It shows how much I have got used to having my pacemaker when the anniversary of having it fitted comes and goes and I don't realise it. In fact, until today, when I received an email notifying me of a comment being left on this blog, I had completely lost track of time.
4 years on... it isn't even a date in my diary.
I had my annual check some months back and although it was at a different hospital for the first time since I had it fitted, it was a 10 minute check, the battery is still showing 10 years life, and I was out of the hospital and on my way to work. My life has had many changes since I had the implant, I have gone through a divorce, I have moved to a different part of the country and I have finally finished writing my first novel and published it (see Through Time To London - Brindy Wilcox - available on Amazon - well, if I can't promote my own work on my own blog...). I took the discovery I had a heart condition as a kick up the backside that if I had any ambitions I should get on and start achieving them. A burning ambition of mine had been to have a book published. 4 years on I have achieved that.
So, to anyone due to have an implant or who has recently had one take heart from my experience - when you are told that the procedure is successful, now go and forget about it and enjoy your life... go do it.
Sunday 2 October 2016
Saturday 19 September 2015
3 years on...
I vividly remember the day I was told I had a heart condition that was degenerative, it came as a complete shock as up to that point I thought I was totally healthy, if a little over weight. I remember writing down the name of the condition Second degree AV Block Type 2. I remember going home and checking on the internet and reading that Type 2 was the bad one.
I remember being told by my consultant that they would be fitting a pacemaker within weeks. It was a strange feeling, as someone who had never had an operation, never been in hospital before, I felt panic at the notion of someone implanting a metal object into my chest and linking it up with my heart. I didn't worry about the actual workings of the pacemaker as I had previously worked for a company that supplied pacemakers to the Health Service, I knew they were very reliable and had a reasonable battery life, but this was now happening to me which made it a very different situation.
I remember feeling relieved that the condition was treatable and that the prognosis was positive, it could have been a very different situation. But the few weeks between the diagnosis and the operation, or procedure as the hospital referred to it, were a worrying time for me.
The idea of the pacemaker was huge, the operation wasn't easy for me and the recovery was difficult at times. In the first few weeks it affected everything, getting dresses, driving, even walking the dogs if they tugged on their lead. Everytime I saw myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower all I could see was this horrible scar and lump where the pacemaker sits.
During the first year I was aware of the unit all the time, worried about people bumping into me in crowds, got used to walking with my hand cupped over it to form a barrier against accidents. I was careful not to overstretch my left arm, realised that swinging a golf club was no longer an easy thing for me to do due to how high the pacemaker sits, but as I had pretty much stopped playing already due to arthritic problems, it wasn't a problem for me. I think if golf had been important I would have found a way to swing my clubs, even if it did mean altering my swing a little, so any golfers reading this that are due to have an implant don't panic, I know lots of golfers who have units fitted and they don't cause them any problems.
During the second year I had a whole host of new personal problems to deal with to distract me from my pacemaker, which just carried on doing it's job. Occasionally I can feel the unit working, when lying quietly at night, but most of the time I don't. I stopped noticing the scar so much as it began to fade a little, even went on holiday and began to wear strappy tops which meant the lump was clearly visible, although I kept the scar covered. I stopped thinking of it a THE pacemaker and began to think of it as MY pacemaker.
Now, I am 3 years on from my operation. I rarely give a thought to my pacemaker, I don't even think about it as I dry myself after a shower and my hand moves across the lump. It's just part of me. It can occasional remind me it's there if a lay funny on my left side, but most of the time I am doing what the consultants told me at the time I had the operation, forgetting about it and getting in with my life as if I didn't have one, (other than not standing too close to a working microwave...).
This is a place I didn't think I would be in when I came out of the operating theatre. I still wear my medical alert tag on my watch, I still carry my implant card in my purse, but other than that it no longer defines who I am. So much so that when I registered with a new doctor recently it was almost as an after thought I remembered to tell him about it.
So, for anyone who has just been told they need a pacemaker implant and has come across this blog while desperately searching for information, take it from me... it is a big thing in your life, whatever the reason you are having the unit implanted, but at some point it will just become part of you.
3 years on I rarely give mine a second thought, but if I do it is with the reassurance that it will keep doing what it is there to do and I can carry on doing what I want to do.
