Insomnia and Light headed

Hi

Just wanted to know if anyone has experienced insomnia. I go to bed feeling shattered but as soon as the light is out I cannot sleep. No particular reason, PM is behaving.

Any suggestions ?

Also I know my blood pressure goes low but awful light headed today, also any help would be gratefully received.

Jules

5 Comments

Swedeheart

by Jules - 2008-04-11 04:04:24

Hi

Had PM fitted in Jan 08. Thanks for your comments and hopefully I will sleep tonight. Really gets you down as I hear my hubbie snoring, and I look on in envy or anger not sure which one. Take on bored the salt intake, and like yourself I have episodes of nausea after eating.

Hey you are right, we sound the same.

Jules

Right there with you...

by Swedeheart - 2008-04-11 04:04:55

Hello Jules,

I am on day 47 since implant. How long for you? I had terrible insomnia until a few days ago. I would be very tired, but when I would lay down to sleep... eyes wide open! I have never suffered from this until I received my PM. I plan on asking if it has something to do with my settings... or just getting used to the PM or what.... I sometimes take something to help me sleep, but try not to do that more than once or twice a week. The last few nights have been better, so I am hoping...

I also feel light headed a fair amount of the time. All of my symptoms that I felt (which were all new to me after the pacemaker) are still "with me", but are slowly (operative word here, slow) getting better. I monitor my blood pressure about 6 times a day and if it seems low I have something with a little salt... if not dizzy I try to move around a little to see if that will help get the old pumper being more active. Sometimes it helps.

I think these are "normal" symptoms. By that I mean I believe lots of us have them as our bodies get used to having a pacemaker. I sort of deal with it as I see mine getting slightly better all the time... but try to keep a close watch on what I am feeling and chart them on my blood pressure chart so I have "evidence" when I see the doctor.

I also have slight nausea most of the time after eating. I had constant nausea after implant for the first 3 - 4 weeks, but it is finally getting better and only following eating. It isn't bad, but also a new symptom in my daily life.

At any rate, you aren't alone...

Swedeheart

Me too !

by Elke - 2008-04-11 09:04:19

I have my PM since last August and for the first few months I could hear every single heart beat, once I settled down ,really unnerving !
I always thought perhaps when all is quiet I just focus on the heart beat to much. My doc prescribed me anxiety meds, which took care of the problem. so I'm assuming that it was caused by anxiety. then I tried to go off, and the symptoms returned, so I'm back on it.
perhaps as time goes by, we will get used to it and learn to relax better..
Elke

PM related insomnia?

by Stepford_Wife - 2008-04-12 12:04:32

Hello.
This article is in no way posted to insinuate that anyone suffers from a mental illness. I merely looked for something that would explain the reasons why people suffer from various symptoms after the implantation of a pacemaker.
Take care everyone,

~ Dominique ~

Psychiatric Morbidity and Depressive Symptomatology in Patients with Permanent Pacemakers.

Abstract.

Implantation of a permanent pacemaker requires a psychological effort on the patient's part for adaptation in the acute term, and chronically, it restricts activities of the patient and may cause some psychiatric disturbances. To investigate psychiatric morbidity and depressive symptomatology of the patients with permanent pacemakers, 84 pacemaker patients were diagnosed using the DSM-III-R criteria and depressive symptoms were determined by modified Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (mHDRS). Sixteen (19.1 %) patients had been given a psychiatric diagnosis. The most frequent diagnoses were adjustment disorder (5.9%) and major depressive episode (4.7%). Nine patients (10.7%) were diagnosed as having clinical depression (mHDRS ≥ 17). The mean score of mHDRS was 7.57 ± 7.46, and the severity of depression was significantly higher in females. The most frequent symptoms are difficulties in work and activities (53.6%), psychic anxiety (48.8%), loss of energy (42.9%), and hypochondriasis and insomnia (39.3%). Depressed mood, psychic anxiety, loss of energy, loss of interest, insomnia, and hypochondriasis were significantly more frequent in females. Uneducated patients had a more significant loss of energy than educated patients. Depressed mood, psychic anxiety, and somatic concerns and symptoms were more frequent in patients with permanent pacemakers than in the general population. These symptoms, resembling mixed anxiety-depression disorder, were related to fears of having a permanent pacemaker, since our series were composed of uneducated patients who did not have enough knowledge about the device.

This article is cited by:
Jacqueline Müller-Nordhorn, Gudrun Schüler, Stephanie Roll, Stefan N. Willich. (2006) Implantation of a cardiac pacemaker –. Clinical Research in Cardiology 95:10, 539
----------------------------------------------------

This article is unrelated to the previous article, but its content describes symptoms that many people experience after having Pm surgery. It is after all a traumatic event, that completely changes the way our lives used to be.

~ Dominique ~

This research examines the DSM-III-R criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study questions whether the psychiatric sequelae resulting from exposure to extraordinary traumatic events do in fact differ from the sequelae resulting from exposure to more common yet stressful life experiences. The study also examines whether PTSD sequelae accurately describe the responses of victims even of extreme events fitting the DSM-III-R definition of stressor. The study included data from both St Louis victims exposed to floods and/or unsafe dioxin levels, and Puerto Rico victims of mudslides/flooding. Results showed that some of the common stressful events related more closely to PTSD symptoms than did the extraordinary events. Further, disaster exposure most strongly related to symptoms of reexperiencing ; symptoms relating to avoidance were particularly unreported. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for revision both of the PTSD criteria for DSM-IV, and of instruments designed to assess PTSD symptomatology.

Thanks Guys

by Jules - 2008-04-13 02:04:56

Thanks for all the comments and yours with the articles as well Stepford-wife. I really found that interesting and yes I can relate to some of these.

Cheers

Jules X

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So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.