Have any members got an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator?

I’m scheduled to have a Pacemaker/Defibrillator fitted shortly and it would be interesting if anyone had any advice or pros and cons about wearing one.
This is dependent on my pre op investigation a week before the implant.

I went to have one fitted (a two lead job), but the cardiologist pulled me out at the last minute. I was all prepped too, but apparently, it wasn’t appropriate for my condition.

Can’t help but good luck with it.Is this a result of you being ill with the virus?

Hi, this is an automated message from your friendly Over50sChat bot :039:

Please note this thread has been tagged with our member-support tag and this is just a friendly reminder to ask that you keep this in mind when replying.

Life is hard enough as it is, and if you can say something that might help make the OP’s day that little bit better we’re sure it would be greatly appreciated :blush:

with that said please avoid turning these types of threads into debates (if you really must, you can start a separate thread on a related topic, but please don’t mention or refer to this one). Thank you for your understanding and for helping make the Over50sChat community the best it can be!

:white_heart: :yellow_heart: :brown_heart: :black_heart: :blue_heart: :purple_heart: :heart:
:sparkling_heart: :orange_heart:

Hi Bob :slightly_smiling_face: many in my support group have Pacemaker implants and get on well with them.

I think I will end up with a Pacemaker eventually .

I’ve had a Pacemaker in for, about, 10 years, OGF!

Hi sly old grey :fox_face:

Sorry, I don’t know much about pacemakers.

But, I’m certain that whatever the outcome, you’ll be in good hands and you’re fit as a fiddle so you should bOuNcE back in no time!

1 Like

No Pacemaker here Bob, but I wish you well with whatever you have done.

1 Like

Sorry to hear that @LongDriver I remember reading about your experience on another thread but didn’t know the procedure was for a Pacemaker. I hope the meds they prescribed you are having the desired effect. I’m scheduled to go in for a pre op checkup on the 5th November and the procedure is scheduled a week later on the 12th Nov. There will be some fireworks if they don’t fit me a pacemaker…

Thanks Smithy…
:+1:

I don’t think having Covid has done me any favours but this problem has been coming on for quite some time Smithy…
Last year I was having problems with unusually tired legs while out running but I managed to run through it. I had a layoff due to injury earlier this year (March and April long before I caught covid in August) When I returned to running in May I was unable to run more than half a mile without having to stop for a breather. After hearing reports from other runners who had suffered similar problems I decided to consult a specialist. After seeing the results from several tests I was told to stop running immediately. On one occasion my heart had reached 171 beats per minute, apparently very dangerous for a 71 year old.

I now walk for exercise, and with the help of a heart monitor I can manage to keep my heart rate inside reasonable limits. However, for the last few weeks, even steady walking can elevate my heart to 171 bpm and I find myself constantly out of breath. Following a recent MRI scan, it was found that two previous heart attacks in 2004 and 2014 have caused lots of damage to my left ventricle, the one responsible for pumping oxygen rich blood around the body, and it has been reduced to 38% efficient. (35% being critical) Every morning I wake up I seem to deteriorated a little further than the day before.

Sorry for going on so long, but it’s getting quite worrying…

Thanks Meg, I have met a worrying amount of ex runners who now have pacemakers and/or defibrillators fitted. Unfortunately I have lost contact with most of them so I can’t ask them questions…Seems like it’s a bit of a runners problem…
:running_man:

I had all of that together with a 3-day 5 lead monitor I wore at home. I returned it on the Monday and by Tuesday 08:10 the cardiologist who requested the tests and monitor phoned me to say that I needed a pacer PDQ and he arranged for me to be urgently listed. It was the 2nd and operating cardiologist that cancelled my op after I was already prepped to go down. He told me an ICD would not resolve my arrhythmic problems.
Good luck with your ICD Foxy and I hope it works well for you :+1:

How are you managing with it Ted? Are there things you can do now that you couldn’t do before, and things you can’t do now that you could do before?
Do you notice it much while doing everyday things? And is it comfortable?
You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to Ted, it’s just unknown territory to me.

My heart rate plunges to 40 bpm and sometimes below, and my blood pressure drops and makes me fuzzy headed and dizzy…(I know what you’re thinking… :042:)
But at the other end of the scale, it sometimes gets as high as 171 bpm while out walking or seeing Mrs Fox semi naked… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: (only joking)
Sometimes at night I have hot sweats and feel so ill and wonder if I will see the light of day.
Probably my heart rate has dropped through the floor.

I was reluctant to take the meds, but if it’s going to keep me going a bit longer I’ll do it. Not statins though… :018:

Lets hope so @Minx With you in my corner I could survive anything…
:weight_lifting_man:

1 Like

Thanks @Mags, Sorry for the downer, I will have a good go at most things, but this is uncharted territory for me… :man_shrugging: But there are lots of trig points yet to be discovered…
:mount_fuji:

1 Like

Managing, with a Pacemaker, has never been any kind of problem.
You can touch it , it’s so close to the surface, but there are no sensations.
I’ve found that I can just do everything I did before, bearing in mind that my exercise is limited to a fairly easy paced round of Golf, or a good walk.
If you want to do your usual high paced exercise, (having read your exploits!) it would make sense to take the Pacemaker specialist through that when you get briefed.
I doubt if that will be a problem.

As for precautions, I was reminded about the risks with putting a mobile phone in a pocket very close to that area. (I have a cagoule which has pockets high up on the front, left & right). Having worn that coat, on a cold wet day, I noticed some strange reactions which, when chased up, were likely to have been caused by that phone.

I hear that Microwaves might need to be kept at a distance!

Installation of the pacemaker was a non event, easier then a visit to the dentist, no pain, no after effects.
Had to stay overnight as they connect you up for a few hours to see if all is well.

(As a Techie, I enjoyed being able to watch it all on a big screen next to the op table).

Once done, life is back to normal, except for the need for annual checks.
When you go for the checks, they don’t do anything invasive, they just lay a control on your chest & put stick on wires over points on hand, feet & chest.

Then they look at the recorded history of your heart over the period, and they speed you up and slow you down!
Don’t ask them if they can see those times when you got really excited, they’ve heard all those jokes!

Now, after 10 years, my little Lithium battery must be on it’s last legs.
They know this, I suspect, as my pulse is maxing at, around 55, but I think Covid is still causing delays in their ability to get the battery changed, which is, probably, similar to starting again.

So, to summarise, the only stress is what your brain will put there.
I am happy that the pacemaker has, pretty certainly, given me plenty of extra years, and still will.

I’m coming up to 86!

Hope this helps!

4 Likes

Hi

Nope, they are not appropriate for my condition OGF.

Seen loads of people before and after fitting when I have been on the Cardiac Wards.

The difference is amazing.

Pacemakers are fitted incredibly quickly, it is like a production line, really simple.

Hope this helps.

2 Likes

It’s a no from me too but I wish you all the best for the op, OGF, and you come back fighting fit.

1 Like

No need to apologize.We are all here to help in what way we can.

2 Likes

My Aunt was really poorly had a pacemaker and returned to normal life. Have to say seeing her before and post op the difference in how she looked and behaved was amazing.

2 Likes