Rejecting Pacemaker!!

Acceptance

by Grateful Heart - 2018-05-13 12:29:02

It's much easier than fighting it....become friends with it.  It can take some time.  

Learning all you can about your condition and device will help with acceptance.  None of us wanted one but I am truly grateful that these devices exist to help us live longer and stronger.   

I look at it as part of my body now...not a separate entity.  It's a part of me. 

The "pricking" sensation you are feeling is most likely the nerves regenerating.  To me they felt like ant bites....and they really hurt.  lol  You will feel them off and on and should end within a years time...if not sooner.

If you are feeling out of breath, let your doctor know.  You may just need an adjustment or two to your settings now....very common and easy to fix.

It will get better.  Attitude and acceptance is the key.

Grateful Heart

Acceptance

by davey - 2018-05-13 15:26:05

I can understand what you mean , it is daunting at first, but you will get use to it,  laying on that side at first does sometimes hurt or feel uncomfortable, its healing in that area so its bound to.

Ive said in a message before, like most will say im sure, its there to help you live a normal life , Accept it , i read a message of one young lady and she described it as her "New Best Friend ", be positive, and remember, it is there to help you..

Best Wishes..

Davey

Aceptance = agree

by AgentX86 - 2018-05-13 18:56:24

I've only had mine for about 12 weeks but it's been pretty easy for me accept it.  Like you, no choice - might just as well go with the flow.  I normally sleep on my stomach so it took some getting used to.  In fact, just to make sure I didn't do something stupid, I slept in a chair for the first eight weeks (had to do the same for five months after my CABG surgery).

BTW, I still have pain, itching, and odd sensations from the CABG, three and a half years ago.

Getting old isn't for sissies but it beats the alternative.

I get it

by Gotrhythm - 2018-05-14 13:36:03

I understand exactly how you feel. The very thought of this alien thing under my skin, attached to my heart!  It made my skin crawl. It made my guts writthe. Even though, without question I felt better with it than without it.

I knew my attitude was not helping me. And the mind-body connection is strong. If I kept it up, my body might oblige by rejecting the pacemaker for real.

I knew I had to take control of my attitude and my feelings. I had to make a friend of my pacemaker. The first thing I did was give it a name. I chose "Mon coeur." Literally, "my heart," but it's a term of endearment--sort of "heart of my heart".

I made up my mind I was going to get to a good place with having a pacemaker and until I did I was going to "Fake it til I made it."

It didn't happen over night. But these days, I hardly notice the pacemaker, but when I do, I'm grateful for the little heart of my heart.

attitude counts

by Tracey_E - 2018-05-14 13:40:21

How we choose to look at it makes a big difference in how quickly we bounce back. The emotional side is a huge part of healing. That said, it's perfectly normal to feel blindsided, unsure, scared of the future, to mourn what we thought was our excellent health. They talk about physical healing but emotional healing is real. Cut yourself some slack,but try to look on the bright side. I've always been grateful to have a problem with a fix. Hating it won't change anything, just make you miserable.

Two things that helped me move on were learning all about it. I can accept what I can understand. Also, getting active again. Once I felt good and got busier,  I thought about it less and less. 

It took 5-6 months until I could comfortably sleep on my side after. I found sleeping in a sports bra helped. You'll get there. 

If you are still short of breath, call and ask to be seen again. It's common to need to fine tune the settings. They start with a good guess, but we are all different so it's not one size fits all. 

The healing process

by ToniB - 2018-05-17 00:03:12

Reading the comments and reassurances written by other people is very helpful.  Friends and family do not understand, as much as they try.  I am three weeks post-surgery and I am healing well.  But, I have discomfort at the end of the day and I am having trouble sleeping.  This implant came as a huge surprise because I had no symptoms.  I had bradycardia with a heart rate of 25 at night but no other symptoms except some fatigue.  I was extremely surprised by the outcome and they hustled me into surgery the next week.  So, I understand being dismayed but I am grateful to be alive!  All that being said, I am still at a stage where I am adjusting to the idea that I am a cardiac patient.  Denial versus acceptance and gratitude is my biggest hurdle!  Thank you for listening and for being supportive to thise of us who are newbies.