How long should I have to wait for pacemaker

[grandadbren1]

I had heart bypass I October 2013 and recovered extremely well until February 2015 when I felt dizzy had slow irregular heartbeat and chest aches I was admitted to hospital for 48 hours and discharged with 2:1 block to see cardiologist within 2 weeks this proved impossible so I ended up going to see a cardiologist at a private clinic he perused all my copies of ecgs X-rays heart echo test and could find no sign of 2:1 block but did say I had eptopics which were not dangerous and may disappear. After a few more visits and a 24 hour monitor which showed nothing but eptopics I was sent an appointment with nhs a mere 5 months after discharge from hospital which recommendation was to be seen in 2 weeks ,the diagnosis was the same eptopics but he recommend I have 7 day monitor this has now shown sick sinus syndrome slow beats and one short lived episode of fast beats he has recommended that I have pacemaker whiich was to be fitted within a month this has now stretched to at least another month so should be In September the delays are due to fact he is now on holiday and somehow my referral got lost I am worried that this delay is damaging I have spoken with my gp who says sooner is better than later but I am not in danger of heart attack or damage to heart.

Does anyone know what the risks are I do feel I am tiring more easily I do not get out of breath and can still do some manual work i do feel I get some pains and aches in chest around collar bone area Anyone out there got any advice.

[Hidden]

Oh dear, it sounds like you have fallen foul of the NHS and their inefficiencies. I empathise I've been in the same boat recently. It's hard not to worry.

I have a pacemaker and luckily had it fitted privately but remember that the diagnostic period was confusing and took a year. I had bradycardia (now dxd as sinus node disease) and had ectopic beats too. Maybe your diagnosis will be determined better once you get your pacemaker.

Pacemakers produce a readout at every check and will record your heart rhythm. During the initial implantation and checks the technicians will tweak your pacing to deal with the fast, ectopic and slow beats.

It is really difficult to discover you have a heart problem and then have everyone tell you it's not so bad and put you aside. When it comes to hearts, I think we're all programmed to expect an emergency response....it feels urgent and very important doesn't it...but cardiologists prioritise with life threatening at the top of the list and symptoms which are concerning but not likely to produce a heart attack, serious fall etc closer to the bottom! Try to accept what your doctor is telling you. Not every heart problem results in immediate consequences....it's hard though, because it's your heart and it matters very much to you.

Maybe try to find out more about pacemakers whilst you wait. There is an excellent online support group called the pacemaker club. Look it up! They may help you find out more about how you will be treated and what pacing involves. They can be quite complicated to understand and the more you know about the device that will be in your chest and what to expect the better.

You're welcome to pick my brains if I can be of any help.

take care

x