I cannot believe 3 years has passed already and, as the battery life is still expected to be around 10 years, there is plenty of time before I need to go back into the operating theatre. Who knows what advances in technology will have done to pacemakers by then.
I remember being told by my consultant that they would be fitting a pacemaker within weeks. It was a strange feeling, as someone who had never had an operation, never been in hospital before, I felt panic at the notion of someone implanting a metal object into my chest and linking it up with my heart. I didn't worry about the actual workings of the pacemaker as I had previously worked for a company that supplied pacemakers to the Health Service, I knew they were very reliable and had a reasonable battery life, but this was now happening to me which made it a very different situation.
I remember feeling relieved that the condition was treatable and that the prognosis was positive, it could have been a very different situation. But the few weeks between the diagnosis and the operation, or procedure as the hospital referred to it, were a worrying time for me.
The idea of the pacemaker was huge, the operation wasn't easy for me and the recovery was difficult at times. In the first few weeks it affected everything, getting dresses, driving, even walking the dogs if they tugged on their lead. Everytime I saw myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower all I could see was this horrible scar and lump where the pacemaker sits.
During the first year I was aware of the unit all the time, worried about people bumping into me in crowds, got used to walking with my hand cupped over it to form a barrier against accidents. I was careful not to overstretch my left arm, realised that swinging a golf club was no longer an easy thing for me to do due to how high the pacemaker sits, but as I had pretty much stopped playing already due to arthritic problems, it wasn't a problem for me. I think if golf had been important I would have found a way to swing my clubs, even if it did mean altering my swing a little, so any golfers reading this that are due to have an implant don't panic, I know lots of golfers who have units fitted and they don't cause them any problems.
During the second year I had a whole host of new personal problems to deal with to distract me from my pacemaker, which just carried on doing it's job. Occasionally I can feel the unit working, when lying quietly at night, but most of the time I don't. I stopped noticing the scar so much as it began to fade a little, even went on holiday and began to wear strappy tops which meant the lump was clearly visible, although I kept the scar covered. I stopped thinking of it a THE pacemaker and began to think of it as MY pacemaker.
Now, I am 3 years on from my operation. I rarely give a thought to my pacemaker, I don't even think about it as I dry myself after a shower and my hand moves across the lump. It's just part of me. It can occasional remind me it's there if a lay funny on my left side, but most of the time I am doing what the consultants told me at the time I had the operation, forgetting about it and getting in with my life as if I didn't have one, (other than not standing too close to a working microwave...).
This is a place I didn't think I would be in when I came out of the operating theatre. I still wear my medical alert tag on my watch, I still carry my implant card in my purse, but other than that it no longer defines who I am. So much so that when I registered with a new doctor recently it was almost as an after thought I remembered to tell him about it.
So, for anyone who has just been told they need a pacemaker implant and has come across this blog while desperately searching for information, take it from me... it is a big thing in your life, whatever the reason you are having the unit implanted, but at some point it will just become part of you.
3 years on I rarely give mine a second thought, but if I do it is with the reassurance that it will keep doing what it is there to do and I can carry on doing what I want to do.
I cannot believe 3 years has passed already and, as the battery life is still expected to be around 10 years, there is plenty of time before I need to go back into the operating theatre. Who knows what advances in technology will have done to pacemakers by then.
Monday 3 February 2014
Annual Pacemaker Check
It seems amazing that it's been a whole year since I was last in the Cardio-respiratory department at our local hospital, but this afternoon I was back for my annual check-up.
Last February, they re-calibrated my unit to 60 bpm, my normal resting heart rate is 72bpm, so even allowing for a reduction in rate while I am sleeping, my heart has to slow below 60 beats per minute before my pacemaker works.
I was interested to find out how frequently the unit was working as that has a direct impact on the length of time before the battery will need replacing.
Today's reading shows that 53% of the time the electrical impulses in my heart works correctly, without any need for pacing. That figure surprised me as I expected it to be higher. The remainder of the time the pacemaker is split between working in the upper chamber and lower chamber quite evenly.
On this level of work the battery life is showing as 10-15 years, so I have plenty of time before they'll be booking me in for a replacement.
