Most Recent Messages in Coping

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Seven Weeks Out

I'm seven weeks out today and I feel better than when I made my first posting. I attribute that to the wonderful support I've gotten from the people on this website. My pm check was good. This was my 3rd interrogation (10days out, ER and a couple of days ago) all have been good. My anxiety is doing better and I am trying to frame the "what if" thoughts to positive thoughts. I have good days and I have bad days. All it takes is one incident of shortness of breath or lightheadedness to ruin t...

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Trying to Deal

Hi, I am a 34 yr. old women who has had fainting/dizziness for about 6 yrs. I finally had an insertable loop recorder and it found that my heart stops. I am an avid horseback rider and also participate in Horse shows with my daughters. We have a hobby farm with horses/goats/dogs/rabbit and the token barn cat.
Since my PM insertion (about Mid-May) I have not been able to take care of my horses/farm/home. Nor have I been able to excersize (I usually do a cardio workout 4 x a week). Last...

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Trying to get used to my PM/ICD

Wow!
What a tramatic last few weeks I've had. Was wearing a monitor for 10 days. After the 7th day my heart clinic called. At 4 am my heart had stopped beating for almost 30 seconds.They wanted me to come to the best Heart hospital in Minnesota, ASAP. Moitored me overnight and it happened again. The next morning I was on my way to have both a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted, and they told me I would be awake during the whole procedure. I was so very scared! (Even needles scare me!!)...

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Depressed

I am a 29 yr old (Male) World Record holder, multi-time All-Conference runner with 200+ trophies and medals. I compete in triathlete competitions as well as running and cycling events regularly. April 13, 2009 I had a pacemaker implanted. I am having a very hard time adjusting/dealing with having a pacemaker with my background. No one seems to understand me or where I'm coming from. I am a Army Officer with a Infantry specialty and I am in the middle of being "medically" discharged....WOW!!...

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prayer chain

Hi everyone and God bless you all! I wanted to see if any one is interested in making a prayer chain with me. I dont know exactly how it would work yet. But it would be something like we can take turns posting a special prayer for anything or for all of us in general. I also welcome people to write to me if u are requesting a special prayer.Or if you know someone who is sick and would like a special prayer for that person. Let me know who would like to join me in this quest...jeje. God bless yo...

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Theme songs for us all!

That's right, I have found music for EVERYBODY here. If you see something on the list below that fits you, search it on YouTube.

1) If you are self conscious, hide everything, and only your closest friends/ family know about your ticker, check out "The Real Me" by Natalie Grant

2) If you are a pacemakerchick (sorry guys, I couldn't find one like this for you), look up "Anthem" by Superchick

3) If you have a doctor, family member, friends, etc. who you feel is re...

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Glad he is alive

Hi folks, I do not have a pacemaker. My husband does. I fought doctors for over a year. One month apart appointments with the cardiologist who did nothing and acted like he was smarter then everyone else. Someone at last got him into UCSD and he was told he did not have another month to live. They took him in and gave him a pacemaker and he came out of surg looking like a brand new person. Everyone needs someone to speak up for them now. I am a nag. I make him excersize etc and take care of him...

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things get better...

In the beginning when i first got my pacemaker i was very upset and depressed. I feel so much better now that 3 years have gone past. I dont feel depressed any more. I guess it is normal for us to feel sad and depressed at times but i just wanted you to know that things do get better. Yes, there are times when i feel frustrated about certain things that i cannot control but when i look at the bigger picture...Im just thankful to God that i am alive. So i pray right now for all of you. In the nam...

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Might be time...

  • by KJ7
  • 2009-06-03 06:06:52
  • Coping
  • 1515 views
  • 3 comments

I have complete congenital heart block, and have yet to receive a pacemaker. I had a CT scan recently of my stomach (for an unrelated issue), but the report came back reading that my liver was enlarged as a result of chronic passive liver congestion most likely caused by right heart failure. Well, the tech reading the report did not know about my heart condition. I was referred to a cardiologist (I recently moved and did not have a cardiologist in my new city) and had an echo performed. The echo...

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Confused.

I have no idea what to do.
I don't want to wear a bikini because of all my scars , but I want to wear one so badly at the same time.

