My 92 year old mother has had an irregular bradycardia around 40 b.p.m for at least three years. Her doctor phoned last week to say she had been looking at her notes and wants her to have an ECG because she thinks her problem may be sorted out with a pacemaker.
Does anyone know anyone so old who has successfully tolerated the trauma and discomfort of having one fitted at this advanced age. Mum is skinny!
How does your mum feel with her bradycardia? Does it blight her life and is it constant? If so I would say go for it. Hope someone else knows of someone a similar age who can give more experienced advice.
Jean
Thanks for replying. ...that was so quick! I have always wondered WHY mum DOESN'T have a pacemaker so assumed it was not feasible for her . Suddenly it is under consideration???? Mum is always tired!! She is housebound but independent with her personal care. I visit alternate days to 'wait' on her so that she can rest. We have approached this environmentally. If she had more energy she could read again or do puzzles. The gain, as I see it, is more energy....but the appointments would be very exhausting.....not to mention the potential exposure to covid. At present, My own family is shielded so I can care for mum who is also shielded.
I can't really conceive the pacemaker being housed in her skinny body. ..there is no fat pocket.
The E.C.G reading may confirm this isn't a feasibility...going to the apparently 'clean' doctors surgery seems very risky.....is the goal of fitting a pacemaker a feasible POSSIBILITY in one so skinny and old? Within her energy levels. Mum is still sharp in mind!
I just wondered if any members are, or know if someone, so old who has successfully had one fitted? Colonel Tom is 100 years old...and look what he achieved!
I read a few years ago of a new type pacemaker that is fitted in the stomach.
Yes - he was 101. My daughter-in-law’s grandfather about 5 years ago.
It’s not that a big a deal - there is no real discomfort and it’s done under a local anaesthetic so no sedation or GA to recover from. It certainly isn’t traumatic, unless you make it into a trauma so I would also say that it depends on how it is presented and also how your mother responds to something like having a tooth out? If there is already a fear about procedures, then that may need talking through. Maybe you need to find out a little bit more about the reasons the doctors are suggesting this so you can ease your own mind before helping her to think this through?
There is I think a perception that this is a major operation and it’s most certainly not although of course there will be some risk, as with everything in life.
If she is otherwise healthy and has a good understanding of what this entails and wants this, I think you will find that this will improve her quality of life, especially cognitive functioning. These days age should not be a barrier and from my experience is not, to receiving good health care.
Best wishes
Thank you thank you for this very positive reply!
I have looked at the British Heart foundation website regarding pacemakers which is veryinformative. The people featured in the videos are twenty years younger.
My mum thinks her female doctor is wonderful. ...there is trust there. The doctor has just returned from maternity leave. My mum is a very brave soul and very 'matter of fact'.
I gather their are various types of pacemamer...the installation of which can take anything from ha!d an hour to three hours.
Any comments regarding how anyone experienced the actual procedure would be useful.
My mum copes well with microsuctioning heavily waxed ears ....and I think that was quite sore!
My uncle had a pacemaker fitted at 88. Due to his age and the fact that the only person home with him was his 86 year old wife who was just going into dementia it was a risky time for them both. I would have been there but was not told about this until about 2 days before the procedure and I was already away visiting our grandchildren in Florida. He went in on a Tuesday morning and I rang at about 2pm UK time that day to find out how he was and he had already discharged himself calling for a taxi to take him home. I was shocked and called another relative who lived about 2 hours away from them to check up but they refused any help at home during this time. So absolutely no problem for him. It made a huge difference to him allowing him to be able to walk to the shops and do shopping and cooking etc - something he hadn't been able to do for a couple of years as too poorly.
Another positive.
Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to respond to my post.
Very much appreciated!
I have to say that contrary to CDreamers experience of the pacemaker procedure I can't agree.
