Aa
About A Pacemaker.
Recently, I Have Been Passing Out Many Times. Honestly, It's Like Every Minuite And A Half.
My Parents Took Me To Hospital And They Have Done A 24 Hour Trace Of My Heart. The Result... I Need A Pacemaker. The Only Issue With This Is The Fact That I Don't Know What One Is. I'm 15 And Really Don't Understand This Whole Process.
My Mum Is Sick With Worry And I Cannot Find A Way To Calm Her Down.
So I've Been Given The Operation Date, Yet, I Only Know That It's An Operation. I Still Don't Know The Restrictions On My Lifestyle, How Long It Will Take To Get Back To School, What The Operation Encounters.
I've Been Trying To Get Hold Of The BHF, But They Will Not Get Back To Me. Please Can You Help?
Many Thanks.
My Parents Took Me To Hospital And They Have Done A 24 Hour Trace Of My Heart. The Result... I Need A Pacemaker. The Only Issue With This Is The Fact That I Don't Know What One Is. I'm 15 And Really Don't Understand This Whole Process.
My Mum Is Sick With Worry And I Cannot Find A Way To Calm Her Down.
So I've Been Given The Operation Date, Yet, I Only Know That It's An Operation. I Still Don't Know The Restrictions On My Lifestyle, How Long It Will Take To Get Back To School, What The Operation Encounters.
I've Been Trying To Get Hold Of The BHF, But They Will Not Get Back To Me. Please Can You Help?
Many Thanks.
I can well imagine your worry about a pacer implant at your age of 15. I had similar feelings and I am quite a bit older than you. Mine was implanted in an emergency situation so I did not have to ruminate over it. I have been to Lisa33167's site and it is very helpful. And it is understandable the your mum is worried. Mums do not like to see their children suffer.
As far as experiences go, here is what happened to me. The surgery took about 1.5 hours and I stayed over night in the hospital. After the surgery, I was placed in a arm sling so that I was not attempted to raise my left arm above my head. I was in the sling for a week. I was told not to raise my arm above my shoulder level for another week. I could do mild exercise such as walking as soon as I was released from the hospital and was back to normal exercise in a month. I was a principal of a middle school at the time and was able to go back to work in 10 days. I also had an 8th grader who had an ICD/pacemaker implanted at the same time and she returned about the same time as well. She wore her arm sling a bit longer so the other kids would be cautious around her. I felt so much better after the pacer was implanted!
About a month after the pacer implant, I had to go back to the doctor to have my pacer interrogated to see what activity was going on in my heart and also to check the settings. The appointment was painless and took about 30 minutes. You will have to have your pacer checked at least every 6 months to insure it is working properly. The check is painless and is an opportunity to have the program changed to help you.
I do not have any restrictions. I can sail, ride bikes, walk, dance, go to the gym etc. So will you. I am 100% dependent on the pacer and am glad I have it.
Your pacemaker will allow you to have a great life.
ksig
As far as experiences go, here is what happened to me. The surgery took about 1.5 hours and I stayed over night in the hospital. After the surgery, I was placed in a arm sling so that I was not attempted to raise my left arm above my head. I was in the sling for a week. I was told not to raise my arm above my shoulder level for another week. I could do mild exercise such as walking as soon as I was released from the hospital and was back to normal exercise in a month. I was a principal of a middle school at the time and was able to go back to work in 10 days. I also had an 8th grader who had an ICD/pacemaker implanted at the same time and she returned about the same time as well. She wore her arm sling a bit longer so the other kids would be cautious around her. I felt so much better after the pacer was implanted!
About a month after the pacer implant, I had to go back to the doctor to have my pacer interrogated to see what activity was going on in my heart and also to check the settings. The appointment was painless and took about 30 minutes. You will have to have your pacer checked at least every 6 months to insure it is working properly. The check is painless and is an opportunity to have the program changed to help you.
I do not have any restrictions. I can sail, ride bikes, walk, dance, go to the gym etc. So will you. I am 100% dependent on the pacer and am glad I have it.
Your pacemaker will allow you to have a great life.
ksig
sorry to hear you're going through this - a very helpful sight with many people of different ages is http://www.icdsupportgroup.org/ it has a forum specificially for pacemaker and icd patients, it has tons of useful info on the process of implant that is easy to understand
if you have any questions after reading, let me know or post in either site and you'll get some answers
if you have any questions after reading, let me know or post in either site and you'll get some answers
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