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BATTERY LIFE NOT AS GOOD

I am in touch with quite a number of pacemaker patients both here in the UK and abroad. I cannot help noticing that I recieve comments that " My old pacemaker laste 15 years but the new one will only last 6". What on earth is going on? I know that pacemakers have got smaller but it is leading to more frequent surgery for replacements. I think all pacemakers should be made to last at least ten years. I have an AV node ablation so the medical risks at replacement for me are much higher. My chest w...

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anxiety attacks/sleep

I have noticed a few people have mentioned in their postings that they have experienced anxiety attacks. Were these present before the PM was implanted? How do you deal with them now? Also, because my heart tends to skip beats while I am sleeping, I wake up severeal times during the night. This lack of sleep does not help my physical and emotional situation. Has anyone found a way to sleep through the PM firings at night?
Thank you all for your help,
Brendaa

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The riding carts at WalMart

I have back and leg trouble already so when we went to the new Wallwqorld opening yesterday I opted for a go-cart.

About 5-10 minutes of riding I became dizzy, and I checked my pulse and it was 119.....the last time it got that high was when I was 35 and doing step aerobics! I'm usually a steady 80-86.
I could only stay there about 10 minutes before I thougt I was going to barf, and I had to be physically helped to the ladies room. Do you think the battery which was under my s...

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chat room

Just curious, how is it that there are so many names in the chat room, but no one is actually there?
It would be nice to be able to chat with someone once in a while


thx,

pat

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PM -vs- PM/ICD combination

I got my PM in May. My rate was 36 BPM. BUT, my heart also sometimes beats really fast for a while. I know that PM's are for slow heart rates, and ICD's are for rapid heart rate episodes. I also know that there are now combination PM/ICD's for both conditions.( Those are much more expensive.) I also read on a website that if your heart rate soars, that a PM alone won't help, and you could die. I cannot find that site. I want to address this with my Dr., but I want the information in my hand...

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support groups

Does anyone know of any support groups in BC Canada??

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First Day at Mayo!

This place is amazing and a headache all at the same time. I had so many test today and really found out nothing until I reached the last test which was a pm check. I was telling the lady about my spasms in my arm and she told me it was related to the pacemaker. My P Wave's have gone down from June when I had the last surgery. To make this short they looked at my chest x-ray and it shows that my pm is placed in differently than the way they put it. My pm the screwed in part is toward the bottom...

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Radiofrequency catheter ablation scheduled for tomorrow

My wife is having radiofrequency catheter ablation done tomorrow in an attempt to control the bouts of v-tach that are causing her ICD to fire. Doctors have said this is NOT a cure but rather a method to reduce the v-tach...

Has anyone here had successful radiofrequency catheter ablation for v-tach?

Many thanks,
Blnmakerr

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leg swelling

hi everyone,
I am very new to this site. I am a 22 with a pc. I am also a ballet dancer and teacher. I got my pc in feb and have been feeling very good compared to before my pc. I have had swelling in my legs and feet for a good week now and can't put on my pointe shoes. Has anyone had this symptom after long days on your feet? i called my dr. the nurse said nothing to be concerned with, yea that is easy to say they don't have to deal with it!

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sss......is it needed?

hi this is with reference to mr. j.r's reply to my fathers condition. i thought i shud put up the whole history before u. my father underwent surgery for a pericardial teratoma in 1994. about 2 kg was removed. he was fine for a while but then he started having palpitations and feeling of weakness. he went to the doc who gave him verapamil. he took that for sometime then stopped.sometime later he had a brief episode of amnesia that lasted for abt a minute.we contacted the doc.he carried out a no...

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Can you believe...?

I go to get my wisdom teeth pulled (no jokes about wisodm please!) and of course, have to tell the dental surgeon about my PM. He sees I just got it not too long ago anf asked how it went and how I'm doing with it.
I tell him I just was able to golf my first round last weekend so I was REALLY happy about that.
He then asked me if my PM affected my golf game and I told him, no, I actually had one of the best rounds ever (for golfers, I shot an 84.)
I said - why do you ask?
He...

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ICD Fired Five Times

My wife had a PM/ICD implanted in May. Last Friday while visiting me in the Cleveland Clinic, her ICD fired five times. She was taken to the ER and diagnosed (again) with runs of v-tach.

My questions is what are the options for correcting the v-tach? CCF seems to be discussing radio frequency ablation.

Any info appreciated...

Blnmakerr

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Thankyou

I finally figured out to post a message here-I had my pacemaker installed a year ago on Oct 5/06-totally came out of the blue and thanks to you people here -I survived the first year- both physically and emotionally. If it hadn't been for the information posted here at this site- I don't know what I would have done- the past year has been a very emotional and scary year. Thank you everyone

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I have missed you all

Greetings everyone! ;-)
I'd like to say hello to all my pacer friends and say I'm so sorry I have been absent for the last few months. This Summer has been packed full of activities for me. Some very fun and joyful and some very, very stressful. I flew to England to meet Peter and Nina in May, I was in California 4 weeks later to visit my folks and family, I quite my job of 10 years, I went to work for a Dr. and hated it and quit that job as well. I am working now with a new dr. in a new...

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Golf

I will be 8 weeks after surgery this week. Will it be safe to play golf?

Thanks,
MH

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Need Female Input Please

I am 35 years old, I was initially implanted when I was only five years old (just a baby) I later found out that I had Congenital Heart Block. The first few Pacemakers were always put in my left abdomen however the last two or three have been put in my left shoulder/chest & I am finding it hard to wear a brazier as the plastic ring in the better bras sit right on my pacemaker & irritate me no end, I would love to wear a sport/pullover cotton bra but altho I am of perfect cup size I am too wide a...

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My time is finally here!

I leave for my trip to Mayo in a hour. I thought that I wouldn't be nervous at all but of course when the time gets closer my nerves develop a little more. So if you think about it all please say a little prayer that I have safe travels and they can figure out what the next step is I would appreciate them. Oh and Smitty thanks for the info. Have a great week.
To all the new comers that I haven't gotten to meet yet welcome to this amazing club. Hopefully soon I will get to meet y'all.

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Phone Interrogation from Foreign Country

I am a U.S. citizen and live in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I have a Medtronic ICD/Pacemaker. Does anyone have an experience with having a phone interrogation done on their device from a foreign country?
Thanks.

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Thank you

This is to all the wonderful people who responded to my question about having my Pace maker replaced.
Thank you so much for your input,encouragement and prayers.
I will have the procedure done Tuesday and will let you know how it went.
God bless you all.
Ingrid in Texas

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HI EVERYONE, I'M BACK!

HELLO TO ALL, I HAD TO JOIN THE CLUB AGAIN TO BE ABLE TO POST. I COULDN'T POST ANY MESSAGES, EVEN AFTER "CLEANING COMPUTER FILES ETC".
ANYWAY, I HAD POSTED AFTER HAVING MY 1ST PACER IMPLANTED. THAT WAS ON SEPT 13TH. JUST OVER 2 WEEKS AGO. I'M HEALING GOOD, JUST STARTING TO HAVE THE NERVE TO TRY SLEEPING ON MY USUAL SIDE POSITION. IT HURTS ON MY LEFT STILL, ALMOST FEELS LIKE A PINCHING; SO I AM TRYING MY LEFT. THE FIRST 5 DAYS WERE HARD FOR ME. ALOT OF PAIN AND BRUISING, AND ESPECI...

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You know you're wired when...

Jerry & The Pacemakers is your favorite band.

Member Quotes

This is my second Christmas with my pacemaker and I am so happy to be with my family.