My New Pacemaker

Nearly three weeks ago I had a two chamber pacemaker fitted at our local hospital, Eastbourne District General. The treatment I recieved was exemplary, I was admitted at eight in the morning and discharged at 1700 hours. The operation was painless and appeared to be straightforward, the staff were all amazing and very efficient, the experience good, I have to admit its not something I would want on a regular basis but the whole situation was handled beutifully by the hosptal and medical staff.

From the following day I noticed a marked improvement, I was not breathless, my muscles did'nt ache with exertion any more and as the days progressed the benefits became more aparent.

Five days after the operation we went for a meal in Brighton to celebrate our sons thirtieth birthday, I of course was not allowed to drive but we had to walk for over half a mile over hilly terrain to the restuarant, before the transplant I would have had to stop two or three times to get my breath, my muscles would ache and ot would have been an unpleasant experience.

After several hundred yards I was admonished by my wife for walking too fast, it appeared that my legs had reverted to thirty year old mode rather than the reality of sixty eight years. Upon arrival at our destination I had time to open the door and wait for my wife and family to catch up, during this time I realised that I was not at all breathless and not hot and bothered.

Subsequently it appears that my sight has improved, my complexion has changed from a dull grey colour to a ruddy brown healthy hue and my legs are now almost back to their look of twenty years ago rather than their red and purple ones of late.

Other than the recovery period which has been remarkably short and a little pain felt on my right shoulder, the site of the PM all my experiences have been positive.

The main question that I have is, does this fitting of a PM really positively affect my site or am I imagining it.

 

4 Comments

Great story

by Persephone - 2023-04-14 09:36:28

Thanks for sharing your uplifting story, Clive. So glad you are feeling well. Yes, I could see better after implant - colors were brighter and vision sharper. Food even tasted better. I was stunned, then after thinking about it, realized it made perfect sense that the organs that had been oxygen deprived were once again getting the blood oxygen they needed to function. Makes sense for your skin, too - your body's largest organ.

Best wishes to you for continued good health!

not imagining it!

by Tracey_E - 2023-04-14 09:47:34

Low heart rate has a profound impact on our bodies so it makes sense that fixing it would also have a large impact.

If you are struggling on exertion, check with your doctors. It's not uncommon to need the settings adjusted once we start to heal.

It's great to hear you've had such a postive experience!

Not a figment of your imagination

by AgentX86 - 2023-04-14 15:27:51

You're certainly on the best possible side of the distribution, your imagination isn't running away with reality.  As others have said, your organs, and muscles, are now getting the oxygen they need.  I am a bit surprised that your leg muscles came back so fast. After just a short while, they start to lose mass and it takes some time to get back into condition.

I had a recovery much like yours.  I had virually no pain. Even though I was given tylenol/codiene I didn't need it (hate the stuff).

Great stuff

by piglet22 - 2023-04-15 10:17:12

That's excellent news and the pacemaker is doing exactly what it is intended to do, make you feel a whole lot better.

I too was really struggling before pacemaker and imagined it wasn't far off what it feels to climb Everest without oxygen.

Over 18 years on, I walk every day in a very hilly county town not far from you and clock up about 4-million steps a year.

Pacemakers aren't perfect and now and again you might get occasional pre-pacemaker symptoms.

Your hospital sounds a whole lot better than the one I go to.

Were you issued with a bedside monitor? That seems to be the trend now as they close down clinics.

For what it's worth, don't worry about the driving side of things.

It's best and mandatory to inform DVLA and your insurer will need to know.

Inform DVLA just once and emphasis that your symptoms have been corrected by treatment (pacemaker implantation) and you should be good to go. I didn't see a GP, just simply wrote to DVLA and their medical assessment board will do the rest. I don't know anyone who has been refused a driving licence because of a pacemaker. In fact, I suspect there are people driving with conditions that certainly should be off the road.

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