Currently Recovering from a Pacemaker Implant

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G3CWI

Veteran
Location
Macclesfield
Interesting story. Thanks for sharing it. I met a cyclist who told me a similar tale - and as I had rather similar symptoms I sought medical advice. I was okay as it turned out but it's worth getting checked and not assuming that being fit means being well and healthy. GWS.
 
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Scoosh

Velocouchiste
Moderator
Location
Edinburgh
So do you now have a built-in, permanent HRM ? :hyper:

Either way - it must have been pretty scary for you and Mrs JtB, so look after her :rose: ... and yourself ! :hugs: ^_^
 
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OP
OP
JtB

JtB

Prepare a way for the Lord
Location
North Hampshire
When you get the energy back, can you clean our upstairs windows for me? GWS.
No problem, I got a nice high ladder only 2 weeks before my implant.
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pclay

Veteran
Location
Rugby
My HR upon waking in the morning is around 43- 48 bpm. I suffer dizzyness when standing too quickly. I also get dizzyness if I have my head in a low position eg bending down gardening followed by ringimg in my ears. My GP says I might need to see an ENT specialist but maybe I need a second opinion.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
My HR upon waking in the morning is around 43- 48 bpm. I suffer dizzyness when standing too quickly. I also get dizzyness if I have my head in a low position eg bending down gardening followed by ringimg in my ears. My GP says I might need to see an ENT specialist but maybe I need a second opinion.
My resting pulse siting down is around 50 , cant say i have dizzy spells but i do have an irregualr ECG, no gap between the T and S wave .Apparantly its been that way for years and the Doctor is not to worried .
 

gavgav

Guru
Last week I was rushed into hospital and ended up needing a pacemaker, so no cycling for me for the next 4 weeks. Normally I cycle very regularly and consider myself fit for 53 - my BMI is 23 and I leave many youngsters behind on the hills :-)
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For many years though I have been aware of a resting heart rate and blood pressure which (although within the range of "normal") are on the low side. I have also been aware of feeling light headed when standing up too quickly and the odd palpitation when lying down at night time. None of this gave me cause for concern because I figured if I was going to have a heart attack then it was going to be during a hill climb and I never experienced any problems with those.

However, about a year ago I blacked out as I was falling asleep at night and again as I was waking up the following morning. This prompted a whole load of tests, including a 24 hour ECG monitor which revealed everything to be normal. Unfortunately though, things deteriorated very quickly the weekend before last where I blacked out about 12 times each time as I was falling asleep. My wife took me to A&E, but because my vital signs improved so quickly, they sent me home again with instructions to contact my GP the following day. That night, the same thing happened again and so my wife took me back to A&E and dug her heels in until they admitted me to the "Acute Assessment Centre" for over night monitoring. As soon as the lights went out I passed out again while falling asleep and the ECG monitor showed my normal heart activity stopping for about 40 seconds with gaps of over 5 seconds between consecutive beats. The doctors immediately transferred me to the cardiac unit and the following day (after forcing myself to remain awake all night) I received a pacemaker implant.

The heart itself is in very good shape due to my cycling/fitness, but the problem is with the heart's wiring which means that while I am sleeping my normal heart activity stops, resulting in me blacking out and then (once the adrenalin kicks in and re-starts the heart's normal rhythm) waking up and feeling very unwell indeed. The pacemaker is therefore configured to kick in and take over when my resting heart rate drops below 60 beats per minute. Since being fitted I've had good night's sleeps, but I'm still feeling a quite anxious with the whole situation which came upon me with such speed.

During the actual operation (which was under a local anesthetic), I was chatting with the surgeon who is a keen jogger and I asked him if there was a correlation between this sort of heart problem and cycling. In his view there is a very definite correlation between endurance exercise and heart rhythm problems and this is a new phenomena not seen with previous generations. His explanation was that if you looked at our parents' generation they tended not to participate in such endurance exercises. However, both the surgeon and the cardiac consultant (who like myself rides a Bianchi) told me that I was doing exactly the right thing since the benefits of cycling far out weighed the disadvantages.

Long term the prospects are good and I should be able to return to a full active life, both work and social. There are however some situations to avoid relating to close proximity to RF signals and magnetism. This will mean using the phone/mobile on my other (right) ear, not carrying my mobile in my breast pocket and avoiding higher levels of RF. For example I will need to keep 3W RF devices at least 12" from my chest (this could be a problem for me given that my job involves professional 2-way radio).

Since the pacemaker only kicks in while I am resting then it should not interfere with my cycling, so in 4 weeks when I get back in the saddle, I fully intend building up my previous level of fitness and giving my cycling buddies a "good run for their money" again.
All the best for a speedy recovery. I had a procedure called ablation done 3 years ago, to correct a problem with my heart's electrical system. Cycling hasn't caused any problems with it since and so you will be back to it in no time I am sure
 
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twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
During my investigations I was on a 24 hr ECG monitor. I collapsed with an 8 second gap in the record. The quacks wouldn't allow me home, I was admitted and, within 24 hrs, had a pacemaker implanted. It's rest up to allow the wring to bed in then I'll get switched on. Home now but 6 weeks with no pedalling is going to be hard!
 
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JtB

JtB

Prepare a way for the Lord
Location
North Hampshire
26x25 - so glad it's been sorted for you, the worst is now over and from now on its recovery with the reward of cycling again in 6 weeks. Don't rush things and be careful with your left arm movements. It's not just physical recovery, you also need to become accustomed to a foreign object being implanted inside you and the new sensations it brings. All the best to you and pleae feel free to PM me if you want to compare notes.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
26x25 - so glad it's been sorted for you, the worst is now over and from now on its recovery with the reward of cycling again in 6 weeks. Don't rush things and be careful with your left arm movements. It's not just physical recovery, you also need to become accustomed to a foreign object being implanted inside you and the new sensations it brings. All the best to you and pleae feel free to PM me if you want to compare notes.
Thanks JtB. Didn't have much time to get my head around any of this. It was Bish Bash Bosh and I'm done. Perhaps the best way :thumbsup:
 
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