I had mine implanted in Feb this year and it wasn't an easy procedure, to be honest it's fairly brutal ! I'm 65 and also skinny so no padding to soften the blow ! my op was quick at around 30 mins so no complaints there but there is a lot of pushing and pulling which resulted in spectacular bruising from my elbow to neck which lasted about 6 weeks and it was also extremely painful post op, I've had lots of major surgery but this was up there regards to pain !!
Being skinny the device hasn't bedded in very well so I have a big bump and forward arm movements are restricted.
Having said all that negative stuff, which I believe is important to be aware of, the pm has improved my quality of life although I do still get occasional bradycardia, my settings should have been checked last month but appt was cancelled so I may need it tweaked.
I hope if your Mum goes ahead with the op it's not to traumatic for her and she gets over it ok.
I do appreciate your honesty....and am very sorry that you had discomfort from this.
Overall, it is reassuring that older people have fared well overall.
We will take one step at a time ( Maybe ECG result won't suggest a pacemaker WILL help) and listen very carefully to what the cardiologist has to say if mum gets that far.
Thank you very much to all of you who have responded to my post. It is very much appreciated
The mother of a friend who lives in London had a pacemaker fitter in her early mid 90.s.That was c 10-15years ago. She was quite slim and energetic .She walked well and travelled in the uk with her daugher.She died at almost 100 non heart related.
My mom got her pacemaker in her 90’s due to very slow heart rate. She was weak and dizzy from the heart rate. After pacemaker she did great. She also was in permanent a fib. She lived to b 97.
Thank you Hoski.
From an observers perspective, it seems that the installation of a pacemaker is a good thing. The only negative is from the person who themselves EXPERIENCED/s the pacemaker ....i.e Bantam 12 ......but even You said overall it improved the quality of your life. Even you said that the installation itself was straight forward .....hopefully we would be provided with appropriate pain killers.
Best wishes and kind regards to you all
There is pushing & pulling but no pain - lots of local anaesthesia + IV Paracetamol. Also as you would expect some bruising but a lot depends on the surgeon & the tools they use. My doctor used a new type of cauterising tool after the initial cut so there was hardly any bleeding resulting in bleeding. Inevitably there will be difference in experiences but the resulting improvement in QOL I think is worth considering.
Very best wishes CD
I wasn't given any pain meds ☹️
That’s TORTURE, so sorry, that would certainly make it traumatic. Did you ask for some?
I obviously had local anaesthetic but no IV pain meds, once the local was in I could just about cope with it, I did ask for paracetamol tabs before I left for the journey home, by then it was agony ! It certainly wasn't the walk in the park I was expecting ! and the nurse did tell me afterwards that women find it more painful because they don't have the padding and space for the device that men do.
I was offered mild sedation & IV meds - I was more scared of the sedation because of my condition but I can honestly say I didn’t feel anything for the implant. During the revision, toward the end, the local was starting to wear off so I do have a moment but the revision was 3 hours & the implant was about an 2 hours but most of that time was attempting (unsuccessfully as it turned out) getting the LV wire placement correct but you wouldn’t normally have that for bradycardia PM.
Definitely not, if her quality of life is being marred by her condition and she is happy to proceed with a Pacemaker then I see no reason for her not going ahead. The surgery is done under a local anaesthetic and the recovery is good providing she follows instruction from her surgeon, risks are small but benefits good, she may still have to take a tablet but apart from that and regular pacing checks it could be a real benefit for her. I have had mine now for 3 years and life is so so much better. Good luck, I wish her well x
Thank you Opal.
I have known about pacemakers for years and always believed that the op was minor and the benefits enormous But then, when it is someone vulnerable you KNOW facing the choice... You view everything diffetently....a bit like when youngsters I worked with smoked....no great issue....but when my own son started smoking ....I was absolutely appalled that anyone would engage in such a hazardous choice. It is great to hear reassuring stories.
