Another newbie!

After a whirl wind month, I received a dual chamber rate responsive pacemaker last week. It seemed to happen so fast and now I'm not sure what to expect for recovery.

The last few years have been crazy...at age 45 I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Aug. 06, went through bilateral mastectomy and 6 months of chemo.

Now, this pacemaker. I have learned alot about cancer but don't know about pacemakers. I feel better but still have episodes of lightheadedness and fatigue. Is this normal? No one explained what happens now...how often is the pacemaker checked? Do they make adjustments? Can someone give me pointers on what to expect now?

5 Comments

Thanks

by justmelmj - 2008-10-30 04:10:56

First Thanks Dave and Tracy for your comments. I'm new to this posting stuff as well so I hope I am doing this correctly to respond to your posts.

I did have the pacemaker checked before I left the hospital (a week ago) and have my first appointment in the office next Thursday. I have not returned to work yet and have a few episodes of dizziness. I did talk with the doctor's office today and they feel that it is normal and may just need an adjustment when I returned. It sounds simply amazing at what all the pacemaker will tell them! I am getting less sore every day but am being extra careful about moving my arm. I am usually a left side sleeper so I don't feel as rested sleeping on my back.

I had to have a pacemaker because I developed a second degree heart block---Mobitz Type II. In thinking back I had symptoms as far back as last November, 07 but thought it had something to do when being done with chemo and my body still needing to adjust to that.

They can't give me any reason why I developed the heart block...said they don't believe it is related to the chemo.

Thanks again. I'll check back here.


blocks

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-30 05:10:55

Most blocks just develop with age! They don't know why. Think of it as an electrical connection that starts short circuiting. I was born with a complete (3rd degree) block. Blocks are the easiest thing to fix with a pacemaker so you should be back to 100% once you heal and get your settings tweaked. Those of us with blocks are usually fortunate enough to have a normal atrial rate- our body's natural pm works just fine. The message doesn't get through to the ventricle so the pm simply steps in and helps out when your ventricle misses a beat.

I'm a left side sleeper also! A trick that worked for me when I was healing was to hug a pillow to my side with my left arm. It kept me from moving the arm too much or rolling over in my sleep, and it gave me something to do with that arm other than tuck it under the pillow the way I want to!

It's ok to move your arm, just don't lift any weight or raise it above your shoulder. A bit of movement is good so your shoulder doesn't get too sore.

hi mel

by walkerd - 2008-10-30 06:10:58

Welcome Mel you will find the smartest people in our little group, they will help and can answer almost all questions in here better than a doc can and i kid u not. Just make sure you tell your doctor your episodes of lightheadness and fatigue they can make adjustments to the pm that can possibly help symptoms. Make sure not to raise your arm above your shoulder for 5 or 6 weeks dont lift anything heavey for 6 weeks, Listen to your doctor. Hope your recover goes well with all you have been thru. and welcome to our little club. youll like it. check web links on the left side there are some other good sites that will go over other things as well with pm.

dave

welcome!

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-30 07:10:49

Welcome, Mel! Compared to what you've already been through, learning about your pm and getting used to it will be easy.

How much better you will ultimately feel depends a lot on your underlying condition that caused you to need the pm. Some conditions are resolved completely with a pm and you should feel 100% quickly, the other end of the spectrum are those conditions are merely managed by the pm, it keeps you out of cardiac arrest but doesn't do much to improve symptoms. Most people are closer to the first than the second.

How often they are checked depends on where you are and your doctor and insurance. Some go or call in once a month. Our friends in Canada often only go once year. I go every 3 months, I think that is more average.

A check is very easy if you didn't have one before you left the hospital. The put a thingy that looks like a computer mouse over your implant. It's hooked up to their computer and it runs a series of diagnostics. They can see what it's done since the last check, if it's had errors, how much battery is left- all sorts of stuff! It usually takes only a few minutes.

When is your next follow up? If it's more than a week and you still feel off, or you feel more dizzy or faint than lightheaded, I would call and ask to be seen now. Fatigue is most likely just your body recovering. It may be that the settings need adjusted. It's very common to tweak the settings, especially on younger patients. It may take a few tries to get it right because they like to make changes in small increments rather than drastic changes all at once.

If you have any other questions, please don't be shy! Ask here or send me a private message. The FAQ's are growing and the archives here are full of great information. We're about the same age but I've had a pm for 15 yrs now. Odds are pretty good I've been through anything you'd have a question about :o) Wishing you a fast and easy recovery!

Suggestion

by ElectricFrank - 2008-11-01 12:11:52

One of the first things you will learn here is to request a copy of the printout from your upcoming checkup. There is usually 2 reports. The first shows the existing settings before they make any changes, and also will give information on how your heart is responding to the pacer. The second shows the final settings and gives information on what was changed.

The value of having these is that as time goes on you may have something about the operation of the pacer that is unsettling and find the doctors impatient about explaining things to you. Several of us here can interpret the reports, make suggestions, and keep the docs honest.

By the way your posted responses are great.

best of luck with the pacer and hope all is well with the cancer.

frank

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Pacemakers are very reliable devices.