heart pacemaker

hi dave, joe 

getting along good at the moment will have a review in december so will see what they say ...thats good advice  about the guy on caridacathletes website thanks for that will do if they decide that i need one. symptoms have improved quite a lot i have reduced training quite a bit as i also had a knee injury from a fall and realise i feel better for not pushing myself so much. im not so dizzy and dont feel so tired either. there is my answer partly i think.....

hope you got on ok dave and maybe think about cutting down training for a bit see if your symptoms improve also

good luck

Thanks Tutengil and Joe.  I am hopefully seeing the Consultant tomorrow so all this information is very valuable, l have had a look at cardiacatheletes, and will have a longer look tonight.  

Tutengil I hope things continue to improve for you.

Regards Dave

Just wanted to join in the discussion and get as much info as possible to help me make a decision about getting a pacemaker fitted.  I'm 49, have been running for 10 years, around 30 miles per week until trained for London Marathon in 2011. Variety of symproms lead to get investigations having managed a very slow marathon.  HR was down to 31 iwth pauses on occasion of 5 seconds. 3 months rest and back up to 57 bpm but since retraining over last 10 months of so, cutting mileage to about 18 per week have dropped again to early 40s and symptoms.  Negotiated with cardiologist to decide in 6 months whether to give up running or have a pacemaker fitted. Has anyone taken the decision to have one and been able to comfortably continue running?  How long was the recovery? How has it impacted your life?  Would be so grateful for any info.

Cathy

Cathy, I dealt with some of the questions in my earlier post. The process of putting the device in is nothing to worry about much, they do it under local anaesthetic/sedative and it doesn't take that long. You will have a scar a couple of inches long over your collarbone. That takes a week or two to heal up. Physically I find it a nuisance but my biggest issue is sleeping and it depends what position you usually sleep in - I used to sleep on my front and the device does tend to stick out slightly so I can't get comfortable and have to find another position to lie in. But some people seem to adjust ok.

The big question to deal with is who is in control of your body, you or your consultant and his technician? Be prepared to be quite insistent it is configured as you wish and that if, say, it needs tweaking they must do it. I actually put this in writing in advance so it formed part of the consent to having it put in. Then I complained when they adjusted it without telling me!!

Hi Cathy, there is a scientific paper based on nine athletes with pacemakers fitted participating in the Amsterdam Marathon or half-marathon.  This paper clearly concludes that it is safe for most athletes with pacemakers to take part in long-distance running activities (eight these runners had previous long-distance experience, pre the fitting of a pacemaker).  The paper "Netherlands Heart Journal, Volume 12, Number 10, October 2004." can be found on the internet. It stresses the need for the choice of sensor(s) to allow for the activity level the patient wishes to participate in.  Joe Volcano has also previously referred to a website "cardiac athletes" www.cardiacathletes.com which has a lot of useful information too.

Hi Tutengil,

I am now on the list for a pacemaker.  Now a 12-16 week wait unlees I get a cancellation. At least the dizziness has receeded recently, this seems to be stress related especially emotional stress causing my heart to go crazy.  I did a 14 mile run in the pouring rain a few weeks back, almost got hypothermia, completely knocked-out and went to bed for 24-hours I could not move.  Have you seen the Consultant yet?

Hi Cathy, Nothing to worry about having a pacemaker. I had one fitted in November 2011 in a 90-minute operation under local anaesthetic, no sedation (the medics prefer that as they need you to respond occasionally during the procedure), and home the same day. I was back running within 4 weeks and did my first 5k parkrun 6 weeks after the insertion. After running 3-4 times a week for nearly 30 years before the insertion, I was getting to the point where a flat 3-4 mile walk was leaving me exhausted. I can now run, swim and cycle as much and as hard as I like (or am capable of...).