Most Recent Messages

shoulder pain

i am 3 years with my icd i have pulled wires been shocked had phantom shocks had the thing repaired gained weight lost weight delt with metal detectors 440 3 phase motors i have tried living that normal life but i hate to say it folks but the device just buggs the crap out of me over time my left side my arm and shoulder hurts it gets worse at times dealing with unemployment disability shocks numbness doctor visits been told it will get better hey let me rant ok it is great to be alive but it is...

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Fireman down! :-(

Well, I am brand new to this site and i really didn't even know there were things like this for PM people...This is cool. Anyway I've had the PM since i was 2 years old and i have pretty much done my own thing you know. I have been a Firefighter for 5 years and a paramedic for 1 year. I had just started a new fire job like a month ago and like i said i have been doing this for 5 years and on the first day at this new job i fell out twice on the hose line during training... This was without a dou...

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Thanks alot

Thanks for responding to my question about being tried. It helped a lot. Now I will give into the afternoon nap more often when I feel the need and consider it a blessing. This site is so helpful and by reading other members comments and reponses has help to reassure me that the future is even better now with my new PM. I also have been blessed with a wonderful husband who has been by my side the whole time. And has given me wonderful care at home. He is my guardian angle and watches over me...

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ICD induced fatal vf

In searching for the adverse report event for my episode in the FDA Data Base I happened on to a very interesting adverse event posting by a manufacturers rep. He states that the low impedence of the lead "inapproiatly" induced the vf episode that eventuallly ended with the death of the patient. Its a very good explaination and "food for thought" for all of us. Just go to the FDA home site [http://www.fda.gov/search.html] and in the search box type in 687423. This is the report number. Its wort...

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What not to say to your EP

I could use some help finding a Doctor who specializes in removing a foot from one's mouth..would that be a podiatrist or a dentist???
I researched about my EP study before having it done, the worst it said could happen was death and those odds were 1 in a thousand, So after all the I-V's are in and I'm feeling good my Ep Doctor walks in, and I asked him if I am # 998 or #999, He didn't get it till I explained...I was # 1,000.
Then the foot jumped in my mouth again at my first ICD fol...

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welding

i know i am suppsed to stay 24 inches away from a welding machine,but does welding affect the pm.i dont weld at work any more,but want to weld at home on motorcycles,race cars,and hotrods.does anyone know how to detect the magnetic field from welding,that may affict the pm? we use high frequency some time in welding.it is considered a radio wave.will it affect my pm?are there any welders out there tat have a pm,and how they have adjusted to it? from the welder

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feeling tried

I had my PM put in on June 4 2008. The morning are good, then some days I experience being very tried, like I could take a nap. Will this pass? I am walking in the mornings everyday. Started at 10 minutes not up to 45 minutes. I still work, but off on leave now, not sure how long to ask the doctor to keep me out of work.

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Batt/lead concerns

Go to http://www.fda.gov/search.html, this is the FDA Home Site. In the search box type687423. This is an adverse event report written by an honest tech.Some great info here.
Best of luck to everyone
papaknight

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abc

come to chat?

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DIY and save big bucks

If there are any members in the Memphis area this November here is some info that I found on the St Jude website about an implant workshop.

I think that it would be informative, to say the least, to be able to attend this.

I love the 'hands-on practice' portion. Maybe some members could get a PM installed or replaced for free as part of a demo.

Man would I like to be a fly on the wall at this event.

Pacemaker Implant Workshop Event Title

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Follow-up to tattoos and an ICE

Thanks for the comments. I have never been a big fan of tats and I am 62. As the post said, it would be my ‘first’. But ‘Old Sparky’ has given me a reason to think about getting one.

I like the zipper with ‘open here’ from Smart Redd and ElectricFranks knob with ‘high – low’”.

Maybe a ‘switch with on – off’ and a ‘knob with volume’.

The comments have pretty much convinced me that the area directly over the ICD are taboo for tattoos.

So may put it...

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Good to go

I had my first checkup Wednesday for the Guidant PM Implanted 5/16. The female technician who was an LVN ran all the tests in my cardiologists office and assured me everything is looking good. She did not make any adjustments. She merely printed out a report for the cardiologist and scheduled me for another scan in four months. However, I have an appointment with the doctor in two weeks for a followup.
My cardiologist, who has been treating me for CHF for three years, set the PM for 60 BPM...

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guidant

is there anyone going thru the lawsuit with guidant right now. if so has anyone gotten any up dates when they wiil start sending moneies to the clients . i heard not until later this year. please some one let me know. thankyou debraloncar

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Just checking in...

Hello pm family!

Just wanted to tell ya that I'm on the mend and doing okay from the gallbladder surgery. I'm a little more sore than I expected and not up and around as much as I hoped by now, but I'm hopeful! :) Some of you gave me some great advice about how to sleep and other things to expect, so I appreciate it immensely. It has all helped! Now I can't wait to eat some real food next week!

Happy pacing...
ela-girl

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POLAR HR MONITOR

I use a Polar HR monitor for runnning. Will i still be able to after use it after I get my Pacemaker?
It does have a chest strap.

Thanks Holly

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Getting a Pacemaker & Life

Hello all,
I am new. I do not even have my Pacemaker yet. It will be in July as lomg as symptoms do not get worse.
I have a few questions.

1. will I have trouble if I try and get new health insurance?

2. Is it true..you can't even have a few beers with freinds? Someone just told me that one. Said you can't have alcohol!

3. Does each doctor just use whatever type of pacemaker they are use..or do diff. pts. get different ones? I know there are different k...

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DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THOSE WITH A PM/ICD

I don't know what the California laws, or any state or federal laws are regarding people having pacemakers and/or defibrillators may be. But any law or rule that places a penalty restriction on people with a heart assist device is unfair and asinine. All that any of us that have these heart assist devices have done is learned that we have a medical problem and that problem has been corrected or helped by a man-made device. Getting that manmade device has not made us a higher risk for any activit...

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Encouragement

Hello friends... I've noticed that there are some new people and have been some depressed members in the past. Here's something that I thought was inspirational...

Do Not Quit
When things wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do n...

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Medtronic Rep Madison, WI

Like many posts I've read on here I've been having problems getting my PM programmed correctly. I have been to the PM clinic several times complaining about PVCs (lots of them) and other symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue. They kind of implied that I really wasn't having PM problems because the PM wasn't recording any episodes.

For the last 10 days (I've only had my PM a month) the problem kept getting worse until I nearly ended up in the ER and then they finally began to...

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For Fred in Seattle

Come and chat, Fred. Wannabe

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You know you're wired when...

“Batteries not included” takes on a new meaning.

Member Quotes

I am just thankful that I am alive and that even though I have this pacemaker it is not the end of the world.