Pacemakers

[Corrie12]

How long after diagnosis to people get their Pacemakers put in? I'm getting low heart rate down in 40s

[Czech_Mate]

Mine was put in within a week. The cardiologist was worried about the very long gaps between beats (upto 5 seconds)

[Corrie12 in reply to Czech_Mate]

I've been in and out if hospital lots of issues I have had the portable ECG machine on last week and they called me saying it needs to be redone due to a faulty unit. I have fast AF and also super low heart rate down to 40 which is causing issues. The cardiologist said I need a pacemaker but that's as far as we got I'm seeing him on the 17th but thinking as the portable ECG needs redoing it will hold everything up.

[CDreamer in reply to Corrie12]

both my husband & I had to wait about 6-8 weeks after being put onto list - mine was then cancelled 3 times but eventually implanted in 2018 & doing well since.

[Suesouth]

mine was done as an emergency two days after SCA

[Gumbie_Cat in reply to Suesouth]

How are you doing after that emergency pacemaker at Christmas time? Hope it has settled in well for you.

[Suesouth in reply to Gumbie_Cat]

hi, so far so good, still get lots of ectopics and still waiting for the ablation which could be 12 months, especially with situation at moment! Thank you

[Gumbie_Cat in reply to Suesouth]

Good to know. Sorry you have such a long wait for the ablation.

[Suesouth in reply to Gumbie_Cat]

so many people having to wait for ops, let’s hope it gets sorted soon! At least with the pacemaker 8m told I won’t have another CA 🤞🤞🤞

[DawnTX in reply to Suesouth]

Sue just so you know, the ablation should make a difference if they didn’t tell you that yet. Mine was scheduled first the pacemaker fitted two weeks later the ablation. I asked the doctor how I would feel what I feel better with the pacemaker he told me no I might even feel worse because I will have the soreness of the incision. Until they do the ablation to block off our natural pacemaker nothing will really change all that much because that is what is giving us problems. When I had the ablation, even in recovery, I could feel the difference. You can still get a few odd thumps. here and there. They set my heart rate to 80 and it was there in recovery. Lol silly me thought it would stay there all the time. When it didn’t, first of all, I was told to stop taking my heart rate because I would drive myself crazy and my heart rate up. Second, the pacemaker anticipates what your heart rate should be when you are active. Active people have higher heart rates when they are busy and so do we with a pacemaker. It should not stay at the set number, unless you are resting or in bed sleeping. I am down now to 70 and they hope to set it to 60 soon but again my doctor told me 60 is ideal for sleeping. I have a feeling I would be on my face if I was 60 trying to do anything as I already tend to run a low blood pressure.

I don’t know any particulars of you, but the ablation should really make you feel much better. I think of it as a big wall, making the natural pacemaker sit by itself and stay quiet instead of giving stupid orders to my heart. Lol now it listens to the pacemaker, which is very smart.

[baba in reply to DawnTX]

I don't think anyone is thinking of "pace and ablate" for Corrie12 but rather a pacemaker to stop her heart rate dropping too low.

[Corrie12 in reply to baba]

Yes that's the reason it's going down to 40 sometimes 39 cardiologist spoke about getting a pacemaker then they can treat the AF with more meds

[Suesouth in reply to DawnTX]

I think my pacemaker is set at 50. I’ve been waiting for the ablation since September, so the C A and pacemaker were quite a shock! Hopefully when it eventually is done it will stop the AFib, flutter and heart block 🤞🤞

[DawnTX in reply to Suesouth]

I forget what he told me about flutter for some reason. I’m thinking it won’t help. Clutter never really bothered me. He said I should not say a word. As far as heart block I don’t know anything about it but I thought that was another procedure like a stent, but again I don’t know anything about it so many varieties we are all so much more different than we even thought we were

[Suesouth in reply to DawnTX]

heart block, is atrial ventricular heart block, mine is completely blocked, hence the pacemaker. What do you mean clutter!!

[DawnTX in reply to Suesouth]

lol that should have read flutter. Sorry about that. My ventricles were out of sync. That is why I need a pacemaker among other things, including my tachycardia and heart failures starting. There are many different types of pacemakers and many reasons to need them I guess.

[Suesouth in reply to DawnTX]

as long as it stops me having another cardiac arrest I can cope with the other stuff!

[DawnTX in reply to Suesouth]

we all have several things to cope with. There are no promises, with afib but I felt the pacemaker was the best shot. I had having a normal life.

