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Anyone got a pacemaker ?

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Been told today that I need to have a pacemaker fitted.

I have spent the last few hours on the net looking up the procedure, but would like to hear from people that have them what I can expect.

 

Thanks

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Sorry to hear that you need one Ghostrider. I don't have one, but my grandfather had one of the early models (fitted in the early eighties) and never had a lot of trouble with it, he died peacefully two years ago after fighting cancer for over two years, his heart never gave him trouble since the pacemaker was fitted.

 

I am fairly sure you can get support through the treating hospital?

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Yes, I can. However the leaflets they give you is no substitute for reading peoples personal experiences of having one.

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I've got a pacemaker, Ghostrider. It's been three and a half years now.

 

I will readily admit that I was terrified when I was being taken to theatre to have it fitted.

 

Terrified as I was, the thing is, the anticipation is always worse than the actual event. it wasn't as bad as I had feared.

 

It usually involves a day or two in hospital. though it can be done as a day-case by some docs.

 

The pacemaker is not large. It's about the size of a large man's watch.

 

Generally you're awake for the procedure, (unless you're extremely ill) but sedated, as they need you to give a little cough and a sniff, part way during the op, when they place the wires.

 

it takes half an hour to 3/4 hour to complete. and the sedation means it passes quickly. You will have an Oxygen mask on, too, which is routine, and nothing to be worried about.

 

They numb the hollow area under your collarbone, and once the "local" has taken effect, they make a small incision in that area.

 

They then pop some fine wires through a vein into the chambers of your heart. (this is the bit where they ask you to cough and sniff)

 

The wires are then attached to the "little box of tricks". The box is then placed into the incision, and the incision is closed. The op is then done. hey presto!.

 

You are observed for a little while then taken back to the ward, when they are satisfied you are okay.

 

You will feel like you've been thumped, very hard, in your chest for a few days, but this passes. again nothing untoward.

 

I was kept in for one more night (I was an emergency admission, I collapsed when my heart stopped/ slowed down dramatically) to be checked.

 

The next day, they then took me for an X-ray, to make sure the wires were in the right place, before I could be discharged.

 

I was told I was not to do anything that involved stretching and/or lifting, particularly with the arm on the side where the Pacemaker is. This is to ensure the wires settle down and don't come adrift. You may also be advised to take it very easy when considering swimming, because of the way you move your arms.

 

I have to avoid getting the pace too close to magnets, such as in headphones, loudspeakers and the security barriers in most shops. and mobile phones should be used on the opposite side to the pace, just in case. I also cannot go through those boxes at airports and courthouses which detect weapons because of the magnetic field they use.

 

MRI scanners are most definitely out of the equation, (once again because of the magnetic field.) unless your pacemaker is an MRI-compatible one (most aren't) but CT scans are safe. (providing you let them know beforehand that you have a pacemaker.

 

Get an SOS or medic alert type bracelet, which states that you have a pace. and wear it at all times (SOS aren't always watertight so keep a check if you have one of those. if it gets wet the information paper cannot be read!)

 

The battery will last on average 10-12 years, when you'll need to have the batteries or the box changed. This is a lot less than the initial fitting. All this involves is them taking the box out, and clipping a new one onto the wires.

 

You will probably have a couple of appointments, in the first year after, one at about a month, then one at three months after. then one at one year. (And then yearly after that) they check everything is working correctly, and ensure there's loads of battery power left.

 

Sorry it's a long post and lot to take in.

 

I didn't know how ill I was till I had the pacemaker, and started getting some of my mojo back!

 

---------- Post added 03-12-2013 at 00:23 ----------

 

oh, and I forgot to say, good luck with the op.

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My Grandpa had one of the plutonium powered ones when they were the rage. He used to go round schools showing them safe applications of nuclear power..

 

It went in his upper chest and wires to the heart - fitted him and never bothered him afterwards. It was a lot bulkier than the current ones apparantly and wasn't designed to be replaced which is not ideal as they like to swap them to fit a more improved pacemaker. You could see a faint outline on the chest wall, but that was about it really.

 

Have you thought about contacting the British Heart Foundation for advice? They have online forums with people that have similar issues and were pretty good at advising my grandpa in the days before he finally left us.

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Thanks for that, its re-assured me a little. Just got to wait for the appointment.

I was worried about being put under, as I also have asthma, copd and myocardiopathy ( and I had a bad reaction the last time I was put under)

 

When you say you have to keep away from magnets, is that while you were recoverig, or all the time - I work with large loudspeakers, so this could be a problem...

Edited by Ghostrider

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Thanks for that, its re-assured me a little. Just got to wait for the appointment.

I was worried about being put under, as I also have asthma, copd and myocardiopathy ( and I bad a bad reaction the last time I was put under)

 

When you say you have to keep away from magnets, is that while you were recoverig, or all the time - I work with large loudspeakers, so this could be a problem...

 

All the time, GR, I'm afraid. loudspeakers etc tend to be carried in front of the chest, and magnets are used to adjust/ switch the pace on or off..

need I say more?

 

(If you have to transport loudspeakers, I'd have them on a trolley, for safety's sake)

 

I had a fainting spell a while ago, on a travelator in Tesco, coz this ditzy bint forgot that the travellator has magnets to clamp the trolleys. *facepalms herself*

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All the time, GR, I'm afraid. loudspeakers etc tend to be carried in front of the chest, and magnets are used to adjust/ switch the pace on or off..

need I say more?

 

(If you have to transport loudspeakers, I'd have them on a trolley, for safety's sake)

 

I had a fainting spell a while ago, on a travelator in Tesco, coz this ditzy bint forgot that the travellator has magnets to clamp the trolleys. *facepalms herself*

Really :wow:

This is starting to look like its going to be a right pain in the butt.

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Really :wow:

This is starting to look like its going to be a right pain in the butt.

 

Then perhaps you need a colostomy bag fitting :hihi:

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Been told today that I need to have a pacemaker fitted.

I have spent the last few hours on the net looking up the procedure, but would like to hear from people that have them what I can expect.

 

Thanks

 

I know someone who had a pacemaker that failed after a year and had to have it replaced. However on the plus side when you have a pacemaker your heart keeps beating even during a heart attack.

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Really :wow:

This is starting to look like its going to be a right pain in the butt.

 

No, you'll be seeing a cardiologist, not a proctologist! ;) ;) lol

 

---------- Post added 03-12-2013 at 17:06 ----------

 

I know someone who had a pacemaker that failed after a year and had to have it replaced. However on the plus side when you have a pacemaker your heart keeps beating even during a heart attack.

 

thankfully, these sort of failures are very very rare.

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All the time, GR, I'm afraid. loudspeakers etc tend to be carried in front of the chest, and magnets are used to adjust/ switch the pace on or off..

need I say more?

 

(If you have to transport loudspeakers, I'd have them on a trolley, for safety's sake)

 

I had a fainting spell a while ago, on a travelator in Tesco, coz this ditzy bint forgot that the travellator has magnets to clamp the trolleys. *facepalms herself*

 

PT I have a friend who has a pacemaker fitted, and she says she regularly sets off shop alarms, and carries a card saying pacemaker fitted. Do you ever experience this problem when out shopping.

 

Pete

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