Spent the last 24 hours in the emergency room; then in a regular room. Went in with a stomach ache; then my low heart rate (40 or less) was discovered. Have been planning for a pacer for several years. Was told a couple of weeks ago that I should plan for the procedure in about 8 months.

The emergency room people were prepping me for a procedure when some sane person got hold of my cardiologist and the Dr. who actually does the procedures. After putting on a monitor and 10 trips up and back the hall, the decision was made to postpone the procedure.

My questions: Has anyone here had a monitor installed? How long were you out of action? Was getting used to the device relatively easy?

I understand that, while your heart rate changes as a function of the activity you are doing (Mine went up to 94 walking the halls yesterday), this is a "ONE SPEED MOTOR" that operates at about 60.

Please let me know your experiences. I can't respond until Thursday. I'm leaving for an extended session in Louisville for a film score in a few minutes....



Chas and others, I KNOW....I KNOW...I KNOW!


R.

Russ

I have helped install more than 100 pacemakers and pacemaker/defibrillators in patients, but that was many years ago. Most only remained in the hospital overnight, and the vast majority of them went back to work within a week.

The pacemaker rate us set by the cardiologist doing the installation, with a resting rate of 60 the established rate. Your heart rate CAN go higher, when a higher rate is demanded from increased physical activity, but never get lower than 60.

If you have a pacemaker/defibrillator combination installed, the defibrillator kicks in when ventricular fibrillation is detected by the pacemaker's internal EKG monitoring device, which is very efficient. They rarely have problems. Usually, the pacemaker battery is good for 5 to 7 years, while the pacemaker/defibrillator battery is good for 2 to 5 years.

Battery replacement is usually performed by the cardiologist as an outpatient procedure and done under local anesthesia. Additionally, it's a good idea to purchase a wrist blood pressure cuff and monitor your BP daily, along with a pulse oximeter to monitor your %P02 (Percentage of oxygen saturation), both of which are important factors to keep track of on a daily basis. I also highly recommend purchasing a 6-Lead Kardia Mobil EKG device. I have one and it is very easy to use and you can send the results directly to your cardiologist is an abnormality is detected.

Hope this helps, Russ, though I do not have any first hand experience as a recipient of either device,

Gary

Russ, Gary's right. I had zero problems with the procedure and zero problems since. Solved my rather severe AF problem as well. Of course, it'll have to be monitored forever (for proper functioning and battery life remaining). The battery will probably last longer than you will , @ 12 years. Monitoring is done by a monitoring company and you can opt for a remote (I have one) that uses your cellular system. They will do an in-person check about every six months. I have no restrictions, however, I'd stay out of bar fights, or if you must, try not to get hit in the chest area . The functions of the wrist cuff Gary mentioned can be had on many of today's SmartWatches. Probably not as accurate but good enough if you get a quality one (Apple, FitBit, etc. - I have an Apple which is surprisingly accurate).

Hey, they say only the good die young, so you've got nothing to worry about. I too, take comfort from that .

chas

I joined that club a couple years ago. Was down to 30 - 40 and my nurse daughter put me in the hospital. Next day, had a Pacemaker. for me, it was a walk in the park. Set at 60, no problems thus far. It's not intrusive.

Thanks, Jim.

Russ "Huff and puff" Lay

Hi Russ, just saw your post.

I had a pacemaker installed about 5 years ago. It was not a difficult procedure for me (I was under a general anesthesia), but apparently my cardiologist had a bit of trouble threading in the electrodes, so the surgery took a bit longer than they anticipated. Still, I was out of the hospital the next day. I did have to refrain from lifting my left arm above the shoulder for, I think, a month.

It was an easy procedure and the recovery was also uneventful. My cardiologist said that low heart rate can lead to a stroke, and I believe him - that's what happened to my father.

A word of caution, though - once you get a pacemaker, you cannot buy life insurance, so if you are thinking of getting a policy, buy it before getting your pacemaker implanted.

Best of luck,
Alex