[baba]

Mine was done as an emergency, after a night of passing out more than a dozen times on holiday. It was due to long pauses between heartbeats. I was in permanent AF at this stage. I'd had about three separate single episodes over a couple of years in paroxysmal AF, but no-one could tell me what was happening as they were not witnessed..Sounds as though you may need one, it's a simple procedure. And mostly I forget mine is there.

[DawnTX in reply to baba]

I am so glad to hear you are doing better. One good thing about an emergency is you don’t have time to think about what is going to be done. My first cardioversion was a surprise. I thought they were just doing the TEE for some reason surprise lol they kept me so busy and it was so quick and it turned out to be a great day. It didn’t last long, but it was wonderful while it did. The second one I was very jiggy. I knew what to expect. Plus it was with different people and I was very attached to the first ones. It was like family only better. Thankfully from step one on forward in Texas seemed easier to deal with and different. I have had four procedures since Christmas. I am hoping to have seen the last of them for a while. My battery is good for at least 11 years according to the app some people have even longer with the new ones it depends on the usage.

I haven’t really seen anyone with a successful pacemaker implant that has been unhappy. I say this because anyone hedging about getting one should know that. It was the people on this site that got me through the apprehension and I am so very glad I did.🥰

[Mumursa]

I'm sorry to see you're still waiting for a decent treatment plan.

I was taken into hospital in 2017 with fast afib and a slow resting heart rate. My pacemaker was put in there and then because of the high rate of bisoprolol they wanted to send me home with. That was the heart failure team. The EP team they brought in would have kept me there until there was an ablation slot.

I suppose what I'm saying is that its often a matter of opinion - including yours, as you're the patient and closest to it!

[Corrie12 in reply to Mumursa]

It's getting silly I've been taken in hospital by ambulance 3 times now been told due to low heart rate with fast AF spikes I need a pacemaker. But I keep being sent home they fitted a faulty portable ECG machine which results were no good, I got to have it redone for 3 days and my cardiology appointment in next Monday but still waiting on the 2nd portable ECG. Atm the high af isnt the issue it's the low heart rate is causing issues. I only going into fast AF 4 to 5 times a day then it selltes but the low heart rate in on and off all day/night and making me unwell.

[Mumursa in reply to Corrie12]

If the low spikes are caused by the medication you’re on, could you speak to an arrhythmia nurse or your gp about reducing it before you see someone on Monday?

[Jmc43 in reply to Mumursa]

This is a good idea. My issue was discovered over the weekend last November with a heart monitor, including a slow heart rate, and occasional 5-8 second gaps in heart beats at night. The EP called on Monday and asked me to stop the beta blocker and flecainide and had the pacemaker implanted on Friday. It has addressed the issue, and it is set at 60 bpm.

[DawnTX in reply to Jmc43]

0 that is amazing. What a great doctor you have.

[DawnTX in reply to Mumursa]

You are so right about the matter of opinions and it’s crazy because I have heard different from two different ones on opposite ends of the spectrum including medication. My cardiologist an EP now are on a pedestal as far as I’m concerned. They wasted no time and within four months I am feeling almost normal. That includes the surgery of the pacemaker and ablation, as well as to cardioversions, one failing, and a month of testing another medication that failed. there was no wasting of time to give me a quality of life and there is no wasting time. Even now next month I will have another echo done to see where my heart failure is after a month on the pacemaker. There is a possibility of improvement or worsening or staying the same. Everything depends on that outcome, and my doctor already has meds thawed out if I need them. Do not ever worry about questioning anything it’s your body and you only get one heart.

[Barb1]

12 years after numerous cardioversions and 5 ablations.

[DawnTX in reply to Barb1]

wow Barb I guess that shows how things have changed over the years. A few years earlier, I probably would’ve had bought cardioversions also except my second one and failed. There was no reason to try a third. Same with the ablations after too much scarring already. Again this shows how doctors think differently. The only other ablation he considered was the one for the AV node. After all our hearts are only so big.

[Quilter43]

Don't know..been years but now with pauses going to do it.

[BlueINR]

How long after what diagnosis? A fair amount of people with afib don't require a pacemaker. I would imagine there's something going on with rhythm and/or rate for doctor to suggest pacemaker.

My pacemaker was implanted when I was in the hospital, a day after cardiologist said it would be good to do. Not much of a wait, but I am in the US, not sure if that makes a difference.