One question that has been running through my mind recently is what happens when the condition gets to the point where there are no electrical impulses being sent by my body, the condition is degenerative so at some point the electrical impulses will stop. I have AV block Type 2, when it becomes a total block, as in no impulses, it will be Type 3.
I wasn't sure whether a pacemaker can work 100% of the time without any problem, so I discussed this with the technician while she was doing the readings. Well, the short answer is yes. They already have about 15 patients whose pacemakers work 100% of the time, and this isn't an issue. So, another question answered and something else I don't need to worry about anymore.
One other bit of positive information from the check up was that all my readings are in the low range, which is good. So, everything seems to be working well and I am now free to get on with the next year before visiting them again.
Last February, they re-calibrated my unit to 60 bpm, my normal resting heart rate is 72bpm, so even allowing for a reduction in rate while I am sleeping, my heart has to slow below 60 beats per minute before my pacemaker works.
I was interested to find out how frequently the unit was working as that has a direct impact on the length of time before the battery will need replacing.
Today's reading shows that 53% of the time the electrical impulses in my heart works correctly, without any need for pacing. That figure surprised me as I expected it to be higher. The remainder of the time the pacemaker is split between working in the upper chamber and lower chamber quite evenly.
On this level of work the battery life is showing as 10-15 years, so I have plenty of time before they'll be booking me in for a replacement.
One question that has been running through my mind recently is what happens when the condition gets to the point where there are no electrical impulses being sent by my body, the condition is degenerative so at some point the electrical impulses will stop. I have AV block Type 2, when it becomes a total block, as in no impulses, it will be Type 3.
I wasn't sure whether a pacemaker can work 100% of the time without any problem, so I discussed this with the technician while she was doing the readings. Well, the short answer is yes. They already have about 15 patients whose pacemakers work 100% of the time, and this isn't an issue. So, another question answered and something else I don't need to worry about anymore.
One other bit of positive information from the check up was that all my readings are in the low range, which is good. So, everything seems to be working well and I am now free to get on with the next year before visiting them again.
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Cholesterol Control
When I was told my cholesterol was too high last year, and the doctor wanted to put me on statins, I was determined to get it under control through changes to my eating habits. I ate too much saturated fat, my daily menu included too much dairy and refined flours and starches.
The recommended daily intake of saturated fat for a woman is 20gms, for a man it's 30gms. As I started to check the fat content of my various foods I was horrified to see the amount I was getting through in a day and along with a fairly sedentary lifestyle, I could see I was not doing myself any good. I needed a complete change to my eating habits and overnight we changed everything in our cupboards. We swapped white bread for brown, white normal pasta for wholemeal, bacon rashers for turkey rashers etc. Cheese was cut out completely and even eggs were restricted to 3 per week.
My target was to reduce my daily intake of saturated fat to less than 10 gms. Some days it was easier than others, weekends were worst and eating out was a nightmare but gradually I found places I could eat and keep to my limits. Eventually, the swapped foods became second nature and I felt able to plan menus without constant reference to my sheet of good and bad foods. I became an expert at reading food content labels and shopping no longer took twice as long to do.
It was tough at first and meals had to be planned well in advance to avoid lapses but over the first 6 months my weight fell by 20lbs and my cholesterol check showed my levels were normal again.
It's been 12 months since that blood test and during the last year I have allowed my daily intake to increase to around 10-12 grams, I have allowed bacon back into my weekend treat and I even enjoy the occasional cream bun so it was quite stressful as time progressed to my annual cholesterol check. Coming so soon after Christmas, it felt as if I was sure to fail and I prepared myself for a difficult discussion with the doctor, who I felt sure would be back on the statin's route.
They decided to do a full set of bloods and test me for diabetes, thyroid and cholesterol problems. I fasted for 12 hours before the blood test and waited for my results to come back. 3 days later I rang for my results. It reminded me of the day I went in to find the outcome of my school exams all those years ago as the nerves kicked in.
"They're all normal, doctor says no further action necessary." The receptionist seemed too casual about something so significant to me.
"All normal? Even my cholesterol?"
"Yes, all normal," she confirmed.
As I put the phone down I felt as if I'd passed an important milestone. Not only had I got my cholesterol under control through changes to my eating habits, I had maintained it for a whole year. My heart health is continuing to be good.
