Request information/advice on getting a pacemaker- 39 year old mother of a 9 month infant with bradycardia

I am seeking advice on where to get a pacemaker and a doctor to provide a second opnion on if I need a pacemaker.  I am an active, fit 39 year old female with an infant son and would like to continue running, diving etc.  I am hoping to manage my bradycardia without a pacemaker so I would like a second opnion, but if I need one I would love to have recommendations on what hospitals/doctors are the best for people who will require having a pacemaker for at least 40 years (I hope).  

A pacemaker was brought up several years ago and I did not get one then because I had less symptoms.  This time it came up again as I was not feeling well and discovered to have low sodium (121)  and bloating in the stomach and legs...I spent about 1 night in the hospital and lost 9 lbs of water weight.  The reasons for my low sodium are not entirely clear.  I do have some symptoms such a fatigue, dizziness, pressure on the left side of my neck/shoulder, lighheadedness, with rare fainting episodes.  My heart rate is around 33-46. 

Thank you for any guidance or recommendations you can provide. 

Laura

2 Comments

don't fight it

by Tracey_E - 2018-05-02 10:33:20

It sounds like more is going on than just a low heart rate. You need to get to the bottom of the sodium issues but fainting, dizziness, fatigue are all symptoms of a low heart rate. There are no fixes for this other than a pacemaker. It doesn't go away on its own, it typcially stays the same or gets worse. There are no medications or natural treatments to bring up the heart rate. You have a baby to consider so I would do it sooner rather than later. What if you pass out while holding the baby? Or driving? 

Lots of doctors have younger paced patients now. You'll want a board certified electrophysiologist doing the surgery, then follow up care can be with either that same doctor or a regular cardiologist. You didn't fill out the profile or say where you are so I wouldn't know who to recommend for a second opinion. Complicated cases sometimes go to Cleveland or Mayo for a second opinion. I see an adult congenital specialist in Miami who has a lot of other patients paced for a lifetime but it doesn't sound like you are congenital. There are a lot of excellent cardiac clinics around the country. The main thing to look for is electrophysiologist, you want an electrician rather than a plumber. 

Having a pacer for most of us means getting back to our regular, active lives. I'm older than you at 51, got my first pacer at 27. I'm healthy and active, two kids in college (both born after I was paced), hike or ski most vacations, did my first Spartan this year, am going on a ropes/zips course with some friends on Friday then running a race on Saturday. There's nothing I want to do that I cannot.  It's not nearly as scary as it first sounds, just a tool to get our heart rate normal so we can get on with our lives. 

consider the future.

by davey - 2018-05-09 12:44:11

like the last person to advise , i would say they are 100% correct, and if the advice is to have a pacemaker, remember this, its there to work for you, to help you, people live very normal lives after pacemaker surgery than before they had it done.

TracyE, well done , perfectly written, in fact excellent.

Consider the future.

Best wishes..

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