Wellness

[MoJoV]

@dodies  I appreciate you sharing your experience, it sounds very similar to mine with the Afib. There is nothing like advice coming from one who has been through the procedure.   Your post was very very helpful right down to the advice about having the pacemaker installed on the right side....I'm also left handed!  Thank you.

[MoJoV]

@smoochy  Thank you so much for sharing your experience, it helps to quiet my fears.  I'm glad you're feeling well and doing fine.

[MoJoV]

Thank you everyone for replying to my post. I have a severe case of White Coat Syndrome and this sort of a decision makes me so anxious. So many smart and kind people here I appreciate.

[cowtownlady]

I have had a cardiac pacemaker for 26 years! I am now 78 and on my fourth one. My heart is fine, it's just the electrical system that is messed up. Trust your cardiologist.

[dodies]

Glad you found my reply helpful.....I agree, the idea of someone actually inserting something in your heart is scarey. But, it really was fine.  All the staff is so calming and soothing I just had an overall excellent experience. My husband is an internist and he was completely  on board. I have, as well as Afib, a tachy-Brady syndrome where the heart speeds up, then slows down, so this completely ended that as well. Good luck to you. I'm thankful everyday this option was available to me. 

[smoochy]

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@Luv2Dnce wrote:

MoJoV,

I have a family member who has had one for over 20 years and has done exceptionally well. It seems as though you developed Bradycardia which is a low heart rate. A heart rate in your 40s is quite low so if your cardiologist is suggesting it....Personally, I wouldn't take it too lightly or wait too long to make a decision.  Apparently, per your post, your medication isn't  working well enough, so perhaps this is why the cardiologist is suggesting a pacemaker sooner rather than later.  If you have been seeing this doctor for a while, and you trust them, they should hopefully know what's best for you.  

The pacemaker can last up to 10 years and then once it gets close to the time of the battery running low, they usually just replace the battery. It depends how active you are, and if you have any other cardiac issues.  As for a recovery, I can't speak for my family member because they were a child at the time and of course each surgery is different. They will give you a device/machine that will monitor your pacemaker at home and the information will be transmitted over to the company who's monitoring it for you and a report will go directly to your cardiologist.  Hopefully, your doctor has discussed this with you already so that you can make the safest and best decision.

When it comes to any kind of a procedure or surgery do your research, ask a lot of questions to your general practitioner, cardiologist, etc.  Keep in mind that you would rather have a surgery while you're stable, than God forbid have an emergency surgery.

God bless you and I wish you well.

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the newer ones have a 15+ years battery life. Impressive!

[smoochy]

oh, one more thing about life with a pacemaker. You better hope you won't need an MRI for any reason- you cannot have one unless your device is placed in MRI safe mode first. This is normally done by a rep from the company. In my area, pacer patients can only have an MRI done in a hospital setting. Because of that, and the need to have the company specialist present, it takes months sometimes to get the scan scheduled. Not good if treatment for the problem that necessitates an MRI cant begin until your doc has results and a working diagnosis. This shouldn't deter you from getting a pacemaker-I only bring it up to make you aware of the special procedures required. It's not like any of us are going for diagnostic scans on a regular basis. 😊