Newly bionic, scared to death, hi y'all

Short and sweet, went to bed, woke up with the EMTs asking me to get on the stretcher. Seems I had a "seizure" and family called 911. At the ER the telemetry showed a 9 second pause, a 5 second pause and a 4 second pause within the first 1/2 hour there.

I'm 63, on a bunch of depression meds, a Calcium channel blocker for mild hypertension-well controlled, and just had some GYN surgery the week before my "events'. After the ER, a muga/ultrasound, a heart cath I got a dual pacemaker. Apparently it was the first time anything heart-y had ever shown up on any testing. Back in March I had an ER visit for extreme nausea, vomiting, vertigo which was laid on to a low potassium level. Now I believe it was a precursor to the same things that led to the "pauses."

So while I am a nurse, I only know bones, joints etc as I worked primarily ortho all those years.

Somebody PLEASE give me some encouragement? I am scared outta my wits here. My cardiologist said hi, you're fine-see me in 6 months. The pacer tech checked me once and said I'd be contacted by telephone every 3 months and gave me a modem-thingy.

P

7 Comments

Welcome!

by tcrabtree85 - 2007-09-29 08:09:13

I just wanted to make sure you got a warm welcome to the club. Many of us understand exactly how you are feeling we all have had some troubles and have been blessed to be able to function a little better with a pm. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery process. Remember to get your rest and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. I'm sure things will work out well for you. Just relax and take it easy. Ask as many questions as you need to.

Many Prayers,
Tammy

Hello

by hooimom - 2007-09-29 09:09:29

I want to second Tammy's welcome to the club. This is still all very new to you and you didn't have time to prepare or get information so it is totally normal for you to feel scared and overwhelmed. Most of the doctors completely underestimate what a big deal this is for a lot of us. Like you said, they tend to put the PM in and send you out the door scared and on your own. I am so glad you found this site because there are lots of people to offer support, information and advice.

The good news is that you will feel better very soon. It takes a little time to adjust to having a PM. I think the emotional adjustment is harder than the physical one for some of us. Just take it easy. Get plenty of rest. The PM manufacturer probably has a website with lots of information that will answer questions you may have.

Things get easier!
Michelle

hi

by jessie - 2007-09-29 09:09:39

welcome to the pacemaker club the best group of people you will ever find anywhere and the best support for this kind of thing. it is underestimated and even our family members don't get itall the time. my daughter came to me in september and said i want to aplogize that i wasn't aware of your adjustment to this. the rest is so important. i was lucky i would lie down and be out in a second during the day but at night it was different because i was scared. my husband was really supportive and this helped. so good luck. take a deep breath and settle in for the best time of your life. jessie

it is not foolish

by jessie - 2007-09-30 01:09:36

no it is not foolish. it is a foreign object in our bodies. no feeling is foolish. so scpck just hang in there. you get lots of rest and sleep an nutrition and see in a few months how you are. meanwhile visit this site as often as you want and ask anything you want to. we can all relate to you so hang in there jessie

Hi There

by Vicki - 2007-09-30 01:09:57

If it were not for this site, I would have been a basket case. I had mine put in on July 18th of this year. Went to ER feeling strange, kept me for three days and then said you need a PM. I was in complete heart block. The docs don't explain very much to us. Just sends us home and say make an appointment in a month. Thank God I found this site and read the wealth of information here. Felt less alone and also less anxious about some of the stuff I was feeling. Don't know what kind of PM you have...but wouldn't know anyway if it was a good brand. I have a dual lead St. Jude and the EP said it was the BMW of pacemakers. As for the amnesia, I didn't experience that but the days sure did go back quickly as well as the surgery and time spent in recovery.

You will be fine. Takes a while for the incision to heal and for the redness to go away. And to your final question...Does anyone want the thing taken out. Yes. I have felt that way many times. But, you will get used to it and it's a life saver. Mine isn't working very much at all..less than 1% of the time. When I heard that, I wanted the darned thing out!! But, I realized that it's my security blanket. If the heart block comes back again, I am protected.

Vicki

thank you so much!

by scpck - 2007-09-30 04:09:32

It has been a totally overwhelming experience! As I said I've been an RN for decades!
I remember pacemakers being the size of a small radio protruding from a patient's chest wall.

Did any of you experience any amnesia? I had no sedating or other meds that I know of in the ER, but the hours there compressed into just minutes. The days in the CCU felt only 6 hours long.....

I had this done on 8/15 and the site is still very red, not hot at all and very sore. Is my pacer a good brand? Does anyone (like I do) want the thing taken out?

I feel absolutely foolish with all these questions, but.....

P

Being Bionic aint so Bad

by gldoble - 2007-10-01 12:10:51

I had mine stuffed into me after a series of Heart attacks while in the ER. Mine was brought on by a virus that trigered CHF. Well actually the final straw that kicked it off. Folks just don't seem to understand let alone apply any sympathy. Why... becuase we look the same, we act the same and beyond all else. We are here. Just like nothing happened.

Well, my new friend the truth of the matter is a lot did happen and will continue to happen. It all has to do with how you want to deal with the sittuation.

You now have this thinkg stuck into you that you need to stay alive. Mine is a 3 wire ICD. That was implanted just over a month ago. I feel great, but sometime loney. My wife sees me today as I was before, my kids are just happy Daddy is still around. And for that I am greatful to my friend the Energizer Bunny. (By the way even after serving in the Navy many years ago I never had a Tat, now I do). And you'll never guess who? Yup I got me an Energizer Bunny on my left arm,
and underneth it says from Timex "Keeps on Tick'n"

You see me friend without some humor in this it would be a real let down. However, now I see it as every 5-6 years I get a new lease on life. S I enjoy and revel in my daily pile of problems and those of my kids, simply because I can.

The scar will heal shortly and it will stop moving around. So Yes feel depressed, feel happy, but above all else FEEL !!! Becuase now you can.

Your new friend Greg

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