Like the idea also, I am going to be getting pacemaker in the future, and nice to know what to expect etc.
Thanks

Hello brightwood
I understand your view on this but, in all honesty, it is not an either/or thing. I think you will find, quite naturally, a lot of overlap between the 2 groups. It is just that the focus might be a bit tighter on pacemaker-related issues.
I follow a couple of other groups on this page and, inevitable, there is a little "cross-pollination" going on. And that is great.
But, if someone is looking for answers and/or support with regards to either currently having or, perhaps, will be having a pacemaker in the future, having a separate group would make obtaining answers/support that much easier.
As it is now, one has to do a fair amount of "sleuthing" to discover the correct threads to find answers, let alone who to ask. (This current thread started in 2016. A lot of things have changed since then.)
As an example, I was going to start a query about anxiety. Anxiety is not unique to any one condition or group. And I realize there is a Depression/Anxiety support group . But, for me, I have become far more anxious after I received this device (I have a CRT-D) than I ever was before. Before the implant, I was someone who thought more along the lines of Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine fame, whose motto was "What, me worry?" Nah.
Now, worry/anxiety have become a strange fact of my life. Why? Do other pacemaker recipients experience increased anxiety? Do they think it has something to do with the device - in that they are now more or less(as individuals, the necessity for one varies and so does the level of dependence on the unit) reliant on a mechanical device to keep going? Do we fear it will fail us? If one has a defibrillator, do we worry about it "firing"? What coping mechanisms do they use to deal with? Do I do something to deal with my anxiety that could be of assistance to others with CEIDs?
I have read a number of articles about those who receive organ transplants and how their personalities frequently change after receiving one. I am, in no way, equating having a cardiac device implanted with the enormity of an organ transplant and the ramifications that come with that, but still I wonder.
There are so many issues that arise from having a pacemaker implanted that are quite peculiar to the device themselves. Replacing leads, replacing generators, "upgrading" from single or dual chambered devices to 3 chamber devices, to even developing heart failure that can be attributed to having a pacemaker. It is not common but it is not unheard of. What can I do (or nor do) with one? Is travel safe? Can I use a chainsaw? What about electromagnetic fields? Can I exercise? Can I swim? Can compete in bike races? Can I golf? How about play baseball? I am safe around a microwave? Or a welder? The list of queries is almost endless. (I have a friend who has a pacemaker for over 35 years and he has now developed heart failure. I am trying to convince him to join this new group. There is not much he does know about pacemakers and living with one. He is also very upbeat and tremendously supportive.)
Like you, I have had many issues with medications, have both sustained and non-sustained SVTs, atrial and ventricular tachycardia. I have received numerous cardioversions (not from my device, thank goodness), electrical problems (LBBB) and have stage 4, class D heart failure, as well as Dilated cardiomyopathy. And like many who get a cardiac device implanted, I thought that would take of things. But that has turned out not to be necessarily true.
So, in closing, I think there is room for a dedicated group for both would-be and current pacemaker recipients. One that maybe be able to provide some reassurance and shared experience to fellow members, as well as others.
Kind Regards.