HELP!

Hi everyone im 15 and got a pacemaker in may of 2008. ihad a very hard time coping.I got tired of ppl telling me how lucky i was or i should be greatfull but honestly i was the opposite. it has gotten better and i have learned to not let the scar bother me to much. i am tired of ppl treating me like im am going to break. i was hopping i could find some ppl in there teens or 20's who understand what i am going through. any tips or encouragment wuld be greatly appreciated!

8 Comments

well...

by Tracey_E - 2008-11-01 11:11:22

There are several teens here and a lot of 20-somethings. I hope one of them answers you soon. We've got a great group here, lots of love and support.

I'm not in my 20's anymore (42!) but I was when I got my first pm and I was born with my heart problems so I grew up with a long list of things I wasn't allowed to do. I know all about being treated like I'll break and it really bugged me!

Family will worry, there's no way to stop it. My mom still calls to ask me how my battery checks go! I just remind myself that they love me and the fussing is better than being ignored.

Friends, I found that if I don't talk about it and just be active and act normal, they soon forget about it also.

Teachers, well, I let them treat me like I'm fragile LOL. I will confess to occasionally taking advantage... I figure it makes up for all the times I wanted to do something but couldn't. Don't make it a habit, but a bit of milking it here and there is quite acceptable in my opinion ;o)

Hello

by PattiAnn237 - 2008-11-02 01:11:24

I had my pm implanted when I was 11, I'm 28 now. I will be honest with you, my teen years were really hard. When people would find out I had a pacemaker, they would either look at me like I had 6 heads, or they would baby me. I actually switched schools in 9th grade because everyone knew about the pacemaker and treated me so different they acted like I was going to fall apart at any minute. My new school was better but I never talked to anyone at school about my pacemaker. There were times when I felt very alone. I also got frustrated because I found myself worried about things like being sick and how my heart felt, while my friends got to spend their time thinking about boys and clothes.

But you know what, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Things do get a lot better. Now that I'm an adult I have confidence in myself that a lot of my friends don't have. I've been through so much and survived it and now I feel like I can do anything. Also, people stop being weird about the pacemaker, now a lot of people just think it's interesting.

I truly do know what you are going through. And I promise that things will get better! Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!! Take Care!

-Patti
pattiann237@yahoo.com

... wish you just the best

by mikki14 - 2008-11-02 04:11:46

Hi Kelsieb,

I am 22 years old and had a PM from July 2008. I had a lot of ablations before they destroyed my AV node and then they had to give me my first PM - I have got third degree AV block. I am really glad that I have the PM now, because when I was on the last check-up the doctor told me that the pulse of my atriums is still about 200/min, which is really a lot - I think ;-).. but the ventricles goes about 35-55/min without the PM, but of course the PM stimulates it.

I hope that your friends will regard you as a normal friend soon - not as a battery friend, who is going to break :-(. I really don´t know why they don´t behave to us as before... but not everyone, I have got some friends, who takes me really just like before. And hope you will have some these friends, who will take you as a normal guy as well ;-).

I wish you just the best and a lot of health.

With love!

Misa

me again

by mikki14 - 2008-11-02 05:11:52

Please don´t be shy to send me a private message :-). I would be very glad to speak with you by this way. Hope to hear from you soon :-).

Misa

Hi!

by tcrabtree85 - 2008-11-03 08:11:53

Welcome to the club! I hope you find this place to be friendly and helpful for you. I am 23 years old and have had my pm put in at 21.
It is very hard when people look at you differently but it will get easier for you. Once you get more use to having it. I still get annoyed when friends will look at me and tell me I shouldn't be doing something. Though I always have to remind myself those friends really care about my well being. Though I don't listen very well.
If you need somebody to talk to I am a message way.

Tammy

THANKS!

by kelsieb - 2008-11-05 11:11:04

wow yalls comments have been very encouraging! its so nice to know im not alone in this and that what i feel is normal! My friends have gotten better and treat me more like normal and dont let me milk it too much which is good for me! lol. My parents are the only ones who still havnt realy adjusted yet which i guess is normal since i wasnt born with any of my heart problems it was all kinda rushed onto them so i should cut them a little slack but i just want ife to be normal again! well thanks i hope to talk to everyone more!

- Kelsie

Hello

by enigma - 2008-11-07 03:11:11

Im 22 and i had my pacemaker implanted in June of 2004, when i was 19. I was honestly scared to death of having it done. But now 3 years later ive learned to love it. Without it I wouldnt be here. I have a sinus node dysfunction. When i did the tilt table test my heart stopped for 40 seconds. I just found this group today and it is so nice to know im not the only young person in the world to have one. After time my friends started calling me bionic woman and joking with me about it. One way to feel better, and make other people more comfortable around you is to joke about it i think. When people come to work and say they have a headache i always say "I have a pacemaker, I win!" and everyone laughs. My mom still is constantly bugging me about checks and such, but i think she just has to, she is a mom. The only thing about it that i still hate is that every time i go to the doctor, even the pacemaker clinic its like im a guinea pig. Everyone wants to know why i have it. I went to the hospital fo neck pain the other day and ended up on a heart monitor and with a chest x ray because they were curious. I dony think that will ever go away tho. At least not until im "at the right age for one" whatever that is. lol.

Know what you mean

by Hot Heart - 2008-11-11 10:11:22

Hey hun just enjoy being 15, if it wasnt a pacemaker it would probably be spots or a bad hair day. I'm 40 years older than you and just got my pm, everyone calls, hi how are you? should you be doing that? dont do that! etc etc. It means people care about us,dont knock it.
My daughter had loads of leg and hip ops around your age, so i do sort of understand how you are feeling, must say she's a 28 year old 'babe' now with her own business, gawjus boyfriend and her own house. Just live life and enjoy!! Omg wanna swap? 15 with pm 55 with pm!!!! Ohhhhhhhhhh i'd milk it!!!!

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

Member Quotes

I have a well tuned pacer. I hardly know I have it. I am 76 year old, hike and camp alone in the desert. I have more energy than I have had in a long time. The only problem is my wife wants to have a knob installed so she can turn the pacer down.