had my check up

had my check up last monday and they tuned up the pm which seems to have given me more get up and go i dont know if its in my head but long may it last ! am having problems with my insurance company re driving which makes me cross,dont thy realise that i am better now, not worse never mind it will work out soon i hope.kathy

3 Comments

PM Checkup

by SMITTY - 2007-05-16 03:05:07

Hello Kathy,

Glad to hear the pacemaker checkup went well. I doubt very seriously that your feeling much better after the “tune-up” is in your head. Most of us just assume that with our pacemaker we are automatically going to feel better and when that doesn’t happen we are reluctant to blame the PM if we do not have new pain.

The fact of the matter is that an out of tune PM (more accurately, it is a PM that is not in sync with the needs of our heart) can make us feel much worse. I had a discussion on this subject with the people responsible for looking after my PM a couple of weeks ago. One of the things mentioned was that when a PM is implanted, default settings are most often used. These default settings may be altered a little by the doctor based on his knowledge of your needs, but for the most part the default settings are the ones in control of our PM. In some cases these initial settings work just fine, but more often than not they will need some tweaking. That is the reason we are usually given an appointment to have our first checkup in about two to three weeks.

I was one of the lucky ones. Within two days I was really impressed with how much better I felt then I got that first checkup at 2.5 weeks. Things went to hell in a hand-basket after that checkup and it was a very long time before I would again appreciate my PM.

I suggest to everyone getting a PM, that if you feel worse than before you got the PM, don’t wait for that scheduled appointment to ask for help. The same thing applies after a checkup, if you feel worse than before the checkup, don’t wait. You should never need a "break-in" period, or "getting used to it " period. While pacemakers are one of man’s greatest inventions, they are made by man; therefore they are not perfect and can need a little help from time to time. So don’t hesitate to ask for that help.

Good luck,

Smitty

:)

by valerie - 2007-05-16 06:05:11

Hi Kathy,
Glad to read you are getting up and going.....well, to wherever, lol.
Too bad about the insurance company though. I hope you can get that resolved soon.
Keep us posted :)
take care,
~valerie

Hi,

by randrews - 2007-05-16 10:05:54

I'm glad your feeling better. Enjoy it and don't second guess it lol. I just had my pm interogated Monday and the tech told me that it's tougher setting it right for younger(not really me) active people because the default setting are for more mature folks. I agree with Smitty, the original settings are just there, it takes time to set them just for you. Congratualations on feeling better.

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Member Quotes

A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.