New to Club

New lease

by AgentX86 - 2022-05-30 20:54:07

Ron, none of us wants to be here but Welcome to the club anyway.

Now that you have your pacemaker,  a heart block isn't a big deal. You'll be back to normal very quickly. If the heart block is the 0nly issue, it shouldn't have a significant affect on your life at all.

Again, welcome to the club's and if there are any questions,   this is the place to come. We've been there.

Welcome

by Gemita - 2022-05-31 04:23:36

Hello Ron, I welcome you too.  I thought the simple link at the end of this message might help you to understand about the causes of AV Block.  You will need to copy and paste this link into your browser to open it.  As you will read “Heart block happens when the flow of electricity from the top to bottom of your heart is delayed or blocked at some point along the pathway”.  Whatever the cause of your AV Block, and sometimes there are no obvious ones found, a pacemaker can help most of us to live a normal, good quality of life once the electrical disturbance causing our symptoms is controlled by a pacemaker.

I have electrical disturbances (intermittent Bundle Branch blocks and Tachybrady syndrome - part of Sick Sinus Syndrome) and a pacemaker has certainly helped ease my sudden dizzy spells that intermittently would lead to syncope from my sudden falls in heart rate and my pausing heart beats.  The pacemaker has also helped with my breathlessness and chest pain.  Even my benign, irregular heart beats which were always triggered by falling heart rates (bradycardia) seem to be better controlled now that I have a pacemaker, so an unexpected benefit for me.  However, a pacemaker cannot usually stop or help with an arrhythmia or prevent a high heart rate from occurring.  Medication and/or other treatments may also be necessary.  A pacemaker will then allow our doctors to safely control any fast heart rates or rhythm disturbances with medication like a beta blocker, without fear of causing worsening bradycardia.

You will soon get used to your new device and then you will forget all about it as it becomes a part of you.  It is a slow learning process for most of us at the beginning but as our confidence grows and our symptoms ease, we will learn to accept our pacemaker and be all the better for it.  I wish you a long and happy journey ahead

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/arrhythmias/heart-block-types

Great to Hear From You

by SeenBetterDays - 2022-05-31 07:27:06

Hi Ron

Sorry to hear about your heart block, I have an unhappy AV node too.  This is such a fantastic club especially for people who are new to pacing.  It is a learning curve and there are many here who have so much knowledge and experience to share.  Be gentle on your body in the first few weeks and if you don't feel right be sure to ask for your pacemaker settings to be optimised at your next check up.  We are all different and have varied lifestyles so sometimes we might need some tweaks.  Hope you have a positive recovery and keep asking questions.  Remember you are not on your own.

Rebecca

Welcome

by Good Dog - 2022-05-31 16:50:48

Hi Ron! Welcome to the club! You are a few years younger than me, but we have the same problem. I received my PM back in 1987. I never passed-out, but just felt awful. I walked 10 feet and was out of breath. It was a Sunday night, so there wasn't much staff at the hospital. They stuck me in the ICU overnight and implanted the PM the next morning. I laid in ICU watching my heart rate on the monitor go from 12 to 28, back down to 8 and up to 30 bpm. The nurse came in at one point and her eyes were as big as saucers. She just stood there looking at me! I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she was surprised I hadn't pass-out. She was more stressed than I was, I guess?

Anyway, as the previous folks already told you, your PM will be your friend. Once they have the settings optimized (they may already have) you no longer have to worry about your heart. These little devices are very bullet proof! So you should have a completely normal life going forward! Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Dave 

New to club

by skigrl3 - 2022-06-04 20:29:58

Welcome. I am about a month in and all ok. Bradycardia and AV block, a "fainter" since I was a young 'un. Although I have not been on this medium very long, I enjoy this group and the insightful posts. Best of luck to you. This tiny hunk of metal is a good thing, I am learning. While I work in medicine, it still took me a bit to get here.