Pacemaker recipients: Looking for support from others

When you say electrolytes do you mean like drinking Gatorade? I really do appreciate all the words of encouragement it has helped.

@jnjetsman
Glad to help. MCC is a place that you can come to with those with experiences they can share with you.

My EF is around 25 also. It has been at that level for over 10 years. It had steadly kept going down until I got on medications prescribed at Mayo Clinic along with an ICD/Pacemaker. My pacemaker is programmed to have my LV work with RV to get most of EF I can.

My RV is normal. I do not have any exercise restrictions other that all out exertion which they say would not advise for my age even if did not have HF. They say my body compensated from a lower EF really well and don't have any of the side affects most have.

I know it is hard to at first deal with the shocks as it brings back you do have a ICD/Pacemaker in your chest. What I found though is what I mentioned before when my EP said to me thing of your ICD/Pacemaker is like having your own EMS next to you to treat you if needed.

An isolated shock cause can be from many things. Just know that little device in there is to help you deal with VTAC if you have it again. Asked your EP about electrolytes. It is something they asked me about in the past when I had shocks as they told me can cause VTAC.
Good Luck!!

@jc76 thank you for all the information, it helps. I will for sure talk to my EP about possible medications. This being my first shock was something I will not forget. Having had this device for so long I became complacent and almost forgot about it since I hadn’t had any shocks. This was a little wake up call. I had just seen my EP 5 days before and everything was normal.
My EF is 20-25 but I am still able to work and have somewhat a normal life. Thanks again for all the information.

@jnjetsman
First not a good feeling is it when you get shocked. Just know that it saves your life. I was told it is like having your own personal EMS in your chest.

I have had a AICD/Pacemaker since 2006 (on my 3rd one). And yes have been shocked many times. There are a lot of medications that can help reduce VTACH. I am on one. Mine drastically reduced episodes of VTACH. Also watch your electrolytes and keep them up. This came from my EP.

In 2016 I had 5 shocks in 24 hours because of VTAC. Developed PTSD anxiety/disorder out of it. Medications helped both mentally and physically.

My device was inplanted at Mayo Jacksonville. I have gone through a lot of changes to pacemaker to get it right. The recent medication is really doing a great job. I have not had any shocks for over a almost 2 years now.

On my last review of my device over a 3 month period I did not have any episodes of VTACH. I am not going to mention which one because medication needs to be unique to the individual and what worked for me may not be what is best for you. If you are on heart transplant list I assume your EF is quite low.

Talked to your EP about medications to help reduce VTAC. Also talk about stress and anxiety which are not good for anyone with heart issues. Reducing stress and anxiety can come from medication, and many lifestyle changes.

I have a CRT-D for the past 7 years. I just had my first shock a few days ago, because of V-Tach. Heart rate jumped to 240. Has anyone been shocked for the same reason and been shocked again for the V-Tach? I have been on the heart transplant list for 2 years. I was also told not to drive for 3 months because of the V-Tach?

I appreciate the response and that you dropped a wealth of knowledge to share.
I received mine in Nov. of 2021 and it has been flawless. They did a good job of implanting it, but I feel that the follow-up was not really very good to be honest. I did much like yourself and learned as much as I could (lots of spare time during recovery) and have used that knowledge to make things easier for myself and others as well. I have switched health care providers and gotten to learn even more from some great folks.
I had heard about the ways of lead attachment from my brother who actually got to hold his old (dissected) heart after his transplant, so I had to check that out some more on my own to satisfy some curiosities that brought with it. Ever evolving technology in that field as you mentioned. Hopefully it continues too!
So much good knowledge and so many good resources out there to be found, and places like this with folks like yourself make it worth while for folks to stop by and learn/share.

Hello irishpeaks
My apologies in being so slow to reply. This past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and, well, between my side of the family and my in-laws, I think I may have had enough roast turkey to last me until at least Christmas. Perhaps even beyond.

I, too, have a CRT-D. I received mine in September 2022. CRTs are used primarily for the treatment of heart failure. Mine (and yours) just happened t come with a defibrillator. joyh got to skip that fun part. CRTs are still reasonably uncommon although those with defibrillators are more common than those without.

Any cardiac device that has 3 leads is a CRT. Like me, you have one lead implanted in your right atria, one in your right ventricle and one in the left ventricle. In the old days" they used to "hook" (think "gaff" hook) the leads into the walls of the heart. But using that method frequently resulted in one or more of the leads becoming loose or dislodged. Now, they "screw" them in. That change in attachment technique has resulted in far fewer episodes of leads becoming loose or detached.

CRTs have been a game changer in the treatment of heat failure. For many of us, the device has not only increased our ejection fraction but also reduced the size of the left ventricle. I completely agree with you about being thankful for this technology.
I was very fortunate when I was referred to the electrophysiologist who did my implant. At the time of my first consultation with him, he handed me a card with a number of websites addresses printed on it. He told me to go and learn as much as I can about the device I was getting and when I come back to see him next, he would answer all my questions. He did exactly that.

But he also set me on a journey to learn as much as possible about both the device and also my diagnosis. For me, I found the more I learned, the more at ease I became with the device. And although I am by no means an expert on them, I have learned a great deal about them. And how they work. This device, quite literally, saved my life.

Hello, thank you for your input. I believe the CRT-P are fairly new from Biotronik. My ventricles were not insync so resyncrination was what was called for in my condition. As I understand, since my AV Node ablation caused my ventricles to handle the workload, they needed to be more efficient to carry the load, thus a different pacemaker with an additional lead was needed. I feel much better but still somewhat limited in what I can do. So thankful for my excellent Cardiologist from Mayo.

Is the CRT a new type pacemaker? I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker from Boston Scientific and have not heard of CRT-P.

My device has wires in both atrials and the LV. I am paced continuously to keep my pulse to 70 bpm. If I go into VTAC my device will first speed my pacing up to bring me out of it. If not successful a shock and if that is not successful a higher shock.

As you can see by me posting this it has worked every time!

Your reply made me go look out of curiosity, and I am the recipient of a CRT-D. Don’t know much about it other than it’s been very reliable and packs a heck of a punch when needed! Certainly thankful for the technology.