I've always wanted a pacemaker...

said no one ever, but I am grateful, amazed, and delighted by this wonder of technology.

I am a 50yo newbie here (first post) and thankful for this community of cyborgs.  

My story started recently in December. Every time I would go for a run in the morning I felt like I was going to pass out. Over the next few weeks my resting heart rate dropped from 65 to low 40's. I had a massive cardiac work-up, including an angiogram, but they found nothing odd, except a few arythmias on the echo/stress test. After two weeks with a ZioPatch monitor, my cardiologist told me to urgently come in. I had extreme VT with exercise/exertion/stairs and I had extreme bradycardia with resting HR dropping to 27 at night. After a lot more testing, I was diagnosed with CPVT. I got a shiny new ICD/pacemaker and daily beta-blocker. 

At this point, I am only three weeks in with the ICD, but I feel much better with it pacing me. It is pacing >80% of the time with a resting heartrate of 50. I am not running or exerting myself yet, but even with a fast walk around the neighborhood I am still getting a little bit of VT (a long string of PVCs). I'll go back in a few weeks to do another stress test to see how the beta blocker is doing. 

I've got the new Apple Watch with ECG and a bought a portable ECG monitor that has been extremely useful at helping me see what is going on. I hope to not need the defibrulator, but happy that it is there. 

This forum has been a great resource.

Mike

 

1 Comments

Good for you!

by Gotrhythm - 2019-02-10 15:57:05

Not everyone it rational enough to realize that gettting a pacemaker when you in fact need a pacemaker is a Good Thing. I wasn't.[ sheepish chuckle] 

Your attitude speaks volumes for your mental health and your positive approach will stand you in good stead, now and in the future.

About liking your measuring devices, while some people can get a little compulsive about their numbers on various instruments and are better off without them, I have always found instrumentation to be useful in helping me understand objectinvely what is happening when I feel something. Glad you have found means of measuring that work for you.

It's the nature of forums like this one that we have more posts about problems than success strories. Although it's actually the norm, few people write to tell us a positive experience. Thanks for letting us know that the pacemaker has lived up to your expectaions.

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