Anxiety

Hi everyone. I just joined and am thankful for this forum. I had my pm implanted a month ago, Sep 12,2018. Everything went smoothly, and I have high confidence in my surgeon. But I'm experiencing some symptoms that are hard to explain.

The primary functions I needed was pacing to keep my heart rate above a minimum of 50 bpm, and for intermittent 3rd degree heart block. I went back once and asked them to turn off the CLS setting as I felt it was unnecessary and creating issues. I definitely feel better with that off, but still am feeling occasionally a brief shortness of breath, and an undefinable feeling of uncomfortableness. Which again. Really hard to explain.

My doctor and the technician say that the pm is functioning perfectly, but have told me to come back in whenever I want if I feel we still need to tweak it. My doctor also offered it could be anxiety.

I have experienced anxiety in the past, so I am not going to rule that out. But I also feel like I know my body. And I'm not sure....

Sorry this is so long, but any thoughts from those of you who have been there ? Thanks 😊

2 Comments

Accustomed at first

by Theknotguy - 2018-10-12 16:28:31

It is sometimes hard to get accustomed at first.  They set the voltage a little higher for about the first 30 days.  Some people are more sensitive to that and that may be causing the "undefinable feeling of uncomfortableness".  The SOB feeling may be caused by the higher heart rate.  Your body was accustomed to 50 BPM or less and now it's at 60 BPM. Your body just hasn't caught up yet.  

I'm one of the rare people who could feel the electric tickle followed by the hard thump of the heartbeat   It would even wake me up at night.  After about 30 days they dropped the voltage and I don't feel it any more unless the second lead kicks in.  So you may be more on the sensitive side as I indicated before.  

Eventually the body adjusts.  How long that takes depends upon you and your body.  It's hard at first because you don't know if the new feeling is something going wrong or just some new sensation you haven't felt before.  

I hope everything else is going well for you and you are otherwise adjusting.  

Anxiety

by Novarock - 2018-10-12 23:04:05

Thanks for your thoughts. I have read similar things regarding the voltage. My doctor said he will adjust that down at my 3 month appointment.

You hit on it perfectly that it is difficult to distinguish wether something is wrong or if it's just something"different".

Have a great weekend

You know you're wired when...

You have the perfect reason to show off your chest.

Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.