tired

hi everyone! im am 24yrs old and have had my pacemaker for 3wks now.I have a 1yr old daughter and have to stay with my mom while I recover bc I cannot lift her and need help with everyday tasks.I thought that after my surgery I would have so much more energy since my resting rate before surgey was 35-40, but im still just as lazy and want to take cat naps as often as I can..Is this going to get better?.I am also a lover of outdoor activities I have a 4 wheeler and I am chomping at the bit to go ride is it safe after my six weeks are up to just hop on and go riding or am I still suposed to take things easy

ps. any recommendations for something that will reduce the appearance of my scar

5 Comments

Still Early

by Yakkwak - 2012-07-28 01:07:14

Hi Courtney. It is still very early. Allow your body time to recover. Also, PM settings are frequently tweaked/adjusted to meet your specific needs. This is a process based on good communication with your EP. further, SOME people experience various degrees of emotional trauma from the actual testing/implantation process that we are only beginning to understand. Do not fret, you will feel better!!! I'm on my second PM. It was put in by an EP who couldn't have cared less about how the scar would look. It even had puckers in it! No excuse! I booked an appr. With his partner at another location; he took one look at it and volunteered to redo the incision at no cost. It now looks like it should. Scars fade with time. Once you are HEALED, you can use a moisturizer with a light self-tanner in it. It really does improve the look! there are also water-resistant cover creams that I hear are good. However, my scar and I are now friends; it is sort of a badge of courage and represents just how fortunate we are to have access to this technology!!!!! Mega blessings, dear.

hi

by Tracey_E - 2012-07-28 04:07:28

Your body is still recovering! It's normal to be tired for a few weeks. I napped off and on for over a month after. Are you on meds? They can wipe you out, too. Why did you need the pm?

If you are getting extra tired/winded on exertion, you may need your settings adjusted. The ones they send us home with aren't always adequate for young active patients.

Once the incision is closed and healed, you can use aloe or vitamin e on it. Really, just keep it moist, that's what a plastic surgeon told me, doesnt matter much what you use. It depends on your skin, but all my scars have turned white by about a year and by the second year you can barely see them.

4-wheeler should be fine! Maybe wait a little longer than 6 weeks, esp since you still aren't feeling yourself now at 3 weeks. Once you heal fully (2-3 months), you can do whatever you want. This is temporary! You'll be back to feeling good before you know it.

4 wheeler

by ElectricFrank - 2012-07-29 01:07:32

I was out in my Jeep in less than a week after implant. Some of the hard bumps hurt a bit. I just avoided the really rough stuff.

I see you are in Florida. You must be more a mud slogger. I''m in the Calif desert/mountains so have more rocks, boulders, and ledge roads to deal with.

As far as energy is concerned it can be affected by how long you had the low HR before getting the pacer. The reduced blood supply during low HR can over time affect some of your organs and require a bit of time to heal. In my case I developed the block and had my pacer in just a few days. When they turned it on in OR I felt the energy coming back immediately.

Have they put you on any meds? Some of them can really slow you down.

frank

enjoy,

frank

not always easy

by polrbear - 2012-07-29 12:07:25

I have a couple of scars from my ICDs that are quite blatant. Occasionally, the body doesn't scar/heal properly.

The particular version I have is called keloid scarring. It leaves wide, thick, raised, rope-like scars. No point in a scar revision in this case: ~25% chance of making it better, ~25% chance it'll be about the same, and ~50% chance it'll get worse. When your dressings come off, they'll have a decent idea if this occurs.

My only recommendation if you're unfortunate to have this is to get a dermatologist (typically, although other specialties can do this as well) on it promptly. Sometimes they can inject steroids into the wound to minimize certain _hypertrophic_ scars, but they need to give the pocket enough time to heal before they do it yet the sooner they do this, the less scarring will develop. It's a balancing act that might require discussion between your EP and the scar-treating physician.

As for Yakkwak's comment about puckering, it may be necessary (depends on how the pucker is positioned). A slight puckering that leaves a minimal ridge is less obvious than something that leaves more of a crevace. Not all wounds can avoid one of these options, but a good proceduralist should be able to keep both of these to a minimum.

Another recommendation I've heard, especially if you know you have scarring issues, is to have a plastic surgeon involved in the placement/replacement, particularly in the incision closing stage.

helpful comments

by courtney27th - 2012-07-30 01:07:15

thank you everyone! I am not on any meds.I have only taken a couple tylenol since surgery.

Tracy E- I have third degree av block..I was never even aware I had a low hr until I was in labor jan. 2011 afterwards I went to a cardiologist and he told me I had second degree and the only thing he could tell me was to diet and exercise.I was so tired all the time and get dizzy very easy exercise was out of the question.I thought I was ust going to have to live like this for the rest of my life...ffw to 4wks ago I was so light headed I was afraid to get off my couch I thought I was going to pass out. As a stay at home mom I was afraid everyday that I would pass out and what would become of my infant daughter or worse something would happen and I would never get to see her grow up..So on this day i had had enough and went to the emergency room they told me I had complete heart block and 5 days later in the hospital I had myself a shiny new pm.The news of getting a pm was devastating but after alot of thought and tears its the best thing I could have ever hoped for and I am so thankful chance at a better life without thinking everyday what if

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