In a couple of weeks I have my appointment for my annual pacemaker check. This is the first check since I had the pacemaker fine tuned to my demands, so it will be interesting to find out how frequently it is working. It will give me the first real indication how bad the condition is and how long the battery is likely to last before being changed. Obviously I will need a further year to get any idea how quickly the condition is deteriorating, so there are still questions to be answered.
Still, for now I feel content that my cholesterol is behaving itself, and as a reward a feel a large slice a cheesecake heading my way.
The recommended daily intake of saturated fat for a woman is 20gms, for a man it's 30gms. As I started to check the fat content of my various foods I was horrified to see the amount I was getting through in a day and along with a fairly sedentary lifestyle, I could see I was not doing myself any good. I needed a complete change to my eating habits and overnight we changed everything in our cupboards. We swapped white bread for brown, white normal pasta for wholemeal, bacon rashers for turkey rashers etc. Cheese was cut out completely and even eggs were restricted to 3 per week.
My target was to reduce my daily intake of saturated fat to less than 10 gms. Some days it was easier than others, weekends were worst and eating out was a nightmare but gradually I found places I could eat and keep to my limits. Eventually, the swapped foods became second nature and I felt able to plan menus without constant reference to my sheet of good and bad foods. I became an expert at reading food content labels and shopping no longer took twice as long to do.
It was tough at first and meals had to be planned well in advance to avoid lapses but over the first 6 months my weight fell by 20lbs and my cholesterol check showed my levels were normal again.
It's been 12 months since that blood test and during the last year I have allowed my daily intake to increase to around 10-12 grams, I have allowed bacon back into my weekend treat and I even enjoy the occasional cream bun so it was quite stressful as time progressed to my annual cholesterol check. Coming so soon after Christmas, it felt as if I was sure to fail and I prepared myself for a difficult discussion with the doctor, who I felt sure would be back on the statin's route.
They decided to do a full set of bloods and test me for diabetes, thyroid and cholesterol problems. I fasted for 12 hours before the blood test and waited for my results to come back. 3 days later I rang for my results. It reminded me of the day I went in to find the outcome of my school exams all those years ago as the nerves kicked in.
"They're all normal, doctor says no further action necessary." The receptionist seemed too casual about something so significant to me.
"All normal? Even my cholesterol?"
"Yes, all normal," she confirmed.
As I put the phone down I felt as if I'd passed an important milestone. Not only had I got my cholesterol under control through changes to my eating habits, I had maintained it for a whole year. My heart health is continuing to be good.
In a couple of weeks I have my appointment for my annual pacemaker check. This is the first check since I had the pacemaker fine tuned to my demands, so it will be interesting to find out how frequently it is working. It will give me the first real indication how bad the condition is and how long the battery is likely to last before being changed. Obviously I will need a further year to get any idea how quickly the condition is deteriorating, so there are still questions to be answered.
Still, for now I feel content that my cholesterol is behaving itself, and as a reward a feel a large slice a cheesecake heading my way.
Wednesday 16 October 2013
Tackling the Airport Scanners
As the holiday approached the apprehension about travelling increased. I have never had any problems with flying but suddenly I was faced with having to deal with airport security and a pacemaker. I kept telling myself that it must be simple, many people travel with pacemakers fitted but it didn't make any difference, when travelling day arrived I could feel the tension building.
We were flying from East Midlands Airport, a small airport about an hour from home. We set off in plenty of time and I knew I had my pacemaker card (well A4 sheet of paper printed and folded into a little plastic wallet) in with my passport. This, I was told, would be all I needed.
I don't suppose it helped that we didn't check out journey to the airport before we set off as we had both flown from there many times and believed we knew how to get there. It didn't help that we both thought we came off at Junction 28 and only when we had travelled some 15 minutes along the road with no airport symbols showing on the road signs that we accepted we were on the wrong road and would need to retrace ours steps back to the motorway and carry on. Having lost half an hour of our journey time, we were now going to be close to check in time instead of having time to spare so we could arrive relaxed for the new challenge ahead.
