Does having a pacemaker reduced life ??

Life span with pacemaker

by Good Dog - 2022-07-13 08:03:10

I received my PM suddenly two weeks after turning 38 years old. I am now 73 years old, The answer is no, a PM does not shorten your life span! On the contrary. You should be able to live a long and normal life! 

Wishing you the best!

Sincerely,

Dave

Does a pacemaker alone shorten our lives?

by Gemita - 2022-07-13 09:26:51

Cadaverock, 

A pacemaker will not reduce our lifespan, although any serious “uncontrolled” health conditions present, might.

Like Good Dog, I believe a pacemaker can only help us to live a long and normal life, especially with conditions like symptomatic heart block and sinus node disease which could otherwise be very deleterious to our general health.  While a pacemaker is a relatively easy fix for these conditions, as with everything in life, a risk assessment versus benefits of a pacemaker should be made initially for all of us and a pacemaker only offered when there is a clear need for one.  However low, there is always a small risk of infection and other complications from initial implant surgery and with each subsequent device change over a lifetime so this needs to be taken into account. 

While a pacemaker can be an easy fix for heart block and sinus node disease, it cannot of course treat all our health conditions, which may still need watching closely too.  So lifestyle and diet will still be important for a long and healthy life. I note you are tackling high blood pressure.  As you may know, a pacemaker cannot help control your blood pressure although it will help your doctors to give you higher doses of medication without causing your heart rate to fall too low, since your pacemaker base rate setting can be adjusted to prevent this from happening.

Go live your life and be happy.  

Unpredictable life

by Lavender - 2022-07-13 09:49:12

My cardiologist told me that I have the same life expectancy as anyone else. We have an advantage in that our heart problem is recognized and being overseen. Many die with silent killers as the cause such as undiagnosed issues. Others are taken in accidents. Only God knows our exit date. Don't think about it. Enjoy each minute because that's all anyone can do. The past is over and the future is an unknown. 
 

Without a pacemaker, my life would be most likely shortened by the complete heart block. 

No

by AgentX86 - 2022-07-13 18:10:01

Dr. Google should have been sued for medical malpractice a million times by now. If you look at the statistics, yes, people with pacemakers don't live as long as those without. Ther also tend to be older. It's not big news that as we get older our clock is running down. Pacemakers are also a life-sustaining device for those with really serious (end of life) diseases. Control for these factors and a pacemaker will PROLONG your life , not shorten it. You will probably live a longer, higher quality of life, that you would without it.

Embrace it. If you need one it'll make your life better. You can then lead a normal life.

Life causes death

by ROBO Pop - 2022-07-13 18:50:00

And none of us are getting out of it alive, so rather than worry about your life saving device, get out there and enjoy whatever life you have left. And I'm sure there's more than one long term member here who wishes my device would shorten my stay...