Introducing me...

• by pegrowe62
• 2007-10-07 03:10:19
• General Posting
• 2127 views
• 4 comments

Hello All,

I am so happy I found this place!!! I am a 45 year old mother of three, 23, 16, and 9. Three years ago, I passed out and went code blue in the right place at the right time! In the hospital. I was being monitored for possible heart attack. I never had the heart attack, which is a good thing.

After going Code Blue, I then went into A-Fib. It took three kinds of meds to get me back going again. The next day... the doctors came in and asked me if I had ever had that happen before.
My answer was fairly fast.... I'd been passing out all my life, from my early teens onward. It let up during my 30's and that was the first time I'd passed out in my 40's. I was never aware of going "Code Blue" or of "A-Fib" in myself.

I was soon, diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome and told that I needed a pacemaker. And the next day I got one... April 30, 2004. I was given great care at the hospital, but had many questions. My cardiologist was great, but there was never enough time to ask all the questions I had.

Anyways, I have a Medtronic EnPluse with dual leads... I tell people I have "dualies" LOL. And btw, the Medtronic guy was great!!!!

Apparently I have a very small heart and a small cavity, my pacemaker was hard to place. One of the leads punctured a hole in the sac around my heart, and I had symptoms. I kept going to the regular doctor telling her I had asthma and she kept telling me it was my heart. I didn't see the connection, and kept insisting an inhaler! Finally when I had so much liquid around my heart that I passed out when sneezing, or trying to pick up my daughters toys.... (I couldn't bend over anymore)... and I sneezed on the job and fell over... finally I called the heart doctor and he told me to get in there. They did an ultrasound and had me go straight to surgery in the hospital. When they laid me down to drain the fluid, I went code blue again.... They drained 2 liters of fluid out from around my heart. Of course, I was in the hospital for a few days. It was during this time, that I decided that a "Friend" of mine, who was very close to being a "boyfriend" already--well, he became my boyfriend. I've fretted and fretted..over ethics and doing things right all my life. I didn't want to hurt somene by going into a rebound relationship, but I felt this was so right. Looking at my mortality straight in the face, I kind of threw out the rights and wrongs...and said, "please let's try"

This guy is now my husband, We've been married over two years now. He just had a six way by pass in October. We knew when we married that each of us had special history --his father died at 34 of his third heart attack. At that time, no one had yet come up with open heart surgery. When I met him, he had had two minor heart attacks, had two stents, high blood pressure, and had just been diagnosed with diabetes. My father died at 43, his first heart attack at 32 killed 1/2 his heart, but he had the benefit of open heart surgery and lived another 10 years. I'd been waiting my whole life to have a heart attack like dad, and die young. I have always lived my life pretty much like each day is the last... and so does my husband.

Once, I was healed up from the fluid being in that sac, I can honestly say that for the most part I've had no problems. Once in awhile, I swear I can feel it zap me, and I just figure it's doing it's job. Last night it zapped twice, very hard, so hard it made my stomach upset. I don't know if it's normal, but I figure as long as it's keeping me alive, It's okay.

My first cardiologist's office, would test me, and tell me how the pacer was doing and let me know when I used it, how often, etc. I found the information useful and also it helped me to feel better about myself because I was only using it 1-2% of the time.

My new dr. checks me via phone, and all I hear is that the pacer is doing well. I don't like this. I want to know if my usage rate is going up or not. I really don't know if I have the right to ask.

I've done lot's of research on Sick Sinus Syndrome and gotta say, I don't really understand all of it. One thing that has had me curious this whole time is about when my heart will just stop, and the pacer won't be able to help. Can I go on for years and years this way... can I get old??? I mean... if I don't have a heart attack.. or other things like that. Right now, I'm in fairly good shape, and have not developed full blown heart disease. I"ve had high blood pressure since I was in my 20's, it's inherited, and I was finally diagnosed and put on meds when I was 28 (after years of headaches, etc.). I am just now starting to show damage from that.

I'd love to hear from others, no matter what your experiences...
I love reading here, I've learned so much. I've even read some things that might help my husband (he had a golf ball sized lump on his lower sternum, that is very painful--I read something here that made me wonder if it's scar tissue that can be relieved).

Thank you so much to those who started this club, maintain it, and publize it. Thank you to the members who participate and help folks like me who come along! This is just great and would have been so helpful to find months, and months, if not a few years ago!!

Thank you--
Peggy S.
Myrtle Creek, OR