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PM revision

I had my PM implanted 1997 (dual, Medtronic) and has worked like a dream since., however replacement day will have arrived on 26th November and the PM leads will need replacing as well. Can anyone who has had this done before advise me of how the lead removal/replacement went. I worry somewhat about this part of the procedure as I believe there is some possibility of damage to the heart when leads are removed as they will have grown into the heart over the preceding 10 years. Thanks to all if yo...

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Pacemaker Dependency Percentages

My pacemaker implantation was September 2005 and now that my PVC's (post ventricular contractions/extra heart beats) are now under control, I feel so much better. I still have some brady-tachy episodes but they are split second and my dizzy spells are minimal. My pacemaker is set at 70 and I have so much more energy. However, my heart beats mostly at 70 and rarely a beat more on its own. I have gone from pacing at 12% initially to over 57% according to my last 4 checkups. My pacemaker depende...

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Need help with a fib.

Hi All,
Since a change of medication a few months ago I am generally doing well except... I have had two of the longest episodes of a Fib that I have ever had. The first lasted 15 hours and the one last night was 12 hours.

All night long my chest rocked around like it thought it was at a Saturday night dance. I finally converted back to normal rhythm about 11 this morning. What a relief!!!

My question is this. Does anyone have any special coping techniques they use wh...

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Weird Feeling Behind PM

Tomorrow will be 4 months for my Pace Maker. Haven't had any problems except early on with some pinching type pain around the site but that went away and probably was nerve related.

But this morning something weird happened. All of a sudden I am feeling my heart beating right behind (or maybe in front of) the Pace Maker location. Never happened before. It felt like it was racing but when I took my pulse it was about 84. It went away in about three or four minutes. Anyone else ex...

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violin is better

thanks to all who suggested the ep follow-up. i actually saw the medtronic tech and with one or two clicks of his computer attached to the blue "hockey puck" i was off and running with the symptoms gone.

thanks to all of you and this is a wonderful website especially to us "newbies."
violin

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Electrician Contractor -Occupational Concerns

Hello,

I am wondering if there are any electrical contractors out there who have a pacemaker and are working in a different work site or location every day. How do you manage the uncertaintly of magnetic field and electrical current levels if your job requires that you visit a different customer (sometimes power plants) every day?

I would appreciate any input from those who may have experienced this? Thank you!

Teri (Nurse from Michigan)

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telephone check mystery

I have had my St, Jude model 5376 about 2 years with no problems. In late Octorber I went with a friend to a hospital where she had an MRI. I was sitting in a room about 30 feet from where the machine was, the door was open.

I was a little concerned, it happened that a couple days later I was scheduled for an in office check of my pacemaker, every thing was OK, they said.

But days later I unexpectedly passed out while sitting in a chair talking with some one.

I...

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1 year check-up

Hi everyone
I just wanted to let everyone know I had my 1 year check-up. The doctor asked me how I felt, tested the pacer, asked if I wanted any settings changed. ( I have spent more time analyzing the pacer than he has). He then told me my battery was good for 5.7 to 7.7 years, and told me to come back every 6 months.
It was great to finally have some good news, and not to have to fool around with more drugs
John S

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follow-up on "scared beatless"

thanks for encouraging words. received a medtronic enrhythm PM and av node ablation and am two days post op. My only concern is( and I am seeing ep doctor tomorrow) i have a lesser rate of about 50 walking around and i feel dizzy and yet when i lie down the rate goes up to about 90 which seems like the opposite should be happening. I am concerned and wondered if anyone has experienced this and, oh, by the way, can this be changed by the ep doctor?

VIOLIN

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Unanswered question by Dr.

Hello all,
I went this week for my every-couple-of-months check in with my doctor. I had my pm installed in May of this year. I have tachy-brady syndrome. I'm becoming unhappy with my doctor because he isn't giving me answers when I ask. I asked this visit if I could get a full interrogation to learn how much/often my pacemaker is working for me. He asked me why -- that "curiosity killed the cat." What kind of answer is that? I just meekly said, I would like to know. I didn't even k...

