I have been feeling very ill for three months. I have been suffering with a flare up of gerd and was diagnosed with aenemia and assumed it was this? The practice nurse have me an ECG and discovered a slow heartbeat if 43bpm. A few weeks later I was given an appointment for an echocardiogram. The tech didn't like what he saw and within thirty minutes I saw a cardiologist. She admitted me at once and to cut a long story short the next day I had a pacemaker fitted. That evening my wife was able to take me home. It has been stunning. I am very grateful to be alive but I am very emotional and having trouble sleeping for very long. I dont want to be left alone. My wife has taken a few weeks off work to look after me. I am retired aged 66. Will this pass? How long will it last? I am bewildered by how fast it all took place. I am coping with the pain and other restrictions with no problems. Its just the emotions and tiredness
Pacemaker aftermath: I have been... - British Heart Fou...
Pacemaker aftermath
You’ve been through quite a lot the last few months especially once it was discovered you had cardiac problems that needed to be dealt with urgently , it’s good you had excellent care . Recovery wise I feel that the cardiac trans can prepare you how to expect to feel medically post procedure but from my perspective patients that have had or are facing a pacemaker procedure aren’t prepared for the emotional and mental part of the recovery process . I remember being told how routine the procedure is and that the hospital do 7/8 every day . It may be routine to them but not to the patient . It took me quite a few weeks to get my head around what had happened , the facts that I’d needed a pacemaker (after being told repeatedly it was only stress and anxiety causing my symptoms ), and that I’d have a pacemaker for the rest of my life . I was 47 when I was told I needed a pacemaker . I was grateful and relieved to know my symptoms were more than just anxiety and that there was a solution but accepting I needed a pacemaker was difficult . I felt very alone in how I felt once I was discharged , the appearance and sensation of the pacemaker really freaked me out for quite a few weeks . Sharing how I felt and my experience in hospital on here and with other pacemaker support groups of social media really helped . Things will get easier , it’s very early days in your recovery . Talk to others on here , it really helped me with my emotional recovery . You’re not alone in how you feel . Take care x
Thank you so much for your reply. You are right. Sharing the experience with others who have bern through it definitely helps a lot. I have only been home since Tuesday so as you say its new and its hard to wrap your head around it. Thank you again it helps a lot
It takes time and every now and again you will become overwhelmed whether it watching TV, first anniversaries, going on holiday.....it really is an emotional rollercoaster.
The only thing I can say it does get better, don't be hard on yourself....Be thankful that you got seen and have had treatment...which I know you are- but really keep it in mind, live each day as it comes, don't put things off, tell people you love them and really make the most of this second chance.
The tiredness is not only physical but mental too so the 2 are linked. Realistically I'd say give yourself 12 weeks.
Don't forget to check in with your wife....she has been through this with you....and is now a carer...harsh as this sounds she will always now adopt that role whether you need it or not. I would also suggest that your wife speaks to her employer as it is not easy going back to work.....if she phones you please make sure you answer that phone....take it to the toilet if you have to...lol
Time is a great healer, don't pressure yourself, everyone is different...you will be fine
Thank you for your reply. Our situation has been made all the worse because our youngest grandson (14) is seriously ill and waiting for major treatment. Also the day of my surgery her dad told her he has cancer! Plus she had a stroke some years ago and I'm worried about her too. She is already planning to drop down to a 3 day week and isn't far off her own retirement. Her employer has been very understanding and gave her a freehand on when she goes back. You are 100% right I am very grateful to still be here and every day is a joy. I do feel much better I'm just very tired and still got a bit of pain in my shoulder. Thank you for your support its invaluable to me
Hi Parrotsums, I saw the consultant 5 mins after my echo and was given the bad news I was in the severe category for heart muscle failure with an EF (ejection fraction) of 25%. A pacemaker implant was unsuccessful when one of the leads pierced my heart and emergency OHS was performed to repair the hole. Needless to say the implant was halted. I know I would benefit greatly from a pacemaker, but I have decided not to try again. I take lots of medication and am well supported by medical professionals. I do get tired and feel very emotional a lot of the time. I am sure as the weeks go by, you will feel much better and stronger and have your wife by your side. Wishing you well. 🫂
Thank you. I'm so sorry you have those problems. Its such an emotive thing to have to deal with. As you say I am blessed to have my wife by my side. I would have been lost other wise. Fortunately we bought the house next door to our youngest daughter so I have her and my son in law and Grandaughter to watch out for me too. I hope all goes well for you from now on
It's great you have lots of loving support. I live alone, but I have great support from my daughter who lives about 60 miles away, but she makes contact every morning to make sure all is well. Knowing you have lots of support from those around is a great healer too. Take care.
