Pacemakers - Page 2

depglass · ‎03-10-2010

I have a good news story. I've had mine since I was 47 and I'm 75 now. What's that, 28 years? Replaced battery twice, due for another one in two years. My problem was bradycardia, which means slow heartbeat. There was a blockage in the electrical system between the sinus node and the AV node. You can absorb as much or as little medical info on your issue as you want. I can honestly say this impacts my life very little. It is checked every three months at this point. I have developed a fib and went on warfarin a couple years ago, that should prevent any possible issue of a stroke. I may switch to Elequis one of these days so I can give up the routine blood tests, which I do myself. If diabetics can ****** their finger, so can I.

Georgiagrama · ‎03-19-2010

@depglass That's also the problem with my family member! Her heartbeat is slow. The Doctor held off as long as her rate was 35, but it began being a continuous 34 so he said it was time. He has been very reassuring and positive, but, when it's a loved one, you can never have enough reassurance. I thank you very much for yours.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@depglass

Just wondering how accurate your INR/ProTime numbers are for you, in comparison to a full blood draw. Not sure if you know my story, so!

My 7 years on Coumadin/Warfarin the finger stick tests were off a full digit, sometimes even more. Mine was a balancing act because I had both PE(twice)and also about bled out with an INR reading of 12.9/13.0.

Being off for me as little as a 2.5 to a 2.2 was a risk for another PE event, and I was lucky enough to live through 2 of them already.

My Pulmonologist would call me after every blood draw(which at times was all 7 days of the week) and tell me how many mg to take that night. Never could go over 2 days without a blood draw. Tried the finger poke several times and they were too far off to be able to go that route.

How often do you poke your finger, and what method is used to get your INR/ProTime reading?

I also have a low heart rate, the more fit I am, the lower the HR. I always take mine before I even get up in the mornings, as even getting up can raise it 5-10 bpm. Mine however is not Bradycardia. All my Pulmonary Max Treadmill Tests showed even at my low heart rate more than enough blood was being pumped.

You don't say anything about Lovenox injections and that is good. I had to shoot myself 2 times a day for 45 days to keep my INR close to my 2.5 reading. Big syringe and that stuff burns, at least for me.

Sounds like all is going well for you with your pacemaker after these 28 years. Hopefully it stays the same for you. As for Eliquis? Not for me should I ever need thinners again.

Stay well now,

hckynut 🏒

hckynut(john)

stargazergal · ‎02-18-2016

@pachutabelle wrote:
Husband had one implanted a few months ago. It is the size of a large vitamin pill. Very small. Actually they removed a loop recorder and put in the pacemaker. He has permanent afib along with other problems. He was in the hospital only overnight with no problems. Have a monitor bedside and every so often he is asked to manually send in a signal by pressing button on monitor and holding a device to pacemaker. Very easy.

May I ask , did your husband have a pacemaker put in because of his Afib ?

My husband was diagnosed with Afib. He takes 4 medications because of Afib.

Did your husbands pacemaker relieve him of taking medications for Afib ?

jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

@Georgiagrama DH's heart stopped in a neighbors garage in 2011 (cardiac arrest). They lost his heart beat many times. He was given a 4 in 100 chance to live but live, he did!! When he was well enough they implanted a device. He sleeps next to a heart monitor hooked up to a landline. It gives us great peace of mind because it reads his heart rhythm, BP's, etc. If there is a problem it will flash a light which means we need to call an ambulance. He can push a button at any time and have it read. All the information on that machine is sent directly to a doctor at Boston Scientific and they relay it to his doctors office. I think if it flashes a certain color light that means he need to make an appointment with his heart doctor. If it's a red light that means we call an ambulance. We (thank God) have never had to do that but it's nice to know the machine will tell us. At first it seemed a litttle "nerve racking" but (as I said in the beginning) it gives us peace of mind. I wish your husband all the best. The implant procedure for my husband was a simple one.