pacemaker nightmare

[howmanygrandchildren]

i received my first pacemaker in july 2008.  i never felt better after receiving the pacemaker than before i got it.  my wife was persistent with my doctor, after two weeks of complaing, she finally got his attention when she noted that my heart rate kept dropping innthe 30's during a medical procedure. she confronted the doctor.  i was brought into the er, where they checked my pacemaker, one lead was off.  when they went in to replace that lead they found the other lead off, they also found a black oily substance on my pacemaker.  the pacemaker company was called, they told the dr to replace it free of charge.  we have no idea what the substance was.  the dr said he had never seen anything like it.  we are waiting to hear from the company.  since then i have been hospitalized twice, because my heart feels like it is skipping beats.  now i have facial and neck swelling.  i want to know what's wrong..lwn

[PikaPika88]

Some countries medical fees are free.  I wonder who pays for the 2 weeks suffering and operation pain?  2 weeks complaints and ignored by the medical professional....  I've been to that situation before.  I can copy your feeling and hopeless and suffering and ......

Did your doctor implant the second hand pacemaker for you at the first place?

I hope you're feeling better now.  Take care.

[empressofq13]

I would ask your Dr. for an explanation from the company on what happened.  If he won't do that to your satisfaction...get an Attorney.  Who knows what happened or what will be the results of it.  Not to scare you...it may be absolutely nothing, but you deserve to know what happened.  I would not rest until I found out!!! Good Luck!
Cindy

[dolfnlvr]

You have suffered a great injustice, and I'm sorry for your experience.  I do not know what the black substance was, or what the results of exposure may be.  However, the skipped beats may be caused simply by confusion in the heart muscle itself.  

Your heart cells are all capable of contracting and causing the heart to beat.  Usually, this job is segregated to specific cells that most people refer to as the "natrual pacemaker."  However, as I said before, ALL heart cells are capable of triggering a contraction.  When the electrical system in your heart goes a bit haywire (like a blown fuse or a power surge) then the cells in the heart can react by causing a premature heart beat.  

Premature beats of the ventricles or atria are not (in themselves) dangerous and rarely cause any further complications.  However, since your heart has been given an artificial pacemaker for whatever reason, it stands that your electrical system is likely not functioning properly.  I would assume that PVC's or PAC's (feel like skipped beats but are actually premature "extra" beate) would concern your doctor until a properly functioning pacemaker was installed to ensure a natural rhythm.

Many people suffer from PVC's and/or PAC's.  Having a pacemaker does not "cure" this sensation.  However, having an improperly working pacemaker could mean that your heart would struggle to maintain a natural rhythm AFTER the premature beats occur.  Once the pacer is replaced, you are likely to still experience the occasional PVC or string of PVC's, but they will not be of concern as long as the pace maker is in proper working condition.

I would hope that your doctor could obtain a new pacemaker from a different company.  Free of charge or not, it sounds like there is shotty craftsmanship being passed along to the "consumer" in this case.

Take care.