post recovery shortness of breath

Hi Perry❤️‍🩹

by Lavender - 2023-04-04 22:12:09

Sorry to hear that you're experiencing shortness of breath. It's so disappointing dealing with this after getting your pacemaker. You're very early into the healing process. Please keep aware that we get dehydrated much quicker with our pacemaker. Your heart is beating more efficiently and you need more water. Having said that, there's little comfort in being told everything is normal when you're not feeling normal. 🙄

You haven't had your first adjustment yet. In most cases, they turn up the heartbeat while the leads are getting more securely attached. Then at the one month checkpoint, it is usually turned down a bit. Please be good to yourself during this time of rest and recovery. 
It won't always be like this💕☮️

Healing takes time

by Gotrhythm - 2023-04-05 13:37:34

I can understand that you are frustrated, because even though you have seen some improvement, you are still having uncomfortable feelings that make you wonder if your pacemaker is working right. 

You aren't asking the wrong questions. You're simply asking them too soon. You still have a lot of healing and recovery to do. Above all, your heart is having to get used to a new way of beating. It's hard to tell whether your symptoms will just go away in a few weeks, or if they are signals that something needs to be changed.

To live well with a pacemaker (which hopefully you will do for a long, long time) you're going to need to learn a bit of doctor-speak. When they say, "Your pacemaker is working fine (or normally) all they mean is that the pacemaker is working the way it is programmed to. 

Your pacemaker is basically a tiny computer. Like all computers, it can only do what it is programmed to do. At this point in time, your pacemaker has only the most fundamental programming. Once you are all healed up and your heart is used to being paced, they will make changes to the programming (the settings) so that your pacemaker's instructions will be a better fit with what your heart needs for it to do--so that you can feel your best and live the live you want to live.

So chill, my friend.  Getting your pacemaker's settings programmed so that they are optimal for you is a process, and sometimes it takes several visits to get everything dialed in just right. 

Focus on the good news, which is that you have already noticed some improvement. Some improvement means getting a pacemaker was the right decision. It is helping. Where there is some improvement, it is reasonable to hope for more. Stay positive.

I read a quote yesterday about running a marathon. It said, Running a marathon is 90% mental. And the other 10%...is mental.