New to the Club

Hi All,

I'm brand new to the pacemaker club - just had mine installed on Tuesday.  At 38, this is all totally new to me - I only learned about my Left Bundle Branch Block in June thanks to a precautionary ECG for an anti-anxiety med I was taking to help wth sciatic nerve issues (slipped disc 3 years back, but that's a whole other story).

Fast forward to last week when I felt a mild heaviness in the centre of my chest after work, and took myself to the ER on the off chance that it might be something serious. Turns out I was experiencing second-degree AV block, and they couldn't find a cause despite testing for everything they could think of (Lyme disease, auto-immune conditions, Hemochromatosis, Structural abnormalities - all came back negative).  After a barrage of tests and 5 days in hospital (and no arrythmias after the first 24 hours), their only solution was a pacemaker. With no obvious cause, and no idea when or if the block would occur again, they didn't want to let me out without one, for fear that I'd collapse somehwere and not be able to get help in time - nevermind what I might be doing at the time of passing out.

I think I'm still a little in shock/denial about all of this - even I think I'm taking it all a little too much in stride.  I'm hoping that spending some time here will ease the transition when it finally hits me that I'm now partially bionic...  ;)

3 Comments

Congratulations! You're just where you ought to be.

by Gotrhythm - 2017-09-16 15:15:53

My need for a pacemaker seemed at the time to come out of the blue. I remember a period of time when I walked around not sure what to think. I mean, I my body's fuction had been taken over by an electronic gizmo--visions of the 'Borg! [shudder]

In time, with 20/20 hindisight I could see that I probably needed a pacemaker several years before I got one. You might have the same realization once you have lived for a while without AV block.

Unlike you, I wasn't smart enough to join the Pacemaker Club at that time. As a result, I stumbled around a lot, needing support, but not knowing where or how to get it. You won't need to.

Ask questions. Share your experience. There's lots to learn and many here who will offer support.

Welcome

by TBrous&Chip - 2017-09-17 07:27:24

A nice group of folks here to give support

Anxiety

by zawodniak2 - 2017-09-17 17:24:23

I ,too, had a LBBB , also bradycardia. After surprisingly passing out and breaking a rib, the cardiologist urged me to get a pacemaker---said if I developed a RBBB it would be fatal..I stayed in the hospital for several days running tests and an electrphysiology study and then wore a holter as an outpatient.  Conclusions were the same " LBBB and braydicardia"----however, no unusual events which added to my denial to not get the pacemaker at that time.  This resulted in quite a bit of anxiety and fear that each light-headed feeling was the "BIG ONE".!!  After an inconsequential,  momentary black out of just several seconds I consulted an electrophysiologists for a tilt table test which confirmed I was a candidate for a pace maker which I got within a week.  Sorry for rambling but one of the seldom discussed symptoms of needing a pace maker, but denying is the anxiety factor, which in my case is completely  gone.

                        Rodger

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.