Reply to Ferdie 100% paced

I am in complete heart block and have been since my first implant in 1999. So I probably would be considered close to 100% paced. This is my 3rd PM. Recently went into A Fib and after quite an ordeal, they found 2 out of my 3 wires had fractured. Now down to 2 wires with a possible placement of a 3rd thru my ribcage in about a month. Yes, it is scary having to rely on today's technology, but then again, I consider myself very very fortunate to even be here. hang in there!

3 Comments

100% paced?

by Terry - 2008-05-25 11:05:13

If you are 100% paced in the atrium, that's OK, but if you are 100% paced in the ventricle with an old pacemaker that bypasses the heart's conduction system, that's not OK according to the literature: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/107/23/2932 or
http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/47/2/282?ck=nck or : http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/24/3115?ijkey=fc54101eeb36560b8f5865583bbdd2a50bd26de4&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Ask your Dr. to pace at the His bundle site, or if he doesn't want to, write me a private message and I will refer you to an EP who is up to date.

Best of everything,
Terry

100% paced.....

by Bionic Beat - 2008-05-26 01:05:23

I am 100% paced, after a very prolonged episode of AFib.

They implanted the PM in February (08) and ablated my AV node in late April (08).

The idea is to prevent Congestive Heart Failure and let me live a normal (or close to normal) life.

It's still very new to me, a bit freaky and strange but I'm soooo much better off, I can ignore the freaky factor and try to not worry about the future.

My doc didn't give me the impression that if the PM fails, I'm dead, he DID say that I'll have to get help right away.

Your ventricles keep beating for a short period of time but at a much slower rate.

You'd be symptomatic, dizzy or fainting and wonder why.

Don't wonder for long, just call 911 or your local Emergency response number.

Get to a hospital ASAP and you'll be fine, they can fix your PM.

If you're concerned about *anything*, it's worth a phone call to your specialist.

Take care.

Bionic Beat





100% dependent

by ferdie - 2008-05-29 05:05:07

Well as far as having time to get help in time,if my PM
stopped working,is not good for me. The reason I know
this is my EP doctor was interigating my PM,and when
he turned it off,my heart stopped. It was a very very sc-
ary feeling. Everything went cloudy,and felt a loud noise
in my head,then felt my delf fade out. He imedietly turn-
ed my PM back on,and everything returned to normal. I
asked him what happen,and he siad that my heart sto-
pped when he shut off the PM,which means that without
my PM,I would die very fast. So you can understand how scary that is. Fred

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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