Congrats you have just been gifted with a fresh new life ...forget about ppm. Once the pain goes in 3 months you will forget you have any problem . Just tell yourself daily ...I am getting better each day
Hi Parrotsums, there is some excellent replies to your post,and I agree with all their advice to you. I had an emergency pacemaker after repeatedly being told I had nothing seriously wrong, so like you it was a huge shock, but now 4 years on, it’s there and it’s like a very good friend always there when you need a friend. Take care and be kind to yourself and your wife.
Hi,
I had pacemaker implanted 18 mths ago. My smartwatch alerted me to my fast dropping heart rate…down to 28bpm. My GP got me in to see cardiologist and by the time I was admitted my heart was only managing 18bpm. First op was just before Christmas and spent festivities with family but with terrible hollow cough which would not shift. Turned out lead were loose and irritating lining of lungs through heart wall. New op in Jan to replace. I hate the box sticking out of my chest as it interferes with golf swing and keeps flipping over.
But am glad to be less breathless and have more energy. I understand your anxiety and one does lose the ‘joke de vivre’ for a while , but it comes back. Good luck with your journey.
Yes, mine happenned after an emergency and it is quiye a shock to become bionic with no preparation. I was in hospital for 2 weeks, so at least I had time to get used to it all without having any responsibilities or need to try to do things. Once at home, it becomes a bit overwhelming and you have to cope with this alien piece of kit inside you!! I think what you are feeling is just what many of us go through. It will get better. I would suggest that you join the Pacemaker Group as this will give you a better insight and puts you in touch with other people( who don't mind the odd moan or rant). Good Luck
You are not alone. So many of us don't ever think anything like this will ever happened to us. So we go into shock, we become aware of every twinge, twitch. I know after a heart attack, I was afraid to go to sleep, go out on my own. You will get better, don't rush, talk about how you feel, take your time. Slow and Steady wins the Race. Take care.🤗
Since being diagnosed with an Aortic Root aneurysm and ascending iam finding life really difficult to live with, i have this constant chest pain which goes to my upper back, if I try to do any sort of diy around the house or need to move a few bags of coal with the use of my trolley my chest discomfort turns into sharp pain and tingling sensation. Living also with anxiety and panic attacks is a real nightmare. I do understand that over time things start to get better, but with me my understanding is how much time on earth I really do have, if I had a spare £200,000 I would pay and have my Arotic root and ascending aneurysm fixed, I just can't deal with this health condition anymore. I can't breath properly also because my nasal polyps have returned only having them removed 20 weeks ago, I was a month breather for a year before having them removed and now they are back again.take good care and speedy recovery
I had a similar experience and also have a CRP pacemaker. I attended cardiac rehab classes organised by the hospital and cardiac physios and nurses. 6 weeks course. It gave me a lot of confidence. We now have a cardiac buddies what’s app support group that has been set up by one if the volunteers there. Very helpful to us all for different reasons and all with different conditions. It does take time to process what’s happened. Take care.
hi
I bad 2 pace maker first with heart block the heart rat was 40 beats it has not happened since
I this year had second pace maker the battery was low on first one so they changed it
It lasted 10 years been ok since you should be ok once it settle in
I was 40 when i got my Pacemaker and found sleeping really hard as i felt i was so young. the worry will pass and you will soon forget its there. ask about the settings on your pacemaker as the other thing that happened to me was they had me set at 60 - 140 settings and at night your resting heartbeat sometimes goes below that when you are relaxed. mine was changed to 40 - 140 and that helped.
Hi, I was also admitted end of August and had pacemaker fitted after being unwell for more than 18 months which was diagnosed as vertigo. I also was afraid to be alone but things do get better. I also suffer with gerd and am debility with a bad back. Take one day at a time.
Yes re disability. I have psoriatic arthritis and diabetes. I am just do grateful to be alive
As you should know, most people on this forum understand your present feelings very exactly. Try to level out, and, if it helps, think of Hilary of Bingham's (somewhat tedious assurance that " All manner of things are well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Best Wishes,
Tavishock
Oh poor you hope you soon feel better. You have had a shock emotionally and physically.
I had a pacemaker last March but was prepared for it, the first few weeks are the worst. I am feeling a lot better and you will also in a few weeks , just take it one day at a time.
