Still feeling like dirt 9 days out

Hi all,
I had my ppm implanted 10/25...surgery was uneventful. I guess maybe I wasn't prepared for the recovery, but I still feel horrible. There was some question as to whether or not my thyroid was to blame (I am hypo-- take Synthroid)-- but check earlier this week showed no adjustment needed to my thyroid meds.
I am exhausted, feel week, my HR goes up a lot when I merely walk... I feel so frustrated!! Check of ppm today also showed that it's working fine.
Was anyone else this tired after surgery? I am 34, in great shape, very active. Not used to this much recovery time. Not sure if it's b/c of my recently diagnosed autoimmune problem (thyroid) or if something else is going on.
Thanks, all.

7 Comments

New PM & Don't Feel Good

by SMITTY - 2011-11-03 07:11:24

Hello Mary,

I am going to venture a guess or two here.

If your thyroid numbers are within the recommended range it should not have you feeling "run down and drug out." (That is my technical term for feeling bad.) So if the thyroid is ok, that probably leaves the settings on your new PM as the culprit.

I know you said a check of the PM today showed it was working fine. What that means is the checkup showed the PM was doing what it was ;programmed to do. But, that programming can be a mile off from what YOUR BODY really needs. Believe it or not, it is not uncommon for the first settings to be off base. A PM comes with some factory settings and the Dr will use them and make the changes he thinks you need. Sometimes it doesn't work and you will have to keep letting the Dr know things are not right. If that means putting his number on speed dial, so be it, but that is where relief for you lives.

I will venture one other guess here. You say "my HR goes up a lot when I merely walk." My guess its that the rate response is on and it is entirely possible you do not need that or it simply needs to be turned down. Now if you are not familiar with the rate response on a PM it is a feature that lets the PM increase your heart rate when you participate in any kind of physical activity. The RR on some PMs can also increase the heart rate if there is an increase in body temperature or the person is undergoing stress for some reason. But all this is just talk. Help for you lies in that Drs office. You have to let him know you need help, otherwise he will think everything is OK. You know, out of sight out of mind.

I wish you the best,

Smitty




New Pacemaker & Problems

by SMITTY - 2011-11-04 02:11:27

Hello Mary,

I agree it is sad. A PM may not always make us feel better in ways we can immediately identify, but they should NEVER make us feel worse.

But as for asking for specific settings, I would not recommend that. Tell the Dr how you feel and let them take it from there. A PM has the potential of more than a thousand different settings. The Dr is supposed to select the ones best for you. If you ask for a particular setting you give them the perfect excuse to pay not attention to your complaints.

You might consider writing down your symptoms so as to not over look someting when you are discussing this. I know I frequently forget some item i wanted to discuss if i rely on memory alone.

Good luck,

Smitty

What settings might need to be changed??

by mary2011 - 2011-11-04 11:11:33

Hi All,
thanks for your input. RR is not on... so I am just not even sure what adjustments to ask for .... what are other common settings that can affect people??
Thanks for any thoughts! Really just want to get back to the way I felt before the PM....pretty sad!

rate jumps

by Tracey_E - 2011-11-04 12:11:39

I answered your private message before I saw this. First, I would confirm that RR is not on, RR will cause your rate to suddenly jump up with activity.

Another thing that can cause it to be too high is your heart was in block for too long. I've never seen a medical explanation anywhere but it's common to have a fast rate and to jump up quickly if you survey people here who got just pm's for block. Here's my theory... when your heart is in block, the atria raises the rate with exercise, the ventricles don't get the message so the pulse does not go up. The atria is seeing that the oxygen level in the blood is not going up (what is supposed to happen when the hr goes up) so it raises it some more. Do this for a few years and it starts beating too fast all the time. Once you get the pm, the ventricles are suddenly beating every time the atria does so your pulse is fast.

Again, just my theory. Mine slowed down considerably over the first year. It was annoying at first, I went from a resting rate of 40 to over 90, I felt like I was on speed and was constantly aware of my hr. Now it's in the 60's and I never notice it.

Smitty gives good advice

by janetinak - 2011-11-04 12:11:40

Call your Dr & tell him what you told us. Adjustmenst make a big difference in our quality of life & sounds like you need an adjustment.

Janet

I felt terrible for months

by DybHen - 2011-11-06 08:11:28

Hopefully this isn't a problem you run into, but I want to say it took about 3 to 4 months for me feel normal. I was very troubatled in the beginning to discover that many days I actually felt worse than pre-pm. Initially it was due to a Metroperol (sp?) overmedication. Then it was pm settings. After seeing many pm techs and probably more than a dozen setting changes (even now over a year later) I think things have stabilized. I can at least now say that I don't regret having it put in, not that I had much choice in the matter. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.

I felt terrible for months

by DybHen - 2011-11-06 08:11:31

Hopefully this isn't a problem you run into, but I want to say it took about 3 to 4 months for me feel normal. I was very troubatled in the beginning to discover that many days I actually felt worse than pre-pm. Initially it was due to a Metroperol (sp?) overmedication. Then it was pm settings. After seeing many pm techs and probably more than a dozen setting changes (even now over a year later) I think things have stabilized. I can at least now say that I don't regret having it put in, not that I had much choice in the matter. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.

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