getting pacemaker and running

Hi, I'm 48, male, have been running for over 2 years now. I currently am instructing a 1/2 marathon clinic. I started getting dizzy at the gym (never running) and decided to go for tests to determine the cause. Every time I went to the gym, 40 minutes or so into the workout I got dizzy and had to stop. The doctor sent me for stress tests with a cardiologist (I passed no problem) who then sent me for a tilt test. I failed the tilt test and during the test my heart stopped for over 15 seconds. This doctor suggested I get a pacemaker. I'm a little paniced over getting one. First the thought of it being inserted in me and protruding through the skin almost turns my stomach and makes me feel a bit faint. I'm also a bit concerned it will be always on my mind whenever I pick up and item (concerned not to hit it etc). I am very concerned it will affect my running.
The process makes me feel queezy. I know that if I need one I should get one..but I'd feel a lot better if I knew what other men my age (particularly ones that work out and or run) can offer in suggestions/advice.
Much appreciated.

10 Comments

don't panic

by Tracey_E - 2009-03-10 08:03:15

First of all, 15 second pauses should have you panicking more than the pm. The pm will guarantee that never happens again. Not only will you feel better, but you won't have to worry about arresting.

They do not always protrude. It depends on your build and your surgeon. Make sure they know you care how it looks. It can take a bit longer to recover if they bury it more deeply, you'll see it less and it will interfere with your activity a lot less also.

It will be on your mind at first, no way around that. But as you feel good for longer and longer, you will gradually stop thinking about it. I got my first one when I was 27. I'm 42 now and rarely give it a thought. It's just a part of me. I wouldn't go back for anything because I feel too good now.

If anything, it will increase your ability to run because it will make sure your heart beats more efficiently. You should not have any negative effects once you heal. I can do things now that I never dreamed of having the stamina to do before I got my pm. We have members here of all ages who run marathons.

If the whole surgery is really bothering you, ask for a tranquilizer to take the night before so you get some sleep. They can keep you pretty darned calm the whole time if you tell them how nervous you are.

Getting a pacemaker

by Pookie - 2009-03-10 08:03:19

Hi Ancasterguy and welcome to this great little club.

So, you need a pacemaker. I can totally understand your thoughts and concerns but it's really not that bad, you can still lead a "normal" life after a few weeks of rest and recovery. There are a few male members on this site around your age that are runners too, so perhaps you will hear from them...I'm sure.

I too had the gross thoughts of having a foreign object implanted in my body, but got over that really fast once I knew and understood why I needed the pacemaker. I had bradycardia (heart beating under 60 beats per minute; going into the 30s at night). Heart Block was my diagnosis.

I was 42 when I received mine; 4 years ago. I'll be 100% honest with you and admit that it took me a long time both physically & mentally to adjust to a pacemaker, but I actually forget I have it now. I was one of those rare birds that had a few complications.

Just to clear one thought or image you may have: nothing protrudes from the skin. Yes, some people have a noticeable bump and a scar....but in the end it's a small price to pay. Suggestion: Go click on the Members Gallery (upper left) and I have a picture of my chest w/pacemaker and scar...so do a few other people.

Please know that you are not alone when it comes to the stress and anxiety of knowing you need a pacemaker....most of us have been thru that...some members had NO advance warning and woke up with one!! That would be a shocker to say the least.

My suggestion to you would be: research as much as you can and ask as many questions here or to your doctor, as the more informed you are, the better you will feel with your upcoming procedure.

You have certainly found a supportive bunch here and we are here to support you.

Again, welcome and feel free to ask as many questions as you can think of...and oh...there is a great SEARCH feature up in the right hand corner....loads of info.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Pookie

Getting A Pacemaker

by BOB 1 - 2009-03-10 09:03:18

I'm a male, but a couple of years older than you. I think that if your surgeon knows his stuff you will not even be able to see your pacemaker from 3' away. It will be in a pocket made in the muscle just below the collar bone and the scar will be about 2" long and hardly visible. The lump mine makes is hardly visible.

As for you getting a pacemaker, I say go slowly before you take the step. Although a pacemaker should not have any adverse effect on your life, too many times people with one are looked upon as being less than perfect and many non pacemaker wearers think we must have many restrictions on our lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth. In your case I guess, based on what you say, your pacemaker will be an on demand unit that just helps stabilize your heart rhythm when necessary. Most of the time it will probably sit there doing nothing but monitoring your heart beat.

But because the things frequently carry with them the a stigma, so I say be dam sure you need one before agreeing to the surgery. After all your doctor just suggested that you have one. Wait until he says you gotta have one. Also, so far as I'm concerned the results of one tilt table test, again in your case, does not provide enough evidence you need one.