[DawnTX in reply to BlueINR]

it is definitely different for us in the US. I think most people don’t realize how lucky we are. Anything my doctor has wanted to do has been cleared within a matter of days and scheduled within a week or so the pacemaker took a month only because he wanted to see if a medication could help me instead, but it did not. It was pretty much set already about the pacemaker because everything tried on me has failed.

I feel bad for people that need to wait for the ablation of the AV node because I did not get relief from the pacemaker alone. It was only after the node was ablated. My doctor was straight up, honest with me the day of the pacemaker setting that this is probably how it would be until the ablation. In fact, he told me it would be worse because I would be sore at the incision etc.

It was not that bad I think, getting used to having the pacemaker in there was the hard part. I was paranoid about moving and pulling the wires out Lol I sleep on my left side of course. It also felt like I had a ton sitting on the left side of my chest. Lol now I barely think of it. It’s best if we don’t think too much because we drive ourselves crazy at times. If I want to, I can lay here and feel every beat. I have a typical flutter, but it never really bothered me and I am going to ignore it along with everything else within reason.

Wow I’m surprised at how low some people have them set. 80 left me dizzy in the beginning but that is because I had such a long year of in the 150s think about what 80 is almost half of the heart rate I had been living with. No 70 did not bother me at all and once he has answers about my heart failure, I will probably go to 60. I have no structural issues at Cetera. There are so many things that make us all so different. That’s why I don’t usually question what someone else has going on I would hope their doctor is doing the right thing by them. The only thing I hate to hear is someone not being on a anticoagulant? I hope everyone gets put on one rather than take a chance of a stroke.

[DawnTX]

Oh Corrie you may never need one. It’s not a given. Some people seem to have things hit right from the beginning, and barely realize they have it. Some of us are symptomatic and seem to never not have it. We are all so different. Yes, the symptoms and signs are the same but they come in all combinations. You could be one of the lucky ones. it will be three years in October that I have had a fib. The first year and a half I had two oblations, and barely remembered having afib. It was a wonderful time as I look back now. The symptoms I had were no big deal compared to later. When I came back, it hit me with a vengeance, and then I had trouble piled on having a bad doctor and I did not change right away as I should have. You get overwhelmed with a fib and it’s hard to help yourself sometimes and that was me. I was in tachycardia For about a year and a half and since last April until the pacemaker I had a heart rate in the 150s, which is why I needed a pacemaker nothing else could help. No medicines lasted on me for more than a few weeks for whatever reason. Because I didn’t get a doctor right away to replace the bad one I developed heart failure. That is not the end I am still here and now with a special pacemaker, there is a chance my heart failure could even Improve , or at least stop and it is the beginning stages. Again, we are also different so many options and every day they are working on things to help us. Not that long ago there was no pacemaker for me. It is so new that my EP was invited to Dallas to teach the procedure of HIS pace bundling and my particular pacemaker called Azure by Medtronic. I didn’t notice where you are, but just so you know it was available in the UK and probably other places as well before it was available here in the states. Without it, I would continue in Heart failure.

So please don’t assume the worst. Not that a pacemaker is the worst. I thought it was going to be and now I realize it’s the best thing that could’ve been done for me as I sit here writing to you. My mental and physical everything has improved in the last six weeks and the past week I think this is the best I have felt yet since getting a fib. Do not be afraid you are not alone out here. The knowledge of the people on this site is incredible. Don’t be a stranger and ask questions because we all do because things change every day, including our a fib. There is no cure for it, but there are ways to handle it for most of us. Make sure you are good to yourself and relax because the more stress the worst she will feel and that is a fact. My EP just had me start taking my meds for anxiety and for my chronic back. I had stopped. I did not want side effects to mess me up, but it wasn’t the pills. It was the lack of them. I went back on the medication for my back last week and oh my goodness I feel like I could dance with just one pill a day. No matter what you take if it’s not prescribed talk to your EPor Cardiologist. That goes even more for over-the-counter and supplements they can cause a lot of problems. My doctor has an open mind and he is a straight shooter yes or no about taking some thing and even the time of day you take things.

Be well and stay in touch. Most of all do what you are supposed to do unless you went to school as long as your doctors did. If you look at the résumé of an AP, you will see they are not just medical these days. They even need IT skills and knowledge because of the equipment they use any equipment they put inside of us. My pacemaker is Bluetooth and they can call and have me transmit from my phone so they can see what is going on at that exact moment.