Posted , 6 users are following.
I was admitted to the hospital on Saturday. I had dizziness and heart palpitations on and off. My heart rate averages 45. The rate went down as low as 33. My cardiac surgeon informed me that I need a pacemaker. I am 66 and never had a heart problem prior to this. Can anyone relate to this and/or give me some advice. Thanks.
0 likes, 9 replies
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davidansy maryann35553
Posted
Funny that I should be reading your post while I'm on my way home from an appointment at cardiology from where I was discharged. I had all those symptoms 5 years ago and had cardiac ablation which cured the problem. 4 years later all symptoms came back. I was told I have "heart failure" and may need a pacemaker. Been taking Perindopril and Bisoprolol all these years and after further tests my heart has repaired itself. Still taking meds and the occasional palpitations. No two cases are alike but I was advised against a pacemaker.
maryann35553 davidansy
Posted
davidansy maryann35553
Posted
Hope you get sorted soon.
maryann35553 davidansy
Posted
Scotgal maryann35553
Posted
Maryann3,
I felt the need to reply to your post as soon as I read it in an attempt to help allay any concerns
you might have. Firstly, I don't have a pacemaker but I 've had atrial fibrillation in the past and recently a
holter monitor recorded 2,920 irregular rhythms originating in the atria. I also had an ECG done a couple
months ago at a hospital which showed a second degree heart block. My paternal gm had to have a pace
maker inserted in her late 60,s- 70,s, probably as a result of having two heart attacks years earlier. She lived
to be 92 and was still active til she reached 90. If you've been told you need a pacemaker, you most likely
do need one and if you don't get one your quality of life would be greatly impacted. I'm sure I'm going to
need one as well as I've also had two heart attacks six years apart. At 65 I would expect that one would be
in my future given my past health history. Good luck to you, it's a relatively easy procedure and you should be
just fine.
maryann35553 Scotgal
Posted
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
lyn1951 maryann35553
Posted
Husband who has dialated cardiomyopathy went on to develop a very slow heart beat, 30BPM at home 7am, little over 2 years ago, told it was his bisoporol & pendopiril causing the slow heart rate, by Dr's in ER, put him up on the ward without his meds at about 9am, by 9pm - 11.30pm that night his heartbeat dropped to 23BPM, he was on a monitor, little box hanging around his neck taking his rate, and relaying to hospital computerised monitoring system, they called the inhouse flying team to make sure he was stable during the night, and a nurse sat with him the rest of the night.
He could not sit up and or move from his bed, hating using toilet pan.
The next morning I made sure I arrived at 6.30am, to wait for the senior consultant to arrive, when they did I told them in no uncertain terms that the previous morning 24hrs ago in ER your so called junior cardio got it wrong to the senior consultant, I did not mince my words, as I had argued at the time to the junior cardio it had nothing to do with his meds, he had been very stable on those same meds for the previous 5 years.
Consultant agreed with my opinion, and told his junior staff member off in front of us much to my surprise, and congratulated me on being correct.
Husband was found to have 100% branch bundle block, 3 lead pacemaker and defibulator installed a matter of hours later.
Husband reported pain in left arm vanished the moment they switched it on, also he could breathe as in take a nice deep breath, he also started peeing, (kidneys working), had to keep asking for bed pan about 4 times, during the night.
His previous diagnoses of enlarged prostrate delaying his ability to pee was with a shrug of the shoulders, we don't know, if he no longer has the problem with passing water, anything to do with slow heartbeat, I asked again another shrug of shoulders.
I saw him after he came back from installation, and he was back to pink and healthy looking rather than whiter than the sheets he was under.
Following morning, pacemaker clinic staff checked all was well, and discharged, he walked out of the ward to car, no problems since.
His ejection fraction at the time of installation of pacemaker was 34%, came back to 41% at a year, and 56% at 2 year echo-cardiogram about 8 weeks ago, junior cardiologist told us his heart is back to close to normal.
I can say in no uncertain terms he has never been better in the last 7 years since he was first diagnosed with cardiomyopathy or heart failure, complicated by left branch bundle block, and ejection fraction of 23% came back to 40% or thereabouts, and slowly got worse over the next five years, never suffered from any pain except left bicep, which was suggested by junior cardiologists at follow up and echo appts, to be arthirits, torn muscle, rotator cuff injury and even when heartrate at 30BPM in ER pinched nerve in his neck, after the fact found to be the intermittent failure of right branch bundle, leading to 100% branch bundle block.
maryann35553 lyn1951
Posted
So glad your husband is doing well. It pays to be proactive!
Captainkimbo maryann35553
Posted
All I can say is 2 years ago I started to pass out driving home up a motorway( freeway) and managed to get to my home town. I had a branch block Broughton by a virus. Heart rate dropped to 25 ish beats when trying to ramp up for ant thing above the at rest rated. Had a 2 chamber pace maker fitted. Now Back at work. Having an almost normal life. Judy come back from performing a gig.
There are some adjustments to be made. I am only 52 so still active and think I can take on the world!!
Just watch out for the depression stages. The realisation that your life ous run by a couple of batteries stuck in your shoulder. But... I can only say that I remember the 2 months I had waiting for the fitting...... I will live my life to the max I can now.
I don't waste time on people who don't deserve it.
I have only so many heart beats and I want to use then wisely.
Remember
Blessed are the pasemakers.
Kim