I understand. The Pacemakers today are much smaller than the one I had implanted 3 years ago, my battery lasts for 10 years just to give you an idea. Anyway, let your loved one make her own decision but tell her not to be afraid of the procedure, they just make a little pocked in the muscle above the left breast and attach the wires, you are out the same day, no anaesthetic so quick recover. Give her a cuddle from me xx
My cousin aged93 had one fitted. She too is a skinny build. She had one day of discomfort after the procedure and from then on has been fine. It has made a huge difference to her energy levels. I often feel she puts me to shame. Good luck to her. Sue
Thank you Flossie.
Good and bad responses are equally appreciated ....but so much more reassuring when good. Mum's E.C.G is tomorrow at ' clean' doctors surgery ...she may not even be a candidate.
If Mum does have a pacemaker, good or bad ....I will give feedback
My Dad had one implanted at age 89, after a fall caused by his heart briefly "stopping." He was 5'7" and only about 140 pounds at the time and also had permanent atrial fibrillation. Dad thought the procedure was "a piece of cake," despite (or perhaps because of) his having spent the previous week in the neurological ICU due to head injuries from the fall. He never complained about the pacemaker nor did he ever have any apparent difficulties with it. From his standpoint, it seemed no more difficult or traumatic than having cataract surgery and a lens implant.
Thanks for this marvaldebaren. Mum told me yesterday ( after her E.C.G!) that she wouldn't be electing to have a pacemaker anyway because it wouldn't stop her falling. It's the potential to fall that terrifies her. ( she falls very very seldom.......but her fear that she will with life changing consequences seems always there, she potter's around her home always with a four wheel rollator. I visit only alternate days........this might be a long term arrangement..... My family have taken shieding precautions ourselves to facilitate my safe visiting ). I think that we assumed her falling had something to do with her ears!!!
I do wonder if your mom ever feels a bit woozy, dizzy, or perhaps blacks out for a second when walking around or even when seated. If that is the case, it might be her heart, rather than generic weakness or other problems, that make her especially concerned about falling. My Dad sometimes had problems with being completely frank when he didn't like the possible medical consequences: hope that your Mom is more honest. Good luck to you and your Mom. I should add that my Dad lived with me the last 12 years of his life and we bought a new home together to accommodate both of us as well as the occasional helper.
I'm guessing but I doubt the Cardio would have even suggested a PM for your dear mum if they thought she wasn't up to coping with the procedure. It will give her a new lease of life hopefully. Best wishes.
My mum's world is very small. She lives on her own .... her choice. Her day to day routine is so challenging for her that she is permanently exhausted. I haven't always been her main carer. I had an idea that my mum's poor heart functioning was due to faulty valves ....the operation to fix declined by herself as not wanting to waste NHS money in such an old person.....this was four years ago.
Mum doesn't remember this .....suddenly her doctor ( a different doctor to before) is phoning to suggest a pacemaker at a time when my mum is shielding. My mum has great faith in her new doctor ( also her old doctor who actually gave excellent care).
When the day to day is so exhausting, when one's lack of control over their lives makes them more controlling and dependent on strict routines, ANY break from routine due to the anxiety and physical exertion ( we probably should but a wheelchair just to get her to appointments from the car .....but seldom!) Is absolutely exhausting.
The nurse who did the E.C.G said someone would call my mum yesterday regarding the trace but as yet no one has called ( I have seen her other ECG traces ...they probably AREN'T easy to interpret .. when I take her pulse I wonder she is still alive with her erratic beat).
Actually getting to a cardio, especially amongst the stress of covid-19 ....my husband is type 2 diabetic ....is a tall order.
The running has to be worth the ask.
Thank you for your reply which I know was given to try and reassure ....and is very much aporeciated.
I have watched two now deceased sisters struggling with health issues. Their medical appointments in both cases were an exhausting schedule.
I know whichever decision you make with your will be taken with all the love & care for your Mum & her best interests, which comes through in your posts. Take care & continue to be strong.
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