questions..

I've had a guidant pacemaker since May of '06 with great results. A few days ago I experienced extreme chest pains, up to my throat, jaw to ears...with no relief till soon after a nitro & morphine drip was started...All test, including catherization reports negative for the heart and no answer. Pain had me to tears & sweating. I now have been told by a friend that on TV she heard a woman describe that and that it was the pacemaker going off when not called to. Has anyone experienced this?
Thank you,
Peg

5 Comments

pacemaker or defibrillator?

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-05 08:10:17

I think your friend was talking about a defibrillator, not a pacemaker. Most pm's do not have a defib in them, you would know if yours does. Pm's do not really go off- they watch all the time, sometimes they pace, sometimes they don't. Defibrillators (ICD) will go off and cause a shock when needed, similar to the equipment in an emergency room.

Your pm has a computer that keeps a record of everything it does. If it had malfunctioned or done something odd, the episode would have been recorded and it would have shown up next time it was checked.

Ok, found this article that may be what your friend saw. Malfunctioning leads can cause a defib to go off
http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/medtronic_defibrillators

thank you...Smitty

by Peg - 2008-10-05 11:10:08

I know it had to be something as I have never experienced anything like it....enough to make me feel I better "get things in order"....I'm seeing the dr. tomorrow & will have more questions...the test said negative on the heart but the nurses said "women are more difficult to diagnose"....Thank you for the info.
Peg

Chest Pain

by SMITTY - 2008-10-05 12:10:58


Hi Peg,

I concur with what Tracey said about your pain and a pacemaker. Now read the first paragraph shown below. Does of this sound like what you felt? The description is what I felt, except for the anxiety and impending doom. I just hurt like I couldn't believe. It took nitro and morphine to stop my pain also. If any of the description fits you, then read the second paragraph. It might give you a little insight into what is going on and what to watch out for.

Classical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction include sudden chest pain (typically radiating to the left arm or left side of the neck and jaw), shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety (often described as a sense of impending doom). Women may experience fewer typical symptoms than men, most commonly shortness of breath, weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and fatigue. Approximately one quarter of all myocardial infarctions are silent, without chest pain or other symptoms. A heart attack is a medical emergency, and people experiencing chest pain are advised to alert their emergency medical services, because prompt treatment is beneficial.

Myocardial infarction (MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction), also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion (blockage) of a coronary artery following the rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids (like cholesterol) and white blood cells (especially macrophages) in the wall of an artery. The resulting ischemia (restriction in blood supply) and oxygen shortage, if left untreated for a sufficient period, can cause damage and/or death (infarction) of heart muscle tissue (myocardium).

One more word, if you have another episode like or similar to what you experienced, don't pass it off as nothing because "nothing" was found the last time. See a doctor pronto. This pain and discomfort can be the only waring a person gets when they are in serious trouble.

Good luck,

Smitty

MI but no blockages

by ElectricFrank - 2008-10-06 01:10:52

Smitty has pretty much covered it. One possibility is a spasm of a coronary artery. This can have the same effect as a clot, but can then disappear when the spasm subsides. Since there was no physical blockage there is nothing to find on an exam.
The other thing that can cause the same symptoms is gastric reflux. I first off ruled that out because nitro only affects cardiac symptoms, but then I reread that they simultaneously gave you morphine. We don't know which or both cleared up the pain.

frank

MI

by Peg - 2008-10-08 06:10:11

I appreciate all the info....enzme levels said no heart attack...I know it was something I had never experienced & felt it surely was with my heart...Yesterday I called the Guidant co. to find it has merged with Boston Scientific & the technician told me the 1290 I have has been on recall since 6-06, 1 mo. after I received it & to call my dr.... I was never made aware of it & he informed me they only notify the doctors. Mine will be checked out on Mon. I am very disappointed I have to pursue this myself and it wasn't done when I was at their mercy, in the hospital. The recall is low voltage capacitor. The tech could not tell me the side effects but told me to call my dr...thanks, again & good luck to you,
Peg

You know you're wired when...

Bad hair days can be blamed on your device shorting out.

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Hi, I am 47 and have had a pacemaker for 7 months and I’m doing great with it.