Re: Pacemaker side effects

Posted By Chris on May 03, 1999 at 14:30:38
I am 33 years old and I had a pacemaker implanted 7 weeks ago for vasovagal syncope with asystole. Two days after I was released from the hospital I had to return because of chest pain and I was diagnosed with pericarditis. I had a moderate effusion an was released two days later and put on ibuprofin. A week after that I got an echo which still showed moderate effusion. I stayed on the advil for another 10 days and felt bad the whole time. Then I went to my docter who put me on 20 mg of prednisone and I lost 16 pounds of water wieght in 3 days. After that I felt much better. I had an echo a week after that which showed no effusion. Two day after that I was in the hospital for a dvt of the left arm which is the same side as the pacer. They put me on cumadine for that and It seems to be resolving. My question is, prior to all the I was healthy and had a resting heart rate of mid-seventies. Now it is consistently over 90 and has been since the implant and this is not due to the pacer firing because it only activates when my pulse drops below 60bpm. I am concerned about this but my doctor says not to worry.Do you have any info about this? Also, I just got weaned off the prednisone 3 days ago. How likely is a reccurrence of the pericarditis? Is there anything I should be looking for?Last,does the body ever reject pacers or leads?

[Scot__0__0]

Posted By Scott on May 04, 1999 at 12:07:39
I have had proxymal AF/flutter for about 15 years.  I had an ablation in March and it did not take. It healed itself. I have been told that sometimes my heart will be paceing, or in AF, or sinus.  I take Rythmol(150mg/3 times a day), .125Lanxin in the morning, Accupril, Xanax(3/mg a day. I have been of it for nearly 20 years)and Coudamin. Oh, I had five TIA's according to my new Cardiologist. I could talk and see, but my body felt very weird.  Each episode lasted about 5-20 seconds. He did not do a catscan and I read where without that he could not be correct. Now to the question.  He told me I could do basically anything. When I walk, about 15 minutes into the walk, I start having some fibulation. I take my pulse at my carotid artery. It seems to be in sinus and about four beats later it begins to fib. Should this happen. My sonagram of carotids were find. Also the cardiologist told me I would be on Coumadin the rest of my life and then two appointments later he told me to go back to asprin. He also told me grapefruit is high in Vitamin K. I saw a book that said it was medium. By the was this doctor words at a heart institution.










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