Finally we realised our mistake in thinking we needed the Derby exit when it was actually the Leicester one and we began to see the signs for the airport. We parked up without any problems and arrived the departures section of the airport with a couple of hours to spare. The check-in desks were really quiet and in minutes our case was on its way and we had our boarding cards.
"What do I need to do about going through security with a pacemaker?" I asked. "Just speak to the security officer and they'll tell you what to do," came the answer.
On reaching security we asked the question again and was advised to tell the member of staff where we put our personal possession in the trays to go through the scanner.
I started to fill a tray with my bits and pieces and when the chap came over I showed him my pacemaker card and asked what I needed to do. He called across to one of the security officers and told me to go around the large walk through scanner to the farside and the officer would let me through the perspex gate and frisk search me.
On the other side of the gate I was asked for my card and passport to make sure the name matched on both pieces of identification and happy that they did, they frisked me and told me I could go and collect my personal belongings.
And it was as simple as that.
The return journey was no different even with an officer who spoke little English. I showed my pacemaker card, the called an officer over and they took me through the same procedure.
So, travelling is really no more complicated with a pacemaker than travelling before the implant. It's just important to make sure you show your pacemaker card before you reach any body scanner.
Saturday 21 September 2013
One Year on from the Implant
I vividly remember the feelings I had when I was told that I had a degenerative heart condition and needed an implant. I vividly remember the weeks of worry about the implant in the run up to the procedure (even I have stopped calling it an operation 12 months on) and I vividly remember the biggest concern I had in those weeks before the procedure...
How would I do my hair?
As many women will understand, if my hair isn't right I can't settle to going out, whether to work, shopping or simply walking the dogs.
I discussed options with my hairdresser on how Neil would best be able to help me. My work colleagues even offered to do whatever was necessary when I got to work to make my hair as I would want it.
Looking back 12 months later, I smile when I think of this. After the procedure, doing my hair was well down my list of concerns.
In the first few days all I could think about was not moving my arm too much so I didn't dislodge my pacing wire, on managing the pain and in working out how to get dressed. My hair really had become a low priority.
Over the first few weeks I was focused on getting my routine back to normal and watching the progress of my wound healing.
3 months on and I was pretty much back to normal.
6 months on and I was no longer checking out my scar every time I got dressed, it wasn't that obvious.
12 months on, it all seems a long time ago.
I have a lump to remind me it's there, but I often forget about it. I have times when I think I can feel it working , but generally when I am in bed at night and everything around me is calm and quiet. I get an odd sensation and a whooshing feeling, but it may be the night time playing tricks on me because I know that the problem occurs at night time.
12 months on and I am exactly where I was told i would be, but at the time found it difficult to believe. I consider myself fortunate that they found the problem early, I consider myself fortunate that what they found could be treated and then I could get on with my life.
I do take the health warning seriously and have started to get on with plans I had previously only thought about. It has made me realise that I shouldn't put things off until tomorrow, need to get on with them today.
For anyone just at the beginning of this process it can be a very frightening thing so hopefully you can take my story as a positive. In the meantime I await my check up in February 2014 which will give me an idea of the amount of work the unit is having to do which will give me an idea of how many years I have to go before I need the unit changing.
How would I do my hair?
As many women will understand, if my hair isn't right I can't settle to going out, whether to work, shopping or simply walking the dogs.
I discussed options with my hairdresser on how Neil would best be able to help me. My work colleagues even offered to do whatever was necessary when I got to work to make my hair as I would want it.
Looking back 12 months later, I smile when I think of this. After the procedure, doing my hair was well down my list of concerns.
In the first few days all I could think about was not moving my arm too much so I didn't dislodge my pacing wire, on managing the pain and in working out how to get dressed. My hair really had become a low priority.
Over the first few weeks I was focused on getting my routine back to normal and watching the progress of my wound healing.
3 months on and I was pretty much back to normal.
6 months on and I was no longer checking out my scar every time I got dressed, it wasn't that obvious.
12 months on, it all seems a long time ago.
I have a lump to remind me it's there, but I often forget about it. I have times when I think I can feel it working , but generally when I am in bed at night and everything around me is calm and quiet. I get an odd sensation and a whooshing feeling, but it may be the night time playing tricks on me because I know that the problem occurs at night time.
