Top 7 Pacemaker Fears 

How are you doing now ??

U alive?

Thanks for the words of support. I'm glad you still do the things you like to do. We do have to make the best out of it. Thanks for watching!

@@CyborgVlogThank you for being there you are a source of comfort for me. I'm in phoenix age 70. I need second opinion and looking for help where to go. I'm afraid and don't know what to do. Low hart rate , I wake up with chest pain and pass out about 3-6 sec. During day ok sometimes feel need for air. I am praying to get info and good dr to really look at all the options. Im afraid I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I read some people still get the same symptoms after pace maker. Trying to do research on experienced Dr and at this time the best hospital to go to, considering what is going on with overcrowded hospitals. I would love to hear from you. Best wishes to you and your family.

Marlene Silva, I understand your nervousness, especially about going to the hospital with so many covid cases. But if you are passing out, something has to be done to prevent injury. I suggest using the internet or phone book to find cardiologists near you. Since you are in a big city, there should be many good options. Talk to them and find one who makes you feel confident about the procedure. Also, hospitals take precautions to keep covid patients isolated from the rest of the hospital. Others can still get care. Best of luck to you, and remember the pacemaker is there to help you live better.

I am a bit stressed about as well my doctor told me I have 2 options first medication if they don’t work I will need a pacemaker and I really don’t want to end up with a pacemaker I just hope I will be ok with medication

​@@laral8668 tell me how r u now, hope it works with medication

Hi, thanks for letting me know the videos helped, that’s why I made them. Learning you need a pacemaker is a crazy time filled with many emotions. But it ultimately is there to help you. I hope you have a quick recovery and feel better. Let me know how you’re doing after. Best wishes 🙂

Thanks for sharing. I hope your recovery is going smoothly. I had concerns and fear right after surgery, but over time those have faded away. As you get use to the idea of having the pacemaker, and you get into your normal routine, they should fade for you too. I feel fortunate to live in a time where medical science can fix electrical issues with the heart. Getting a pacemaker is scary, but the alternative is worse. I hope you are feeling better now. Best wishes.

Thanks, you as well!

I hope you’re doing well. Best wishes!

Thanks for reaching out and letting me know that the video was helpful. It is natural to have all different kinds of emotions, and some come up after the implant. I remember laying awake at night and worrying about dying young, and there were things I wanted to do, and I didn’t want to leave my family. I found that getting lost in my daily routine helped get my mind off the, I’m going to die worry cycle. Now I’ve come to look at the pacemaker as the way to allow me to live my life, it is helping keep me alive. Most days I don’t worry too much about it anymore, but every once in a while the fears come back. I am also worried about the future replacement surgery and recovery. It makes me feel a little better knowing that the leads going in the heart usually don’t need to be replaced, just the unit with the battery. So it is a little less intrusive. I’m glad you reached out and shared your experience. I do post videos still every few months, but now they are more about what I like to do but never made the time to do, but now I feel some urgency. I still talk about my pacemaker checks but only that gets kind of repetitive. I hope it helps knowing others feel like you, and I wish you the best. Let me know how you are doing in the future.

@@CyborgVlog Thank you for your kind words, sharing this stuff with someone who can understand really does make it a bit easier. And the brush with death is definitely something that still follows me around but as you said, it has also given me the opportunity to be more brave and make choices I wouldn't have made before out of fear. As much as I still sometimes resent the pacemaker, I do know it is what is keeping me alive and the reason why I can still have all these experiences that I would have missed out on otherwise. There is just a lot of trauma, but therapy helps me through it. I hope you will continue to do well and I will check out a few more of your videos! Thank you again for making them

I’m glad therapy is helping you. I wonder if it would have helped me around the time I got my implant. Everything just moved so fast it was hard to process. Seeking out others in the same situation does help, and it’s hard to find a younger person in our situation. I didn’t really find too many young people talking about their experience, that’s why I decided to make some videos. I’m glad I got to chat with you, and if you want, let me know how you are doing in the future.

@@CyborgVlog I will definitely seek out a therapist again to help me process the next surgery. It makes it all a bit easier if there's someone who understands what's going on in your brain as well. That's been my problem, too. At the same time I was afraid to go out and seek others with the same problem. I don't even know why, I guess a part of me still kind of wishes it was all a dream and talking to others makes it more real? Thanks again for your patience, this is a weight off my shoulders, finally being able to talk about it more

I’m glad talking about it was helpful.

Wow, that is amazing, I didn’t realize that either. Sounds scary, glad you made it through.

