feeling low & wanting to Exercise

Hi,
I had my PM implanted last Monday evening and I have to say it was more painful than I thought it would be. Not so much where the PM is situated but deep centralised pain which is still there.I think it was because of the shape of my Rt ventricle there were some problems at implanting the lead.
My main issue is that I thought I would be feeling really happy and positive instead of which I am still very emotional and wanting to cry a lot.I feel really down.
Can I do pilates/yoga exercises for my lower part of the body or not at all till the 6 weeks are up? I go for a short walk everyday but wan to do some exercises to try and improve my mood..

12 Comments

healing

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-10 01:02:08

As long as you don't raise your arm above your shoulder and don't lift anything heavy, you should be able to ease back into doing whatever you want. Stop if it hurts, of course, and use common sense.

Feeling emotional is really common! I think part of it is the drugs, they can really mess with us. Part is healing and accepting the new normal. Many, many people who never expected to have problems adjusting emotionally find themselves in your shoes. The good news is it rarely last long. As you feel better and do more, it will go away. I know it's trite, but it's true- this too shall pass. I promise!

TraceyE

by BillRussell - 2014-02-10 02:02:42

You are a bright spot on this site. You are always so encouraging in addition to being so knowledgeable.

As to the mood changes and crying spells, from observing my 85-year-old dear husband during his implantation and subsequent events, he does not cry as easily as he did the first two weeks and his attitude is improving daily. He smiles frequently now and, despite the fact that we still do not know what will happen at his next doctor appointment about replacing the lead wire, I think he is optimistic.

BryonR, hopefully you will feel better soon and be on the road to full recovery. Just keep listening to Tracey.
Ann R.

wait a little while on Pilates

by BillMFl - 2014-02-10 06:02:46

My RN wife who will be at Pilates tonight says better to wait for two weeks, However the treadmill or stationary bike would both be good exercise and have no risk unless you fell off. Just joking. Carefully moving your arms in cadence to walking is very good for your shoulder post surgery. Another week or so will pass quickly and is nothing compared to your long term recovery. Most of us heal quickly physically. The mental part can be more of a challenge but time does heal and beware of pain meds as they can greatly affect mood. I've had my share of surgeries and 600mg of Ibuprofen works much better for me mood wise than prescription meds which make me feel like crawling in a hole. Please dig deep and fight those blahs. You are going to get better soon!

yoga

by judyblue - 2014-02-10 09:02:07

doc said no yoga for 12 weeks. I was doing it within two weeks. However... I knew what not to do. At class, I would sit while the others raised their hands high or twisted or did anything that may have dislodged the leads. I have suffered severe depression since implant and am now dependent on anti depressants to make it to the end of each day. But if I had given up yoga, it would have been much worse.
Hang in there, I wish us both well.
judy

Depression is normal

by Theknotguy - 2014-02-10 10:02:37

I've read some reports that depression for PM people goes as high as 80%. Others have challenged those numbers. However, depression after a PM is normal and you don't have to apologize to anyone for your depression.

Exercise helps as you've realized. Keeping yourself hydrated helps. I was drinking 1/2 liter of water per 33 pounds of weight per day. That seemed to help. I had the kind where I'd just start crying for no reason. Am now over it.

Therapy dogs were a great help for me. I've worked with two. They're either trying to get me to do something or doing something goofy to make me laugh. When they take a nap it's a dog sandwich with one on either side. It's amazing what cold noses and warm hearts can do. So if you can get access to therapy dogs they might be a help.

I'm working with a licensed massage therapist. She's been a big help. I was able to get a prescription from my cardiologist so she would be covered by insurance. She was able to find several sore spots and get them worked out. By getting rid of pain I didn't even know I had, it really helped with depression.

Hopefully you'll start feeling better. Having a PM means you have an amazing piece of equipment that never goes to sleep, never get tired, is always watching over you. You've got a lot of living to do. Go out and enjoy!

Theknotguy

depression

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-10 10:02:42

I have to respectfully disagree with that number. It is nowhere close to 80%! 8 out of 10 people on this site have not suffered depression. Our rate of complications is considerably higher than the overall population of people with pm's (<4%) so I would expect the number here to be higher than the overall paced population, and even here where the average person has had unusual complications I would say it's well under 5-10%. It's higher for heart attacks and bypasses, I doubt it's that high even for them. There is a difference between a bit of the blues and days of feeling sorry for yourself and clinical depression. I would put clinical depression at well under 1%.

hmmm

by BillMFl - 2014-02-11 01:02:38

This may be the first and only time I disagree with Tracey whom I hold in high regard. Cardiovascular disease has killed all my older relatives and my sister who was younger than me. None of them died suddenly. They all struggled with anxiety and depression. I am now the trunk of my family tree. All before me are gone. I am the one who tells the young ones what their mother was like as a little girl or who their great great grand father was and did in WWII. I say these things as a surviver of two types of potentially lethal cancer. Although the anxiety and depression was substantial with cancer, it disappated as my body healed. The uniqueness of cardio problems is they never quite go away. They linger in our psyche and need only a minor stimulus to come roaring back. I don't like having a foreign object in my body that has such a vital role over which I have so little control. It pisses me off to be totally honest. But at the same time I feel fortunate that the situation isn't much worse. So ya, one of our most vital functions is at least somewhat messed up and it usually finds a way to remind us every day. So I would be more surprised to hear a heart patient of any type who hasn't had to deal with anxiety or depression on a relatively frequent basis. The trick is to learn how to deal with it and not let it detract from the good things that can still bring pleasure and happiness in ones life. For example, look at my pic with my darling little great granddaughter this summer. Its moments like that that make life meaningful despite the lows. Sorry for being so long winded.

hmmm Bill

by IAN MC - 2014-02-11 05:02:00

Theknotguy stated that depression for "PM people" may be as high as 80 per cent . I agree with Tracey that true clinical depression is probably less than 1 per cent.

I now have 7 friends and acquaintances with PMs, not one has had clinical depression. In fact all seem to have the total opposite i.e elation at having the electrical problem solved. If the knot guy is right at least one of them should have been depressed !


Could it be, Bill, that you have moved the discussion on to " cardio-vascular disease" which is not quite the same as having a PM and the statistics may be different

Ian

Ian

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-11 06:02:12

If 80% is right, only one of your friends should be ok! I can name half a dozen friends/relatives/church members with pm's and none are depressed. I have met more than a dozen members from here, varying degrees of acceptance but no depression. The rate is higher with people who have had heart attacks, bypass, etc, but I still don't think it's anything close to 80%.

Ian and Tracey

by BillMFl - 2014-02-11 09:02:22

I was careful to avoid using percentages. And nowhere did I say "clinical" depression which is a psychiatric illness. And yes I do believe anxiety and depression are very common in cardiac patients of any type. The episodes may be much more moderate than severe as is the case with "clinical" depression. But even short term episodes of anxiety or depression are nothing to sneeze at. I am pleased that neither of you experienced these symptoms nor knew many who did. Can you spell denial? I think that the many posts on here represent a small fraction of those dealing with the aftermath of what leads up to and living with their PM. A small percentage of patients find this site and a significant number repeat much of the same feelings. I'll leave it to someone who is neutral and objective and qualified to assign an actual percentage.

good one Ian

by BillMFl - 2014-02-12 02:02:32

Got a chuckle from your astute reply.

Bill

by IAN MC - 2014-02-12 09:02:27

I would put the chances of you finding someone who is neutral, objective and qualified at far less than 1 per cent !

Cheers

ian

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