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Post-implant Anxiety?
Greetings from a new member, who joined on behalf of his 86 year-old father, a four-month veteran of a pacemaker implant.
He has recently complained of chills early in the morning, and feelings of restlessness. These episodes do not last more than an hour, but they upset his sleep (as well as my mother's). They also seem to upset his mental well-being.
His primary care physician, an internist, has ruled out hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia as causes. His electrophysiologist sees from the pacemaker's remote monitor that the device is working fine.
He has one month's wait to see a neurologist.
I am wondering if his complaints are related to pacemaker anxiety, and whether it would be helpful for him to see a psychologist or geriatrician (or both).
In the meantime, having discovered this website, I wonder if anyone in the community has experienced similar reactions, or would care to offer any recommendations.
Thank you in advance.
4 Comments
To Theknotguy
by lmhause - 2018-08-11 22:05:01
How long did you feel those sensations? I have had my pacemaker for just over two months. I sometimes feel a poking sensation. I have had the PM altered a couple times now. Hoping this all settles down because it has made me very anxious.
When minor is major
by Gotrhythm - 2018-08-12 14:37:57
Waking up chilled in the early hours is so common for me that I keep a cover folded to one side so that I can easily pull it over me. "Restlessness" is so vague, it's hard to comment on, but again, it's not uncommon. What strikes me as important is the level of your father's distress over something so relatively minor and common. It's way out of proportion.
If your father is being woken by a pacemaker check, that's easily remedied. If neccessary it can be turned off. Still, unless your father has always been of an anxious dispostion, easily upset by trifles, it seems to me that a visit with a geratricain is in order. Losing the ability to keep things in perspective can be a sign of age-related changes in the brain.
A geriatrician could probably give you some guidance about how to cope.
Morning chills
by al7914 - 2018-08-22 11:51:15
It's been a week and I did wake up once in the early morning with chills and I live in the arizona desert, I thought it was strange. I never have them since, though. My A/V node will be ablated next week so I won't feel the heart flop, hi the ER yesterday because of the flooping and light headedness. No one told me that it was getting used to? Thanks for this site, at 4 am I started to look and found this site! I got some Alpraslem from the ER doctor, good call, it puts the heart to rest, otherwise I could feel the heart in the middle of a control issue fight for 15 or so seconds, hate that feeling! I don't go outside because the high humidity really starts the heart flooping. Can't wait for the A/V ablation!
You know you're wired when...
You have a maintenance schedule just like your car.
Member Quotes
Just because you have a device doesn't mean you are damaged goods and can't do anything worthwhile and have to lie down and die. In fact, you're better and stronger. You're bionic!
Some people
by Theknotguy - 2018-08-11 20:50:57
Some people do go into a depression after a pacemaker is implanted. However, right after the pacemaker is implanted they set the voltage higher and that can cause problems. I'm one of the rare people who can feel my afib and when they had the voltage set higher I could sometimes feel the tickle followed by the hard thump of the heartbeat. Perhaps your father is sensitive and is feeling the initiation of a heartbeat from the pacemaker. They turn down the voltage at or about the one month time period so the problem with your father may go away at that time. This is just one explanation of what it might be.
Sleep apnea goes along with heart problems so it's another thing to check out. And, like I said at the start there could be depression issues but I don't know if it would manifest itself so quickly. A device check can wake you up too.
And some of the problems could be just adjusting to the pacemaker. It was a strange to feel a normal, regular heartbeat right after I got my pacemaker.
Hope something helps.