Hi, thanks for sharing. It is a stressful time when you hear you might need a pacemaker. I felt all kinds of emotions, and went looking for information too. It’s been over six years since I got mine, and now I see it as a good thing to have a small computer monitoring my heart and is there to help. If you do need one I hope you have a speedy recovery and feel better. Best wishes.

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience with us. Getting the pacemaker does make you rethink the activities you have to do in your life. It does take some time to heal, but after that you should be able to get back to your normal activities. Looks like you already know what you need to do as far as keeping a certain distance from electronics that produce magnetic fields. Hopefully you are feeling better now that you have your device. Keep resting and let those leads implant. Let me know how you are doing after your recovery. Best wishes!

It is a very scary time when you’re told you need a pacemaker. You’re right the second opinion really did help convince me that I need to get the pacemaker.

I'm glad you found the videos comforting. I see you had a short hospital stay which is good. I did notice the pacemaker a lot when I first got it implanted. It was on my mind all the time. The first time I rode in a car on a bumpy road it was really sensitive with that weight feeling you described. Also, when I started walking for exercise I noticed some sensitivity in the chest muscle. All that is normal as you heal. Each week you will start to notice it less and less. After enough time it will become a normal part of you that you won't notice. Sometimes I forget I have it. Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope you have a speedy recovery!

@@CyborgVlog thank you! I have my first followup appointment on Thursday so I'll be interested to see if they make any adjustments outside of what they did before I was discharged.

They continued to do small adjustments over the first few months for me. Not every checkup, but it took several months to get it perfect. I was having some episodes of pacemaker induced tachycardia, but once it was dialed in to what I needed, it has been working well with no issues.

Thanks for sharing your experience, it is a scary thing. I do have a video about recovery, but as far as rehab, all I did was take it easy for a few months. Then I just did normal things around the house, and gradually started lifting things again. After enough time, I was back to normal. Does your doctor think you need to go to a rehab facility to exercise your arm?

@@CyborgVlog Thanks for the reply..No my Doctor did not say I needed to go to rehab and said to take it easy for the next few months .. i am just worried about frozen shoulder...i get twinges in the left arm..... Pre the surgery I was doing a lot of yoga and was looking forward to returning to doing this...right now all i am doing is walking every day for roughly 3 miles minimum...

Walking is a good start, that’s what I did. Try using your arm for small things, just not too heavy. I was told I could move it, just not reach over my head for a little while.

Hi Simon, they do make pacemakers that are “MRI safe”, like the one I have. It has to be put into a special MRI mode by the cardiologist so it doesn’t get damaged in the MRI. After it needs to be set back to normal operation. I only have my issue at night for now, but the pacemaker has programming to figure out when you are exercising and increases your heart rate. It might be pacing more when you are at rest, but that means you need it. The more it paces the shorter the battery life, but your doctor will choose the best device for you. Talk to your doctor about your MRI and battery usage concerns to make sure you are comfortable with your device. Even if you have to get the pacemaker changed more often because of usage, the subsequent procedures are less invasive because the leads going into your heart stay, and the pacemaker is attached to the existing leads. With all that said, just remember the pacemaker is helping you feel and live better. I wish you the best on surgery day, and please let us know how it goes.

That is one restriction of mine as well. The magnetic field intensity drops quickly with distance so try not to stand right next to it. Some pacemaker manufacturers have recommended distance to stay from equipment. I hope you are doing well.

I’m sorry to hear you’re going through a lot right now. The area around the pacemaker will be sensitive for a while after the surgery, but eventually you’ll get used to it, and won’t even notice it is there anymore. I hope you have a smooth procedure, and it helps you feel better.

Thanks for watching. I hope your surgery goes well!

Hi Paul, I didn't have night sweats regularly before the pacemaker. I would once in a while, but I don't think they were related. Do you have night sweats? Does your doctor think it is related to an electrical problem with your heart that a pacemaker will fix?

Hi, I went back to work after about 2 weeks, but made sure not to lift anything I wasn’t supposed to. I checked with my doctor and he said no restrictions for roller coasters. I’ve been to Disneyland and Disney World and rode everything. I was nervous the first time, but everything was fine. Thanks for watching and commenting. Hope you have a great holiday!

I have had that thought too. If for some reason the battery couldn’t be replaced, I know the last estimate of battery life and what would happen as that time approached. I’m not sure what it means if we both had the same thought. Do we have a question about the direction the world is going? I hope society will last long enough for our replacement surgery. Thanks for sharing, and know you are not alone in those thoughts.

