New to board

Hello all. I am very new o this board, so try and tolerate my ignorance:) I am 30 years old and am being scheduled for a single chamber pacemaker at the end of the month. Surgery I is required due to severe sinus bradycardia which is very symptomatic . I've always been fatigue (I also have lupus) so I did not pick up right away on my increased fatigue. Came across the bradycardia accident,t at a routine check up at my doctor which lead me to a number of uncomfortable tests, and finally the outcome- pacemaker . I live a very active life when I'm feeling good. I did a sky dive a few months ago and feel in love. I'm coming to find out I probably won't be able to do this anymore due to the tightness of harness and the yanking when the chute is pulled. Anyway- im just rambling.... Any other young folks out there? Although I'm looking forward to being normal again. I am still nervous as to what to expect with the surgery.

8 Comments

placement

by Tracey_E - 2013-09-14 01:09:34

Does it have to be just under the skin? Many surgeons place it that way out of habit but unless something else is going on there's usually no reason why they can't bury it a bit if that's what you want. I would ask!

All these -ectomies, how nice that this time they're putting something back instead of taking more out! And yeah, this is a piece of cake compared to the rest, don't sweat it.

I felt like a new person when I got mine, hoping you do too. Please let us know how you are doing.

Sinus bradycardia

by golden_snitch - 2013-09-14 05:09:28

Hi & welcome to the club!

I'm 32, and have had my first single-lead pacemaker put it when I was 18. Before, I had underwent three sinus node modifications for permanent sinus tachycardia, and then ended up with pauses and severe bradycardia.

I'm glad to hear that you're going to get an atrial pacemaker only. Nowadays it seems that almost all cardios put in dual-chamber devices in those patients who "only" suffer from sinus node issues, and then these patients end up being also paced in their ventricles although that is not needed. It's also good to start with one lead only, because sometimes people have problems with the leads inside their veins (occlusion, blood clots), and the more leads are inside a vein, the likelier that problems occur. Given that you are only 30 years old, one needs to keep in mind that you'll probably need to have that lead replaced every 15-20 years or so or at some point need an upgrade to a dual-chamber device. So, starting with one lead now will leave enough room for lead replacements or additions later :)

Regarding surgery, if you're very nervous I'm sure that you can have something to calm you down or even let you sleep a little. Conscious sedation might be an option. A pacemaker surgery usually does not require a full general anaesthesia; I'm perfectly aware that many members had one, but sedation and local anaesthesia usually suffice. I had my first pacemaker implanted with nothing but a local anaesthesia, and it really wasn't that bad.

Have you talked to your cardio about where to place the pacemaker? Some cardios don't mention this, but you do have options: Most patients I know have theirs placed opposite of their dominant side, so if you're right handed, you have it on the left. Also, many of us have ours placed subpectorally, so not just under the skin, but under the pectoralis major chest muscle. Advantage is that you don't see the unit (in skinny people it tends to stick out when it's placed under the skin), and that it's a bit better protected when you're active.

Best wishes

Inga

welcome

by Tracey_E - 2013-09-14 08:09:03

So glad you found us! I was 27 when I got my first one, that was in 1994. Ditto Inga's comments on placement. Mine is buried also, no lump and it never gets in my way when I'm active.

If you have questions about the surgery or recovery, ask away! We've all been there. I found it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd built it up to be in my head.

I don't know about skydiving and can't recall that it's come up, but if you do a search you may find something. If it's buried like Inga described, the harness may not be a problem.

Limits... There is a limit to how deep we can scuba dive, it varies between different models so if you think you might want to dive that's a question for your dr. We shouldn't do full impact sports like tackle football or competitive karate. We shouldn't tour power plants. We can't arc weld or get a job at a junkyard working the cool big magnet that picks up the dead cars. Pretty much anything else is ok. I am healthy and live a very active life. There is nothing I want to do that I can't.

Some Tough Love for a Newbie:

by donr - 2013-09-14 09:09:09

I wrote this a week or so ago, but you can find it using the search button , top right corner of this page.

It's long, or I'd reprint it here. I see where you are a nurse, but the PM implant is causing you some anxiety. What I have written covers the immediate reactions to the surgery procedure & kinda disassociates the PM part from the normal issues surrounding being cut open. You did not say what kind of nurse you are, so this is germane to you, also.

Go to "Search" button, top right corner. Enter "Some Tough Love for Newbies." Click on search & it will pop up as the first item. You will have to click on the title to bring up the entire piece.

Read it - it should help answer some of your initial questions.

Don

Skydiving

by Bostonstrong - 2013-09-14 10:09:35

Saw my EP yesterday and he said no sky diving because they don't know how the pm reacts in extreme situations. He said paragliding was ok though. I too am worried about the harness yanking and pressure on the incision site, just with paragliding not sky diving. Btw, I'm old, I just live like I am still young. It's lots more fun that way.

Parachutes

by donr - 2013-09-14 10:09:56

Ya know, I'm not all that excited about the stress of a harness on a shoulder when a chute opens. For several reasons:

1) If stress on the incision is critical, NO ONE who has ever undergone surgery should be allowed to jump. A scar is just as strong as normal tissue after it has completely healed. I know at least ONE man who jumped in the Army w/ a full load of gear with a wooden leg. His amputation never gave him any trouble. Name was John Giveden. Lost a leg below the knee in Korea in about 1953.

2) The stress is all on the crotch area - hence the heavy web straps supporting the body around the thighs & meeting in a connection point somewhere near the center of mass of the torso. Army chute harnesses have a single fastener that brings all the straps together & fastens them at a single point w/ a quick release.

3) IIRC, chute harnesses connect the riser straps to the harness BELOW the site of the PM - so how could the PM receive any greatly increased stress from the opening?

The closest I've ever come to parachuting is a training session at the Army's Airborne school. We jumped out of a 35 ft tower attached to a cable that would stop a D-8 Caterpillar Dozer. I cannot recall any force at all on my shoulder area - but MAN-O-MAN, the feeling in the crotch was memorable - even today, nearly 60 yrs later.

I think this issue requires that anyone interested in skydiving buy their Cardio a gift of a big blanket they can use to cover their nether regions & go do some examination of the forces on the body from the engineer's perspective. Granted, this is NOT jumping w/ an Army T-10 or later chute where the risers are fully stretched out before the chute starts to fill w/ air to cushion the shock. But you are not shuffling along lugging nearly 100 lbs of gear, either.

Don (Curmudgeon)

Many thanks

by Tick-tock - 2013-09-14 11:09:21

Thank you to everyone for their quick and thoughtful responses. This is not my first rodeo with surgery; however they are all very scary;) I have had a total hysterectomy, thyroidectomy, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and mass removal. So considering, this pm should be a walk in the park. I'm grateful o have come across this website to help ease some fears. The worst part is waiting..... Ugh!! I can't wit till I have a normal heart rate again!!! I'm going to feel like Wonder Woman!!! Unfortunately, from my understanding my PM will be just under the skin. However good news is I will be completely out which does lower my stress level.

Waiting

by kmom - 2013-09-15 04:09:49

First of all I want to say WELCOME! Waiting is tough I have to agree. Glad they found out what your problem is and you are taking steps forward. Wishing you great success! I agree with you when you said you can't wait to have a "normal heart rate again" I'm going thru that right now--it seems to be either too fast or too slow and will have another holter on the 25th. I'm so "done" with these arrhythmias! I'm anxious to get on with my life once again. Dr. has done ablation in April and was good for about 2 months until I started having fast heartbeats again. now on meds that I think make it beat too slow at times. we're still trying to get this figured out but I'm so done and just want to start feeling normal again.

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