I asked my mom if I could ever have plastic surgery to fix this problem and she said of course I could , when I stopped growing. Anything to make me feel confident and beautiful about myself. ( just no dying my hair).

I honestly am so confused about the whole thing I don't know what to do.
On one hand I would love to go to the beach...

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Kind of at a loss

Hi. I got my PM in January of this year after going to the doctor for what he told me were palpitations-"nothing to worry about but we’ll do some tests to put your mind at ease"-that turned out to be heart block. I feel kind of adrift here because I thought my symptoms would go away after the surgery. When I went to my first checkup in Feb, I described my symptoms and they told me that women just have palpitations oh yeah "did they tell you you have atrial fib?" Well, n...

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i need your opinion!!

Hi everyone!!! Im here so confused...dont know what to do. As u may know my name is brokenheart because i have a broken heart from a doctor that told me he was going to fix my heart rhythm problem and instead burned off my av node giving me complete heart block. I was very delicate and in intensive care for a couple days. Anyway, after that i ended up with a pacemaker. The problem i had which was the svt is gone however i still have atrial tachycardia that affects me because it makes my heart r...

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News of needing a PM- a sinking feeling.

Today was the sinking feeling when told I needed a PM.
Are are kidding me?? I thought they were just dizzy spells that I could brush off but after a car accident and no longer tolerating the sx's the news came- Sick Sinus Syndrome. Here is the kicker, I work in health care as a Cardiology Technologist.
I did stress testing, stress echo's with many a paced patient....and ta da...my turn. I have seen the bruising, fractured leads and the serious infections of a new implant and it l...

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Coping with fear and embarrassment of shock

Hello all,

I am new to this forum and and desperatley in need of advice. I had my device implanted about 5 years ago. I have been shocked probably about 5 or 6 times since then. I get terribly embarrassed when this happens and then I have fear of it happening again after. I have been cleared to be active but I cannot get the thought of the ICD out of the back of my mind. I love to play softball and have my own team. I was doing great this year as far as dealing with the fear of b...

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almost 1 year

I am coming up to the end of my 1st year with my pacemaker. It took a while to get used to it. But, now I really dont notice it very much.I walk about1 kilometer every morning and am thinking about starting to jog.I hope everyone out there is having a good day as we really have to take it 1 day at a time.

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Thanks

Thanks to al that show undrstanding for the "newbis" One does not realize how hard it hits till something like this happens, I am just going to slow down, but not stop. I am going to look at it from the positve side- I beat it twice and I am going to get stronger

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Depressed.

I am a 43 year old female and just had my second pacemaker/defib implanted (first one was 2007) because the first one "migrated" to under my arm. This one was implanted under the muscle. I am about 3 weeks out from the surgery but I am still in substantial pain. Taking tylenol but getting somewhat depressed that I'm not feeling stronger yet. I am supposed to return to work next week and am worried I'm going back too soon. Any thoughts?

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still kickin'

I am 36 years old and on my 4th pacemaker/ICD. I got my first pacemaker when I was 19 years old. Now I have cardiomyopathy/heart failure. But without my pacemaker, I wouldn't alive. I am 100% paced, which basically means that if my pacemaker were to fail, I would die. It weighs heavily on my mind, but I try to get on with my daily routine. I am very thankful for everything I have. But after 17 years of dealing with electrophysiologist and cardiologist, it gets old! I am an old pro at thi...

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mom and her defibrillator

hello to all. i sure am happy to find a site such as this. on to my question. my mother recently had cardiac arrest and it was decided that she receive a defibrillator implant. things are slowly going back to normal but this whole thing has had an emotional impact on her obviously. she is most afraid of sleeping alone, as the cardiac arrest occured during sleep. if i was not awake when it happened she would not be with us today. i thank God all the time. so i'm wondering is it safe for h...

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Doing Well

Hi all

iam glad to say that my icd is doing what it is needed to do. I feel great coping alot better and thinging about geting a job.

Pete
keep pacing

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You know you're wired when...

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

Member Quotes

I wasn't really self-conscious about it. I didn't even know I had one until around six or seven years old. I just thought I had a rock in my side.