Scared

Hello All,

I am a newbie here and would love to pick your brain with some questions. I am 31 years old and just found out that I have a heart condition. This has scared me to death. Three weeks ago I wore a Holter Monitor and they said that I would brady down to the 30's then go into SVT. I was in the ER last week with chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, and near fainting episode. The ER dr informed me that I would probably need a pacemaker. I see my cardiologist who specializes in EP tomorrow, so we will go from there,

My question is how long will I need to be out of work to recovery from surgery? I just changed jobs last month and I don't have great benefits at my new employer. Also, do you feel when the pacemaker shockes your heart? That would totally freak me out.

I am so greatful I found this site. Please help!

Scared

6 Comments

Not long

by lenora - 2011-01-03 09:01:07

Hi OB, I'm a cath lab/CVICU nurse and have had a pacemaker 7 years for afib/AF. I was off work 5 days after the PM and returned to work with a chest full of staples. No problems whatsoever but you have arm lifting restrictions for a while. Your EP will tell you how long. Couldn't hang an IV for several weeks but nobody complained about helping me. I haven't noticed any interference from monitors, vents, etc. but the fax machine has tried to take me out a couple of times!! Good luck to you. Lenora

time off

by ambers - 2011-01-03 11:01:02

I am 25 and I was only told to be off work for a week. My EP told me that if I wasn't comfortable going back they would sign off on staying home longer but I was ready to go back after the first week. I did only work half days for the first couple days back but thats just because I do a lot of typing and my arm started hurting after typing so long.
Do what you are comfortable with and know your own limits.
Amber

normal!

by Tracey_E - 2011-01-03 11:01:29

It's perfectly normal to be afraid when told you have a heart condition! The more you know, the less scary it is and most of us reach the point where we don't think about it much, we just get on with our lives. I got my first pm when I was 27 and I'm on my 4th one now. I've traveled the world, hiked, skied, had babies, rollerblade, bike, work out... anything I want! I feel great.

A hr in the 30's will cause all the symptoms you mentioned. Pm's are tiny, very sophisticated computers that simply mimic what our heart should be doing on its own so theoretically, it will fix your problem and leave you feeling your old self. For me, knowing the pm is jumping in when my heart gets wonky is a lot less scary than dealing with the unknown and all the symptoms of a hr that's too low. As I healed and felt better, was full of energy again and the world stopped spinning, I was able to move on and forget about it and you will too!

How long you're out of work depends on what type of work you do. Everyone is different and heals at their own pace but most feel sore for a few days, better by the end of the first week, fully themselves again within a month. You've got the advantage of being young and otherwise healthy, that will get you back on your feet faster. We need to avoid lifting and raising the arm on the side it's implanted higher than shoulder level for a while, drs vary but 6 weeks is average.

You will not feel it when the pm paces tho you will probably notice the faster hr at first. A few people say they can but that's really rare. The shock is very very tiny, simply mimicking the impulse the heart should be doing on its own.

I was a teenager when I was first told I needed a pm and I freaked out. The internet wasn't around then and my dr didn't have any other patients like me so there was no one to ask about it, no place to learn more. So I procrastinated and put my head in the sand until my hr dropped so low that I almost died. In retrospect, I resent that my drs let me wait so long. The surgery was easier than I expected and I felt better than I ever dreamed I could and I missed out on two years of living. Please don't be shy if you have more questions! It's not nearly as scary as it first sounds.

Welcome

by Edouard - 2011-01-03 11:01:44

Hi OBnurse
I'm sorry to hear about your condition.
I hope I can encourage you a little bit. Compared to others in this forum, I've had things quite easy. I guess I sit in the cheering section.
I'm a 59 year-old physically active male. I collapsed last May, resting from a very hard day in the yard. I had been followed for about 3 years for bradycardia / Type 2 AV block. When I was admitted to the hospital on the Friday of a long weekend, they diagnosed Sick Sinus Syndrome and scheduled me for a pacemaker implant for the following Tuesday.
The operation went well with very little pain / discomfort. I was awake through the whole procedure. They released me less than 24 hours after surgery.
I was up and about the house the next day and getting cabin fever the day after that. Yes, I did favour my left arm for about a week, but felt fine well before that.
If you don't have to do any heavy lifting or wide arm movements, it's possible your doctor could clear you for work within a week.
I was told to protect the leads and not swim for 6 weeks.
Since then, I've been competing at swim meets.
My PM does not bother me and its only influence on my life is to give me an interesting subject to talk about during dinner with friends.
I hope things go well for you
Best of luck and regards
Edouard

Just to add a little more...

by AmyS - 2011-01-03 12:01:42

If Edouard is in the cheering section above, then I'm halfway to the booing section (only half!). I got my PM 6 weeks ago and am still having pain under my collar bone and some swelling that wasn't there 1 week after the implantation. In the US, I'm pretty sure everyone is told to wait 2 weeks to raise their arm over their head and my cardio. told me after that there are no restrictions. He was so wrong. I've had to limit myself as needed and can still develop major pain if I overdo. I also think that women (because we're generally smaller) have a harder time adjusting to the leads in the vein. I asked my cardio if the same diameter leads go into a man his size (about 6'5") as into a woman my size (5'5") and he said yes. Even kids get the same diameter. Unbelievable to me. But apparently, smaller diameter leads just can't handle all of the beating.

As for feeling the "shocking", I doubt that you will, unless you get a PM with a defibrillator (that has to shock your heart back to life, in which case you will be grateful). It doesn't sound like your condition would call for that. The electrical impulse to produce a heartbeat is very tiny. What you may feel when you first get the PM and before it is adjusted properly is strong heartbeats that are from ventricular pacing. I had that at first, but didn't need it and it was very weird. Thankfully, mine could be turned off, but some people do need it. I don't know if you've ever been pregnant, but it feels the same as a baby kicking you constantly from within, only it's in your heart.

All of this being said, however, my husband (6'1") had a PM implanted 6 yrs ago and sailed through the whole thing with no issues at all.

Good luck. Watch out for what are called "panic attacks" after implantation (search this site and Google for that horribly termed condition) and know that it's not in your head, it's physiological, but harmless.
Amy

Sorry so long!

by OBnurse - 2011-03-14 08:03:46

Hello, Sorry so long since I last updated. I haven't been on the couch as much now, as I was before. On January 19th I had my wireless dual chamber pacemaker placed. I feel 100% better than I did. I am not fainting, I actually have color in my face now and I can get up without feeling dizzy all day long. The weekend for my surgery I had an echo and wore an event monitor becuase my EP was a little worried about putting a pacemaker in someone so young. I ended up in the ER that Monday while wearing my event monitor with chest pain, and sob. My heart rate was baseline in the 40's and would be in the 30's even while awake.I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days while they watched my heart and did some test. The EP said that after reviewing my event's that I met the qualifications of a pacemaker and I found myself in surgery that afternoon. The next day I was sent home and after one week I was back at work. It has taken me awile before I felt like exercising but I think it was more mental. I was afraid that I would start exercising and that my heart would do funny things and I would faint again. I have since overcome all that psychological stuff and am exercising daily. Thanks for all your coments.

OBRN

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Member Quotes

I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for pacemakers. I've had mine for 35+ years. I was fainting all of the time and had flat-lined also. I feel very blessed to live in this time of technology.