it gets too slow or in your/my case, when the atria beats but the signal doesn't get to the ventricles. Our hearts still work like they always did. Worst case, we'd be back where we were before we got it. 

Take time to heal. Take time to let your mind catch up with all that's happened. Take time to mourn and be angry or whatever you need. Then make a conscious decision to put it behind you and get on with life. It's not a life-changer, it's just a bump in the road.

And anyone who'd leave after one big fight when you are post op? Good riddance. Just sayin. I hope it's not that bad and he becomes more supportive. Having just nursed my husband through a broken ankle surgery and weeks of my chauffeur/maid/nurse service, I can tell you it's also hard on the spouse both physcially and emotionally. Cut each other some slack and remember you love each other. 

Funny how some people react!!

by Jax - 2017-04-05 21:42:58

You certainly have had a rough time of it.  This is a very emotional time for you and it does take a while to adjust to your pm.  Your husbands reaction certainly doesn't help.  

Deep breath!!!   Things will get better-- without without yr husband   My pm is a wonderful gift of life and I thank goodness every day cause I feel great   

Hang in...we all went through our own rough times.    

 

 

Life after PM

by Snowman - 2017-04-05 22:22:26

There is life after the PM fit. I hate being dependent on an appliance too, I too had pauses , 9 seconds, HR in the 20s, some here had longer. It has been a steady incline to better thought as now you and I are getting well needed O2 to our depraved brains. Your memory, recollection and finding words will get better. Go to your Dr and I am sure you will be prescribed something to help you cope. The next day I thought a mule kicked me in the back and I swallowed 50 hot dogs I had such internal swelling, it lasted about two weeks. Your symptoms, Pain, Mental gymnastics is something we ALL went through in some fashion. Take hope we here at PM Club all GET IT!

God bless and I pray God for your peace!

You are still a fit fish!

by Gotrhythm - 2017-04-06 12:06:10

You have been through a bad time. Heart troubles on so many levels.

When you get a pacemaker in an emergency I think it's easy to confuse the problem with the solution, since they both seem to happen at the same time. The fear of dying suddenly that should go with the Mobitz Type 2 heart block gets transferred to the pacemaker. 

But the pacemaker is not the problem. It's the solution. Your chances are good that now you will live as long as someone who doesn't have a pacemaker. In fact, some things--like gerneral anesthesia--are now safer. for you.

But getting a pacemaker is an adjustment, mental and physical. Having the pacemaker implanted was traumatic. Throw in relationahip issues and you've got a lot on your plate. Don't be shy about seeking professional help in dealing with all these challenges.

 

Life changer

by Grateful Heart - 2017-04-06 17:58:20

Yes....in the beginning.  It is a shock and it stinks!!

But then you come to realize how lucky you are....you are still here.  Maybe your husband is just scared for you (and him) ??

Right now you have to take care of yourself.  It takes a little time to wrap your head around all of this but the more you learn about your condition and device, the more comfortable you will become with all of it.  Then you can educate your family and friends to make them more comfortable as well.

Think of it this way:  Some people need eyeglasses to help their eyes.  Some need a hearing aid to help their hearing....or a walker to help them walk.  WE need a pacemaker or ICD device to help our hearts.  Nobody is perfect but we are very, very lucky to have a device to help our hearts.

In a short time, you will become very comfortable with your "new normal".  I hope things work out for you with your husband.

Grateful Heart 

Shocker

by betelayne - 2017-04-08 22:08:51

I can relate to your feelings.I've been there and done that.Six weeks ago I was doing the snowbird thing in Fl and getting ready to go home in about 10 days.One night at dinner time my legs became rubber and I could barely get to one place from another.Flue,I thought and spent most of the next 2 days in bed.No relief so off to the nearest ER .They admitted me with a heart rate that fought to get to 40.The next day my pm was implanted in a hospital I had never seen before by a Dr.I had never met.8 days later I flew the 1800 miles that brought my husband and I home.Now,6  weeks later I can tell you that I had every emotion you and the others have mentioned.Sometimes I still do but it's getting better.On one of those scary nights I found this site and read horror stories just like yours.Nobody volunteered to come to my pity party .They gave me encouragement and in a few words suggested I get on with my life.I decided to try it.I'm doing great.Sometimes,I even forget that my heart is wired up to something.The people here are great.I don't post much but I read everything .Don't be a stranger.Come back .You'll find peace and courage here.As for your husband ...maybe he just needs some time to sort things out.I've been a caretaker too.If not,let him go...he's not worth your tears.I hope you are doing better.   Betelayne

trust it

by dwelch - 2017-04-13 03:16:35

I have had pacemakers for 30 years, I am 49, started at 19.  Now I had about 7 years before that of going to the cardiolgist, any doctor with a stethscope those few years wanted to listen to my heart even if they had nothing to do with it.  Felt like a lab rat.  So I didnt the surprise you need to come in today.  I am on number four, going on number five in two weeks, and will probably have more of them.

There is a crazy amount of accumulated wealth of knowledge and experience here, I was 20 something years in before I found this site and could find someone to ask questions, I figured it all out myself.

You can trust these things, even if they have to tweak it and such, the current ones are so much smaller and better than 30 years ago, it took months to get my first one adjusted right, dont need to do that anymore.

These things make you normal, not abnormal, not special...normal...

You WILL forget you have this thing, until you bump it and remember, then will forget again...

You will feel strange for a bit as you get used to your smoother more normal pacing.  They may have set your minimum higher than you were used to, so that make take a bit, might be harder to sleep at first, but you figure it out.  When you go in for checkups, the mess with it doing tests, makes you feel like a lab rat for a few minutes, but they put it back, their ability to muck with it is not a bad thing it is a good thing, this thing is in control and it is working and they can adjust it to make it work better.

Get thorugh the first few weeks of pain, then the first month or few of adjusting, and then forget about it for the next 10 plus or minus years other than the annual visit and maybe some phone checks...

 

 

 

Many thanks

by cstev1e - 2017-04-15 04:54:30

Thanks everyone for all your comments and advice. Sorry not to have said so sooner. I am so much better, although to say I'm completely recovered would not be true! It is only just under two weeks since I got my pacemaker, but from being filled with doom and not being able to imagine my upcoming visit to see my sister in the US in August, I'm now back to looking forward to it!

I'm so glad I found this site!

Chris

You know you're wired when...

You have a maintenance schedule just like your car.

Member Quotes

A pacemaker completely solved my problem. In fact, it was implanted just 7 weeks ago and I ran a race today, placed first in my age group.