Suggestions Please

I had my pm inplanted on July 18th. I have my first appointment with the St. Jude rep on Tuesday. I have a dual chamber. Any advice on what kinds of questions I should ask? Even the obvious? No one except people here ever really explained to me how this thing works or what to expect. I've learned a lot on this site and thank you all very much.

Vicki

4 Comments

Forgot to say

by Vicki - 2007-09-09 05:09:13

I did see my EP one week after surgery. I went in for him to check the incision and he had this computer...no magnet was used (I've read about that here) and he said at that time I was pacing 1% of the time. No other info was given to me. He was in a hurry and I figured I would be in to see a St. Jude person way before this. I took it upon myself to schedule Tuesday's appointment. Surprises me that no one took the time to really check me out.

Vicki

dual chamber pacemakers

by marisab - 2007-09-09 08:09:10

dual chamber pacemakers are placed in for more efficentcy. You shold ask him why you needed one, also how long the batteries are supposed to last and ask about dangers and any activites your not sure about continuing.

Questions for Doctor

by petemanning - 2007-09-09 09:09:33

Hi Vicki,
My GP told me to write down a list of questions to take with me to the specialist which I did.here are some of the questions I asked,hopefully they are relevant to you
Q:When can I run. A:now
Q:Can I play basketball.A.yes(But I havent played because i am too scared that i would take a hit in the shoulder)
Q. Can I swim: A.Yes after 3 months (but I also havent started because I am unsure about the long term risk of training for competition.last friday I went to a physio to find out and she is still investigating.)

I also had a lot of questions about the pacemaker mode.because I was getting lots of palps. and my heart rate would jump up to 120 just walking pacing the ventricular .-But,..when he turned most of the safety settings off on my 2 week check most things went back to normal.

Maybe ask your doc to explain the "mode" your pacemaker is set to and also ask him/her to explain exactly what that means.

hope this helps

pete

Things to ask

by ela-girl - 2007-09-09 11:09:38

Hi, Vicki!

I definitely agree with Pete and marisab about asking about any activities that you do that you are unsure of doing now that you have the pacemaker. You may want to ask what the voltage is set at--many times you come out of surgery with the 'factory' settings that need to be altered to you. Sometimes, this takes a few 'tweak sessions'! Usually, the voltage is one of the first changes (you can ask what it is set at now and if it needs to be changed yet--usually, you come out of surgery with it set at 5 volts to ensure that the pacemaker is working). You may also want to ask (to quench your curiosity) how much you are atrial pacing and ventricular pacing (since you have a dual pm). You can always ask the pacemaker rep for a printout and to go over it with you (although, this report is fairly technical and it's not necessary for you to understand it all). You can also ask about the battery life!

So, those are my thoughts right now! Have fun on Tuesday!

ela-girl

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