12 months on and I am exactly where I was told i would be, but at the time found it difficult to believe. I consider myself fortunate that they found the problem early, I consider myself fortunate that what they found could be treated and then I could get on with my life.
I do take the health warning seriously and have started to get on with plans I had previously only thought about. It has made me realise that I shouldn't put things off until tomorrow, need to get on with them today.
For anyone just at the beginning of this process it can be a very frightening thing so hopefully you can take my story as a positive. In the meantime I await my check up in February 2014 which will give me an idea of the amount of work the unit is having to do which will give me an idea of how many years I have to go before I need the unit changing.
Sunday 4 August 2013
Playing Golf with a Pacemaker
Having played golf for a number of years, and while in Spain I was on the course 3 times a week, I had already stopped playing on a regular basis due to painful arthritic joints in my feet that objected to 4 hours walking, but I always knew I could play if I wanted to. I had been out on the Par 3 course a few times last summer before being told I needed a pacemaker fitting, and as golf was no longer a major interest to me (much to the disappointment of my husband) it wasn't high on my list of priorities to get back to after my implant.
However, I know that for many people it is a key concern: can they play after having an implant and how soon.
Today, I have swung a club for the first time since my operation. A friend has just started having lessons and we went out on the Par 3 course with her.
Before going onto the course, I went onto the driving range, just to make sure I could still hit the ball. I started off with a gentle swing to see what I could or couldn't feel. My pacemaker unit sits quite high in my shoulder, according to my consultant, a result of my youthful age meaning my muscle is still quite firm and therefore the pocket is not as deep as some. It has caused a few problems previously and it didn't surprise me that at the top of my back swing I could feel it pressing in to my clavicle. I'm right handed and my unit is in my left shoulder. After hitting a practice few balls I could tell that it was going to get painful after a while if I wasn't too careful and that I needed to restrict my back swing.
Onto the first tee and I suddenly felt very unsure on how to hit the ball, as now I was going to have to re-learn how to swing a club. Over 9 holes I had a variety of successes, but overall enjoyed it.
I realised I could now let other pacemaker wearers know about golfing after an implant.
The main question is normally how soon after the implant can someone resume playing golf. In all honesty I don't think I would have been able to swing a club for a couple of months even if I'd wanted to, as my muscle was very tender and the wound was not healing as well as I would have liked. The biggest risk is dislodging the pacing wires and, as my procedure had not been straight forward, I was definitely in no mood to being opened up again to have them re-sited.
Until your doctor or clinical technician says it's okay to start raising your arm above your head golf is a definite no-no, this is normally 4-6 weeks. There is plenty of cable inside you to allow the movement necessary for a full golf swing, (I was told there's about half a metre coiled up behind the unit) but it is important that the pacing wires have had time to gain a permanent hold to the inside of your heart. The leads have little hooks on them and are hooked into the ridges on the inside of your heart. Heart tissue then grows around them and forms a good hold. Those that are chomping at the bit to get back on the golf course could probably get back after about 6 weeks, with doctors agreement, but depending on the healing process, your wound or muscle damage may mean you need to wait a little longer as the stretching and pressure may be too uncomfortable. For me, if I had been keen to get out there I think it would have been nearer 3 months for my wound and muscle to allow me to play.
After the first couple of weeks from the implant you feel quite well in yourself and keen golfers will start to want to get their clubs out, especially if the weather is decent, and the next few weeks will be frustrating, but it's only a few weeks out of the rest of your life, so it's worth being sensible and waiting until your doctor says you can play again.
As far as actually playing, for many people a pacemaker will make very little difference to their game. Some, like me, may need to adapt their swing a little but as I found today, everything else works as it did before. In the first 6 months after my implant I was very aware of my unit all the time, I still had some tenderness in the muscle and the skin over the top of it felt tight at times, but gradually I found I noticed it less and less, so the earlier you start to play golf again, the more aware you will be of your unit. Over time I think it will become less apparent while golfing, as it becomes in other aspects of your life.
It's surprising when you talk to people on the course, the number of other people you come across that have a pacemaker, so for the majority of golfers an implant will mean a few weeks away from the course and then carry on as before. And a few weeks to recover and make sure the pacing leads have a good hold is worth waiting for, for the sake of your health.
Happy golfing.
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