Waiting in ICU for them to put pacemaker in

hey

by Tracey_E - 2022-06-01 10:15:06

You're in ICU for type 1?? Seems like a bit of overkill. Is there something else going on?

Most of us find the surgery easier than expected, and that the idea of having a pacemaker is worse than the reality.  The reality is it's a very minor surgery and once we heal there is very little we can't do, and many of us rarely give it a thought. One thing that helped me a ot was understanding what was wrong with my heart and how the pacer works. I can accept what I can understand. Don't be shy about asking your team questions. 

Some who think they are asymptomatic actually come out of it feeling better, they realize after that they didn't feel quite as good as they thought they did. Or, some feel the same, but they are safer. 

Sending you Best Wishes

by SeenBetterDays - 2022-06-01 11:11:15

Hi

It's natural to feel scared and a lot to get your head around.  As Tracey said, maybe you will see a difference as you may have been living with this for some time and you have just got used to feeling a certain way.  Fingers crossed, you will quickly feel a positive impact.  It's bound to be nerve wracking going into surgery but just focus on the fact that it will soon be over and you will be home and safe in no time.  There is some discomfort initially, I found it difficult sleeping on my back as I am a side sleeper but as time goes by and the swelling subsides it becomes much easier.  Good luck with it all and let us know how it all goes and if you have any questions further down the line.  The people in this club are so helpful and a mine of information.  Take care and hope it all goes well.

Mobitz I

by AgentX86 - 2022-06-01 11:14:33

I'm with Tracey.  Mobitz-I is usually a "wait and see" situation or even a "don't care".  My wife was just diagnosed with Mobitz-I and the cardiologist (we're both using the same, now) didn't say anything until I brought it up.  His reponse was, "Sure, so what?". Now we have appointments scheduled at the same time (and both have PET scans tomorrow). ;-)

Again, agreed, there must be something else going on.   I'd ask every question in the book.  This are words to live by (literally). 

Learn as much as you can and when possible, talk in their language.  A patient who shows interest and takes time to learn about their condition will get a lot more face time with their doctor (doesn't matter what specialty). Not only is it a human reaction to talf to people who talk back but they tend not to gloss over things where you show real interest. If you find a doctor who won't explain what's going on, find another who will.

He'll probably be pissed off that you're getting information from Dr. Google but tough.  He still owes you an answer. OTOH, if you're one to always assume the worst, perhaps you can skip the research.  More worrying won't help and it's never as bad as it can be. 

Welcome to the club

by Gotrhythm - 2022-06-01 12:57:34

Like others, I find being in ICU and having no symptoms (or no different symptoms) contradictory. But it's amazing how we can tolerate a little bit of a problem until we don't even  notice it. Then tolerate a little bit more...and then a little bit more.... and then...

Looking back, I can see that's what I did. Oh I knew I didn't feel good. Sometimes, I felt terrible. But there was no reason to think it was my heart. After all I had the same symptoms I had always had. Until I wound up in Cardiac ICU waiting to get a pacemaker in an emergency situation. Still, like you, I wasn't having any symptoms I hadn't had for years.

Everything the others have already said re: pacemaker is right. Pay special attention to AgentX86. A lot of getting the right care in a timely fashion depends on you asking questions. Don't wait hoping they'll telll you anything you need to know. Nobody even told me my diagnosis until I asked a few months later.

(In fairness, maybe they had told me, and I just didn't take it in.)

Learn all you can about your condition and what a pacemaker can do to help you live and live well with it. It's a lot, but Youtube is a tremendous resource for people with no medical background who don't know what to ask.

For now, ask "what is my diagnosis?" and "what does a pacemaker do to help that?" Then find Youtube videos to explain it, or bring questions here. Lots of knowledgeagble people here.

Welcome to the club. You'll find people here who are living well with the help of a pacemaker.

Rate is key

by Julros - 2022-06-02 11:43:09

First of all, best wishes to you Msubsox, I hope you are already healing.

Secondly , not all Mobitz type 1 blocks are the same. After I had my atrial flutter ablation, I was left in an "atypical " Mobitz 1 or Wenckebach, resulting in an underlying heart rate of 30. 
 

Rate

by AgentX86 - 2022-06-02 17:31:15

Just to clear things up a bit.  1st degree type-1 block is called Mobitz-1, and is also called Wenckebach.  They're the same thing.

Mobitz-1 (the easiest to type) describes a failure of the AV node where the time between the p-wave (SI signal) and the qrs (ventricles contracting) increases (AV node gets slower) each beat until it get so short that the ventrical can't recover from the last beat and a beat is dropped, which resets the whole process.

Second degree type-2 is called Mobitz-II and often known as "Hay Block". With Mobitz-II, the His bundle completly dropps the ball every once in a while (Third degree is all balls dropped).  This is almost always a degenerative disease and will lead to third degree block eventually.  There is a high probability of SCA with Mobitz-II. It can fail suddenly, which is why a pacemaker is an urgent matter.

Mobitz-1 rarely causes a problem and is usually asympomatic.  It's often caused by an illness or chemical imbalance and will correct after this issue is corrected. In any case, it's rare for it to degenerate into third degree block and if it does, it won't do it suddenly. The risk is minimal. A pacemaker may be needed if the block is symptomatic.

I now have the my diagnosis

by MSueBsox - 2022-06-04 11:07:25

Turns out I have Mobitz-ll. Sorry for confusion. I'm officially part of this club 😊

Mobitz-II

by AgentX86 - 2022-06-04 14:29:11

That makes a lot more sense.

Well, sadly, welcome to the club. Don't worry. You'll be fine.  The surgery is easy and the (phsical) recovery is simple, as far as surgeries go.