Well they dont replace the batteries, they just replace the whole unit since it's sealed and electronics have a lifespan, I'm more worried about how much it's going to COST me in 8 years as I won't be working at my employer by then and h aving their great insurance that covered everything beyond the $2500 deductable, I'd be on Medicaid I guess and I don't know what the patient has to pay. The pacemaker itself must cost something on the order of $25,000 or more, and just to replace it involves a lot of hospital related services- tests, xrays, room, medication etc etc. I remember seeing the bills from my heart surgery the insurance paid, wow, just the time in the surgery and recovery room was billed by the MINUTE! The recovery room base charge was $625, plus 87 minutes were $880, observation 4 hours was another $620 Surgery base rate was over $4,000, 131 minutes of surgery was almost $10,000, this was just hospitabl billed charges in a non profit hospital!

It is unfortunate that we have to bring in those considerations about cost, but to stay alive and healthy, what choice do we really have? Hopefully there is an out of pocket maximum, and it will be manageable.

VictorianSculptures You've got to make sure that you have good insurance before that happens. Sometimes there is a gap between work and Medicare, but there are some things you can do to minimize the cost.

I was like that too at first. You just have to be careful through the recovery period. After it is completely healed you should be able to get back to your normal activities. It will be on your mind quite a bit at first but slowly overtime it will just be normal part of you and you don’t even think about it anymore. I wish you the best and the speedy recovery.

I don’t think so, if you are all recovered from implant surgery. Ask your doctor to double check.

I bet that’s rough with the stairs, I hope after your surgery your device helps you.

Martin, hopefully you are feeling better now that your pacemaker is keeping your heart rate up. Wow, released two hours later, I had to say overnight. It will take a while for the wound to completely heal, but should feel a little better each day. I have worried about how long I'm going to live with the pacemaker, it put a sense of urgency on some things in my life. Live a little more in the now and not put so many things off to the future. I wish you the best, thanks for sharing your experience.

@@CyborgVlog i had no side effects before pacemaker. Not until day I fell. And even after that. I still went to the gym a few times before pacemaker was put in, 5 days later. Yup. 2 hrs. Yeah, I noticed it takes awhile. I just want to heal and get back to the gym. Gained 20lbs in 1 month. Smh. I wonder the samething. Why I just been putting all kinds of money into my truck project. Cause never know. Thanks. No problem..

​@@martinvargas4523, when I wanted to get back to exercising, I started by just walking, and even that kind of hurt my incision site when I picked up the pace (no pun intended). Any movement of the chest muscle was uncomfortable for a few months, but it does get better over time. You’ll eventually be able to get back to your workout routine.

Good Lord is it really worth it I need one but don’t want it which is worse before or after ugh

@@debrashafer599 im still alive. So I'd say its worth it. Havent had 1 issue. All has been good. I have to get checkups every 6 months. All have been good.

It will be at first, over time that should start to lessen. I hope you are feeling better and your recovery is going well. Take care.

Infection would be a fear. Blunt trauma would be another and restrictive mobility.

Looking back, I probably should have tried to get to the doctor sooner. But they can't do it over the phone, you have to be in the office with special equipment.

@@valman008, infection was a worry for the first few days that is true. I agree getting hit in the area where my device is would be bad. Thanks for watching and commenting!

How are you doing now

I agree, things need to change here. Some people have their priorities wrong, and vote against their best interests.

It depends on how you are doing, but after a while it can go to about every 6 months.

@@CyborgVlog thank you

Your welcome

After you’ve recovered, I don’t see why not. I would wouldn’t give it a second thought if someone asked me to play basketball. Just check with your doctor.

Thanks

As a wife, I was terrified. I was So scared that life would never be the same. I watched my husband until I was a nervous wreck. He is doing great, needed a few adjustments, but still ok. This has been a huge awakening for us. Nothing is worth spending time angry. Love and love more. Thanks

It is a very scary thing to go through for the whole family. I’m glad to hear your husband is doing good. Having a scare like that does really make you evaluate how you spend your time, and appreciate the time together with loved ones. Thanks for watching and sharing!

No tobacco for me, but alcohol occasionally. Just have to follow doctor recommendations.

I hope you are doing well. I’m sure we will both live a long time, even if we have doubts about that right now. The next gen is my favorite trek, but I like strange new worlds on paramount + if you want to check it out. Thanks for watching and sharing!

Hi, Anger is one of the things you feel when you find out you need a pacemaker. I went through most of the grief emotions when I found out. Thanks for sharing.