new pacemaker

Hiya all

I am a man 67 years old. I had a triple by pass 14 years ago and it apperas to be ok. Two week ago I collapsed and was taken to hospital and dignosed with a complete heart block..I was given a pacemaker the next day. I feel much better. No dizziness or irregular heartbeat. My condition was probably caused by a build up in beta blocker medication. I am still a little tired and a bit apprehensive about going out for my usual 2 mile walk. Can anybody please give me an idea of the usual recovery period for the recovery from the procedure.

Thanks Michael

3 Comments

recovery time

by ccmoore - 2008-07-29 04:07:44

Welcome to the site.

The best place to get started is to go to the 'Search' tab in the upper right hand corner and search for 'recovery' or 'recovery time'. This will answer a lot of your questions. Every person recovers differently but you will find some general guidelines.

As always check with your Dr. That is if you can get ahold of him/her and get a response. The next step is to start easy and work up. It might take several tune ups to get the PM just right.

Later,
Charlie

Recovery Time

by chillks - 2008-07-29 07:07:15

I have had my pacemaker for four weeks now. I was told to not put my arm above my shoulder for 3 months. I walk around block at home and am in cardiac rehab cause also had a heart attack with 100% blockage and two stents. I use treadmill at rehab but not sure they will ever recommend running. I can really feel the pacemaker movement if I even walk too fast...but, it is not fully seeded yet. I would be careful for a few weeks then ask your Dr.about the running. Good luck to you. This is a great site!

Recovery

by ElectricFrank - 2008-07-30 02:07:23

The two major items affecting recovery are post operative pain similar to any surgery, and giving the leads time to settle in place.
The pain issue takes care of itself. If you are pushing it you will hear from your body. What helps the most here is good support for the arm on the pacer side. They gave me a Mickey Mouse sling that was of no value. The first thing I did was pick up a decent one at the drug store.
As far as the leads are concerned the main issue here is to avoid raising your arm above shoulder height to keep from pulling on the leads. My cardiologist recommended 3 weeks, but I see numbers ranging up to 6 months.
As for getting back to walking I walked 2 miles the day after getting the implant. The next day I upped it to 3 miles. I just kept the arm supported. It felt so good to get back to walking.
By the way the one remaining "recovery" item is getting the pacer properly adjusted. My early walking was a bit slower than normal because they had my upper HR limit set to 120 BPM. Walking into a 25mph desert wind would hit that limit quickly.

I'm 78.

frank

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My pacemaker was installed in 1998 and I have not felt better. The mental part is the toughest.