I took wasn't expecting to get a pacemaker although I knew something was not right even though I was able to function normally providing I didn't try to power walk. My best advice is to consider your heart as a muscle with electrical connections. I am currently having to replace a broken ceiling light pendant, which is proving to be quite awkward. One of the connections is loose, so the light won't work. Once I can get the wire to stay in place, the light will work. Similarly the electrical connections which regulate your heart rate have been damaged. The pacemaker effectively has rewired your heart, and a regular strengthened blood flow should also help your body to put right other problems. Just as an engine deprived of oil (its blood) eventually seizes up, your body has to prioritise vital activities when the blood flow is erratic and so other parts may be affected. Relax, give thanks for this new beginning and start to enjoy the benefits that will surely come as your body settles down. The pacemaker can't stop the other things going on, but you will feel healthier in yourself and this will allow you to be there for your loved ones.
I’ve had a pacemaker for 12 years. On my second one now. I am 74 years old. After a short while you will forget you even have one. I have bradycardia like you. Be thankful and blessed you received the pacemaker before a catastrophic event. There is no reason to be scared or stressed. Your life will go on as normal. Relax and continue your daily activities.
I also had an emergency pacemaker implanted in 2020, and recall vividly about being nervous if I was left alone. Indeed my family felt the same way, and for the first few weeks they babysat me! But all is well now. My pacemaker is merely an essential part of me now. My yearly pacemaker check by one of the cardiology technicians team is the only reminder that I have one. Trust in the technology that is behind a pacemaker, know that it is keeping you healthy, and try and start to relax.
Hi. That seems to be quite normal. I had my cabg operation about 5 months ago but i still get scared when i get a bad pain on my left. Then I feel tired and don't want to do anything, which is bad. We need to work against the negative thoughts. I try meditation sometimes to relax.Trying to control your thoughts is very difficult. Sometimes I feel that negative thoughts are worse than the actual pain itself.
It will take time but i hope we will get there in the end.
Yes, it will pass. You need time to allow yourself to accept what has happened . You have been through a lot in a very short space of time, but you have survived. Don't expect too much too quickly. Give you and your wife something to look forward to, even if it is something as simple as lunch at the pub. You don't have to drink there these days if you don't want to. You will be surprised at how much it will boost your mood.
Thank you for your advice. Fortunately I haven't had a drink in many years. But we have discussed going for lunch at our favourite pub in a few weeks and maybe a little holiday. I have to sort out a new phone sooner rather than later because my old one isn't up to the software I need so the cardiac clinic can monitor my pm remotely
Good Evening, in short you experience is very similar to mine. I received a phone call during investigation to say could I come to hospital to have a pace maker fitted. Because of the quickness and the shock of events I spoke to the cardiac nurse about the mental shock of events and she said that there was counselling that I could be referred to. A year on I have completed my counselling and feel much better about things. I’d say ask about counselling and don’t suffer in silence.
Kind regards,
Hi Parrotsums, Good evening. I have personal experience of pacemaker because I had a pacemaker fitted 25 years ago for complete heart block. May I ask is it a fixed rate or a demand pacemaker?. I am so pleased your quality of life of changed so much for the good. Please ensure you attend the check at the heart center whenever-don't miss it. Regards.
Hi and thanks for your reply. At the moment I don't know what kind it is? I have been asked to download an app on to my phone so that they can remotely monitor it. I have an appointment in six weeks to have it checked and I am seeing my practice nurse on Tuesday to get the wound checked and the dressing changed.
Hi Parrotsums, I don’t have a pacemaker but in 2022 I suffered a heart attack and was blue lighted to hospital they couldn’t fit a stent so an emergency bypass that same day all this within a few hours ( and to think I was treating myself for indigestion) I was 59 and my 60th birthday was looming
I struggled too when I came home the week after
i couldn’t sleep really bad dreams frightened to be on my own, if you feel this is getting down & you can’t control your feelings please seek some help, I did and goodness knows where I would have been without it at one point i couldn’t string a sentence without bursting into tears, nightmares no sleep, it all took its toll, I seen a phsycologist and it took nearly a year but I did come out the other end with coping mechanisms and an understanding of why I was feeling like this because my goodness I was so so lucky that evening if my hubby hadn’t woke up and looked at the colour of my face as I was getting back into bed after taking yet another gaviscon ( I have great support with my hubby who has been through this whole journey with me)
But the physiologist slowly over a few months helped me repair what was going on in my head and understand exactly where I was and to be kinder to myself
Emotions are a funny old thing please go have a word with someone and get some professional help
I struggle this time of the year the fear comes rushing back I get nightmares but I use my coping mechanisms I have been taught and they do help,I have breathing exercises I also do when lying awake in the middle of the night and they help too.
