advice please

HI, I'm new here and just wondered if anyone could help me make a decision. I have been waiting for a pacemaker to be fitted and have been told that it would be done on Jan 22 but I am booked to go to Goa for a month on the 4th Feb and we have already paid and am unsure what to do. I have asked around and some people say that I'd be fine going on holiday just after the fitting but I asked at the cardio clinic of the local hospital and she told me to get in touch with the Surgeon's Secetary to ask his opinion. I feel that if she says it's a risk then I would cancel the op until I came back from Goa but am a bit concerned about my Insurance cover if something goes wrong while I'm out there. I'm having really fast palpatations but my natural pulse rate is natuarally slow, so it's making me really tired and a tight feeling in my chest even just walking up a gradiant. I was a fitness Instructor so you can imagine how distressing this is. Thank you for reading xx

6 Comments

More info please

by IAN MC - 2013-12-17 06:12:03

Hi foureyes You are asking if it is OK to go to Goa for a 4 week holiday just 2 weeks after having a PM implant; it is difficult to advise you because you haven't said exactly why you are having a PM and this is relevant.

The main function of a PM is to add extra beats if your heart rate is too slow but you are talking about also having "palpitations " ; by which I assume you mean atrial fibrillation ?? This may need separate treatment which could affect your decision.

Your description of the way you feel at the moment suggests that you would be crazy to even contemplate going to Goa before you've got your problems sorted .

As it happens , I went away for a 3 week holiday abroad just 7 days after having a PM implant and had no problems whatsoever ( apart from not being able to lift my arm above shoulder level ) BUT I had a straightforward bradycardia ; it sounds as though your case is not that simple . You really need to take advice from your medics.

Best of luck

Ian

My opinion..

by Duke999 - 2013-12-17 06:12:30

Don't get the operation before going vacation. You need quite some time to recover after the implant. I know some people on this site will tell you it's a piece of cake to get the implant. To me, that's not true. It's not an easy matter. You will deal with the pain, the getting used to a foreign object in your body, and a whole lot more. I don't mean to freak you out, but I'm just keeping it real. I wish you well and best of luck.

Duke.

more details

by Tracey_E - 2013-12-17 06:12:35

You didn't put anything in your profile, is Goa down the road or halfway around the world? What causes your slow heart rate, and how slow is it? If you can barely walk up a hill right now, you probably don't want to wait until you get back to get it done. Any chance of doing the pm before 1/22? That's a month away. You could get it tomorrow and be healed by then.

You could travel right after getting a pm, many travel for their surgery so it is perfectly safe. The question is how you are going to feel and what you may have wanted to do on your trip that you can't do post op. Most of us are back to normal but moving a bit slowly by the end of the first week. Depending how they suture

Imo, best choice is get it done sooner than 1/22, second choice put off the trip.

Take The Trip Before Getting The PM

by SMITTY - 2013-12-17 11:12:12

Hey Foureyes,

My opinion is the risk factor is pretty low. While some pacemaker recipients do have a problem, most don't. However getting a pacemaker is an entirely new ballgame and you will have no way of knowing if something new you feel, is something that needs to be looked at by a dr. And rest assured you will have many questions like that for the first few weeks.

I'm on my second PM and I can guarantee you I have had questions with both of them that I was curious about. In both cases my concern turned out to be unnecessary, but there was no way I could tell.

So give you mind some peace and wait until after your trip to have the PM implanted.

Good luck,

Smitty

Insurance??

by Jonny - 2013-12-18 11:12:32

You imply that you have holiday insurance. If this is the case then why not talk to your insurance company about your situation and see if they would pay out if you cancel/postpone the trip.

bluesmad47

by foureyes1941 - 2013-12-20 06:12:59

Hi everyone who had replied to my previous letter. Thank you so much for all the concern and advice, I took it and contacted the Doctor carrying out the procedure and he has come back and said that I can go ahead and go to Goa two weeks afterwards. The condition I have is PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRICATION (both very high and also very low pulsre rate) So I am a very, very happy Bunny this morning. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy and healthy New Year.xx

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