Good luck

So now you know you aren't invinceable

by BillMFl - 2009-03-10 09:03:52

Happens to a lot of us guys. I don't really need a PM do I? That's a really common reaction. So you probably have neurally mediated syncope. Not that common actually. The fact that your heart stopped for 15 secs could possible mean its a little more complicated too. Don't mess around with a pause that long. What if you suddenly drove up a very steep incline and you blacked out at the wheel like that? What innocent bystander might be injured as well. None of us are thrilled to have a PM but anybody that blacks out or has a heart that stops on an incline test has to accept the reality. You won't give up any of your activities (after a relatively brief recovery period) and the "cosmetic defect" is trivial when your health is at risk.There are younger guys in here that train harder than you and function just fine.

Female, 43, thought the same way at first

by muirghe - 2009-03-10 10:03:04

Hello Ancasterguy! I too, like you, was a bit freaked out by the idea of getting a pm. What caused me bigger issues was knowing that without it I could pass out at the wheel and potentially hurt others. I consider myself extremely lucky that my Doctor found out what the problem was.

I have had my pm now since this January 16th. For me, once I had an idea what was involved in the procedure, I was OK with it. The alternative is that you would always be treating yourself like an invalid. That is the trap I fell into for the 2.5 months I waited to get mine (long waits sometime here in Canada).

In the short time I have been a member of this site, I have had all questions I had answered and feel nothing but support.

I wish you all the best. Just think that your Doc wouldn't be suggesting it unless he/she thought you really needed one.

Muirghe

Male, 59 runner

by DonSoule - 2009-03-11 06:03:50

Hi Ancaterguy,

Like the last poster, I was implanted on Jan 16th too.
It was relatively painless for me - you'll see all kinds of different experiences on this site but for me things went smoothly. I've been back into running for the past 3 years - I'm slow but have run 5 marathons and about a dozen half marathons plus 3 - 25K's and many 5K's.

I was back to running on my treadmill in 3 weeks and ran a 5K race 5 weeks post PM. The 5K was one of my slowest but I think that was due to being out of shape from limited running in December plus a fall on the ice which keep me from any running for 3 weeks prior to getting the PM.

If your heart rate goes up normally so you don't need to have something call "Rate Response" turned on, your pacemaker should have no impact on your running. You may even see an improvement - I'm hopeing that I can get mine fine tuned so that my running can improve with the pacemaker. My "Rate Response" is turned on and so far I don't think the techs in the "Device Clinic" I've seen know how to adjust it for running - they are use to seeing inactive people and said I was the first "runner" they have seen. So far I've been disapointed with the changes they've made. I'm still just getting my endurance back so I can't say for sure if the pacemaker is helping or not - I know it works fine for every day activities but when it comes to running I think there are more adjustments that can be made.

There are quite a few running related questions including discussions of the rate response feature that you can read about here if you just browse in the "Exercise & Sports" forum (left side of page) or you can do a search on "running" in the search box (upper right menu).

Good luck! This is a great site for encouragement and information about living with a pacemaker. If you get the pacemaker and would like to get more support with your training, another good site is CardiacAthletes.org. They are not pacemaker specific but deal with anyone with a cardiac condition that wants to continue doing sports - I think alot of runners with pacemakers join both groups. The will provide a lot of support for your training and racing.

Don

No Problem

by Coachd - 2009-03-13 07:03:46

Welcome,

I am 46 years old and I kept feeling faint, I am very active and involve in sports. I received a PM in Oct 08, what a difference. The Dr told me that I needed one asap and that I should not have even driven a car. Don't wait until it's too late.

CoachD

suck it up

by Cyborg Runner - 2009-03-16 10:03:26

Hey if you are having issues with your heart and they can be cured with a pacemaker, don't screw around with your "feelings", take care of your health and get the thing installed in your chest.
I had similar feelings, but as I am a runner, I couldn't train effectively with my hearty issues. Got my pacemaker, 6 months later ran a 3:17 matratghon, then 3 weeks after that I ran a 1:29 half, a PR.
Having a pacemaker sucks fopr many reasons, being dead sucks for more.
Dan

Just another voice

by ralphlake - 2010-03-15 01:03:39

62 year old male Had mine in since May 2005. Had a 7 second pause. My take on the whole thing is not much different than others above. (1) the surgery is brief (2) recovery is quick (follow their instructions about not lifting your right arm too high (3) you notice it at first and for a while you wake up amazed-disappointed-annoyed and then one morning you wake up and you forget to be those things. Then a week, then longer. (4) you get back into your regular routine quickly- I went back to running about 5 weeks after (some get back faster). (5) You obviously need one 15 seconds is a long pause--but there are longer--much longer.

Good luck

Ralph

17 Y/O runner with a pacemaker

by kwhitwor - 2016-02-27 02:02:21

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/preps/2015/10/27/maclays-whitworth-running-xc-pacemaker/74705662/

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