Good luck and a speedy recovery to you
Thank you for sharing. I am truly sorry that it affected in that way.. I am having problems sleeping but this carries on from before the op. Thus far I am managing to get a couple of hours in the afternoon.. This was after struggling for a couple days in the hope that I'd sleep all night. I have found myself crying. But its not always a negative thing. Yesterday I saw a bullfinch in our garden. I'd never seen one before and it was so beautiful I just wept. I am very conscious that I have been given a second chance and that feels magnificent. Of course the fear and anxiety is still there. If it begins to overwhelm me I shall seek help. ( I have a degree in psychology so I am watching for signs that I am not coping.. Thank you again take care
Hi Parrotsums, my pacemaker was also an emergency, being told you need a pacemaker that afternoon is no fun at all! So I understand where you are coming from. No time for discussion (and I felt too ill anyway) or options or information even. I was home the next day without really knowing what was going on and I struggled. I didn’t feel a lot better, as I had been told I would, and mentally I was a mess. I asked about counselling but was told the wait was a year! I urgently needed to talk to somebody about it all straight away and I could afford to pay what the local charity was asking, so I did that and had 6 sessions which helped me tremendously. I can really recommend it to get things off your mind and help you talk things through. Your family and friends don’t see things as objectively as a counsellor does and that makes a big difference. I won’t pretend it made everything plain sailing but it certainly helped such a lot. I really hope you find some peace soon.
Thank you. Yes you are absolutely right. Unless you have been through it you cant really identify with it. My wife had a stroke some years ago so she understands better than most. I find that having no control over what is going on with my life quite distressing. It's usually me that holds everyone else up. But my wife said that I'd done enough over the years and its now my turn to be cared for. Which I found a wonderful thing to hear. Take care
Hi, I had a PM about a year ago, and afterwards, I think I was in shock for a few weeks, I had support of my wife, family, and friends, so that helped. But the trauma and emotional things need a bit more help, I am a firm believer in Complementary medicines, and in this case have used Flower Essences (as I have for years as and when required) Dr Bach Rescue Remedy is a good starter, Holland & Barrett, or other health shop, get a bottle and information of the other Flower remedies, lots info on line, they DO WORK! Good luck
Hello Parrotsums, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had such a traumatic experience. I had a pacemaker fitted on Monday and am experiencing a lot of anxiety (everything from wound pain, to weird pains in my chest, which seem to be settling down, to awful nightmares, to “what if it stops”, to still getting breathless, to “did I do the right thing?”). I waited over a year, while undergoing a battery of tests until it was decided a pacemaker was the only option (bradycardia, arrhythmia, breathlessness, fatigue). On the day of surgery, it didn’t help my state of mind when the consultant/surgeon said “I hope this works”!!! However, the arrhythmia has stopped and I have started meditating to help with anxiety and sleeplessness. My son stayed with me for three days but left today, being on my own now is very scary, but I’ll just have to get on with it. It’s good that your wife is with you to support you through your journey, and once you accept what’s happened and that you were treated very quickly with what I am sure will be a great outcome for you, you will be fine. Living a different kind of life, maybe . . . but a good one, that’s what I’m aiming for. All the best to you. 😊
Thank you for sharing your story. At first it does feel odd to be aware of the heart at times. (I notice it most if I suddenly experience cold) but it soon becomes second nature. It is only too natural to feel anxiety over the pm. But we must have it so the only option is to come to terms with it. I found that processing the whole thing was difficult at first but I am much more at ease with it now. Most of us have the same thoughts and feelings and many seek some form of counselling as it can help enormously. In my case one of my degrees is in psychology so I applied what I knew to myself. I think it has has an enormous impact on my wife but I have managed to get her on an even keel now. I am truly sorry that you find yourself alone. Do you have friend's or neighbors who can keep an eye out for you? I hope you have contact with your son. Meditation is excellent. I practice it myself after fifty plus years of practicing martial arts and studying philosophy. Its a great way to calm ones self down. The chances of the pm going wrong are remote but if you have any doubts contact the cardiology department where you had it done. They have a great deal of experience. I hope you feel better soon. Take care. God bless
Thank you for your thoughts and wishes. I have Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” by my bedside (hardly a bedtime read!) which I will dip in and out of while I recuperate, this, together with meditation and homeopathic “injury” remedy will, I’m sure, help. As for being alone, yes, I have friends who check in on me and my son keeps in touch. Not the same as a loving, caring partner but a whole lot to be thankful for. I wish you very well and thanks again for your wishes.
PS: this community is wonderful - they are caring, supportive, knowledgeable and have experience in dealing with a wide range of cardiac issues. You can always ask for their advice.
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