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Atrial Fib

G,Day everyone, I have a question about Afib, I have bradicardia, SSS and atrial fib, I have a St Jude pacer (1 year now) with an algorithm which controls the afib by speeding the heart up then slowing down again once the fib is stopped. I get the afib every time I lie down , It is worse when I first go to bed and also when I wake up. I have been woken up occasionally in the early hours with mild discomfort and afib .
I am not on any medication. The Afib seems to be getting worse but this...

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Long Term Prospects

Our daughter had her regular 6 monthly check-up this week and, fortunately, all is still well with her (she has complete congenital heart block and has had a pm since 10 days old, she is now 8yrs old).

We were just generally chatting to her cardiologist when she mentioned that there are reports suggesting that long term pacing can lead to the heart not functioning properly at all, even with a pacemaker.

She has been asked to talk on the subject but admits herself that there...

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pm settings

can anyone tell me about settings.i have a dual lead st jude pm and it is set as low as poss as im sensitive to higher settingsbut i feel as if my heart is being squeezed on each beat. i also feel lightheaded on standing and have fast heart rate after eating and exercise tolerance is poor. i have had the pm for five years and only had these symptoms recently. i have a moveable pm and am waiting surgery for deeper implantation and am due for a pm check up soon but they are not very helpful at th...

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*********Happy Birthday**********

With our Valerie not quite up to speed yet....... I thought I should let you all know it was CathrynB'ssssssss birthday yesterday So Happy Birthday "Cathryn" He He you did not really think I would let you get away with it did you !!!!!! You girls know me don't like to talk about a ladies age but somewhere in the 21-30 range.
Anyhow I am sure we all hope you had a great day.... your pacer friends........Peter N

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Not for another Year

Hi Pacers

Got back from two days in Hobart for my checkup. Everything AOK. My battery has had little use in the four years and my technician said everything is fine. He is a great bloke. He was explaining everything to two trainee emergency nurses. Brian stood up with them and enjoyed the lecture too.! The Cardiac Sp was pleased with my progress and neither Cardio or Tech want to see me for a year. I ahve been given appts for 30 Oct 2008. Unless, of course I feel the need to c...

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Means of Telemetry

I just had a Medtronic dual-lead/dual chamber pacemaker installed. I am 4 days post-procedure. 12 hours after the operation, a representative from Medtronic came in at 0-dark-30 and woke me from a fentanyl stupor, and strapped me in, after placing what appeared to be a blue hockey-puck with leads over me left shoulder. When asked what the hockey puck was for, she replied that it allowed her to "log in" to my device and download statistics on heart rate, frequency of pacing, and percentage of...

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Jimmy and his last beta blocker

A new brake-through was discovered in a small town in South Jersey.

One morning Jimmy woke up and was running late to work. It was his first day at his new job. With his mind set on impressing his boss he decided to wake up alittle early to get a head start. He took his shower and finished dressing up. Soon after dressing up he gathered his things and headed out to work. He got to his car and realized that he forgot to take his beta blocker. He quickly ran back into his house a...

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Pacemaker Change

Hi,

I wrote last week with a low battery question and got some encouragement and support from the group. Then on Friday, I went to my Dr. and found out my battery was indeed very low and needed an immediate Pacemaker change.

I had the change yesterday and am back home. It is a strange feeling. I felt immediately better, but it was in the background as I feel sort of groggy from the anestetic and such.

But I think it will make me feel a lot better. My stam...

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Me Again

Hello Folks,

Well my trip got delayed a couple of days because I had a flair up of my arrhythmia on Tuesday morning and had to go to the doctor. I got some new medicine and I was instructed to wait until tomorrow or the next day to see if things settle down a little before we leave. So, I'll see if I can give some of you good people something to read.

Some questions I saw today were "How does a sick SA node normally respond to the use of a pacemaker? Does it become lazy, d...

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Checking back in!

Hello everyone,

It's been a longgggg while since I last posted. Thinking of everyone.

The last time I wrote I was about to pursue another opinion out of state (closer to home) regarding my SVC obstruction. I went to a major teaching hospital known for taking "tough" cases.

Well, I went in September. Met with a vascular surgeon who decided not to make any recommendations right away, but to consult with several of his colleagues about my case. (understandable).

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