Life With A Pacemaker

Discussion in 'Health & Wellness' started by Yvonne Smith, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    My son watched the video, and he said that the smart meters operate at 900MHz, and at very low power, and that modern pacemakers are designed to deal with a reasonable amount of RF.
    He explained that some ham radio operators he knows out there have pacemakers and still operate on the 900MHz band.
    Some of the negative reports are probably from older pacemakers, and like Bobby mentioned, they could not even be near a microwave oven. However, the less that my heart has to deal with any of this kind of thing, the better it is for the heart, even if the pacemaker is not affected by it.

    I always use my phone on speaker phone and try to keep it away from my head and ears, just in case, and I agree with Bobby that covering up the smart meter is a good idea, just in case it is affecting my heart in any way. I turn on the electric blanket in the evening to warm up the bed and then turn it off when we actually go to bed, too.

    In better news, the handout that the Heart Center gave me suggested we follow their Heart Healthy Diet, and it is basically just what I have already been doing, so that made me feel good.
    I have an appointment with my electrophysiologist the middle of February, so we will find out what happens next when I go to see Dr. Tabereaux.
     
    #136
  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I am forever amazed that we can stand in a field with these objects surrounding us...

    -AM/FM radio
    -Satellite radio
    -UHF/VHF television
    -Short wave radio
    -Long wave radio
    -Microwave satellite receiver
    -Cell phone
    -Satellite phone
    -Other stuff

    ...and receive a strong clear signal on every single one from transmitted energy just floating in the air all around us across that spectrum. Yet it does no apparent harm (at least to most of us.)
     
    #137
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2022
  3. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    It is amazing indeed.
    When one considers the fact that all things emit some form of radiation, one can wonder why things do not collide to cause some confusion.
    In the case of some radio frequencies, all it takes is a bolt of lightning to interrupt those frequencies so it’s amazing to me how all the present day man made waves and whatever being zapped through us do not completely erase us from the face of the earth.
     
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  4. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    You may not know if it is harming you. It has been known for a long time that ham radio operators and commercial radio engineers suffer significantly higher cancer rates, but people do it anyway and the number of people contracting cancer is still low. I doubt the smart meter will affect the modern pacemakers that are not affected by microwaves, airport millimeter scanners or MRI scanners that would have been deadly in the old days.
     
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  5. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Reminds me of the story of how microwave ovens were invented (and why the first one was named the Radarange.) The inventor died at age 76. I can find no cause of death.

    I agree that electric companies would not be installing death rays on the sides of people's homes...but each of us are unique. I've heard of folks who have relocated to "off the grid" locations because of sensitivity to the emf sources we just listed.
     
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  6. Susan Paynter

    Susan Paynter Very Well-Known Member
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    The main reason for all our illnesses is Stress and Diet, besides other things.
    My mantra, "Dont worry, be happy" , which i try hard to live by. Works sometimes, other times, no.
     
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  7. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Latest update :
    Today, I had a phone visit with my electrophysiologist, and he will do the pacemaker update on February 10th. He said that it is a simple procedure, just a mild sedation, and they do the AV node ablation up through the vein in my leg (like they do to check for clogged arteries).
    The pacemaker stays like it is, they just make some adjustments so it works with both chambers of my heart. He said that I should be able to be exercising and swimming again within a week’s time; so that is good news.

    Once i am not in a-fib anymore, they can take me off of all of the medications for my heart, so that is another positive thing about this. This procedure is something that would have to happen eventually anyway, so having it done now while I am in basically good health, seems like a good thing, too.
    I will be in and out of the hospital in a few hours time, and he said the only recovery would be adjusting the pacemaker, and then waiting for the leg vein to heal sufficiently.
    All in all, it seems like a good plan to me. My family were all able to listen in , so that was good , too.
     
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  8. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    After sending me for an echocardiogram earlier this week, it turned out that my heart failure is getting worse, and my doctor was not sure if i would need just the AV node ablation a nd pacemaker adjustment, or if I would actually need a different pacemaker that paced more of my heart.
    We talked about it this morning when I went in for the procedure, and he said that he wanted to try just doing the adjustment procedure first, and then another ancho in about 6 weeks to see if the heart ejection fraction has improved any.
    If not, or if it gets worse, then he would have to do the longer procedure of changing out the pacemaker itself .

    Anyway, it was a long day, and i am worn out, but the procedure is done, my heart rate is steady, and back in sinus rhythm. I feel better already (except for being so tired. Who knew that sleeping all day would cause that ?)
    My pacemaker has an accelerometer and when I move, it vibrates the pacemaker and tells it to speed up my heart so I can be more active. In about a week, I should be well enough to try swimming again.
    I have really missed swimming and even just walking around has been a serious effort for the last couple of months, so I am looking forward to getting back to swimming again.

    This is an EKG that I did on the Apple Watch just to see it say that my heart is back in sinus rhythm again !

    49068B0A-54A7-4F8C-B324-4BC96D5941E9.jpeg
     
    #143
  9. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I certainly wish the best for you, @Yvonne Smith .
     
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  10. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    So happy you had a good outcome, Yvonne! Thanks for the update. Take care and get some rest.
     
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  11. Connie Benton

    Connie Benton Well-Known Member
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    Yvonne, I just read over all your posts and you are truly a trooper! I am so happy to hear how you handle all this with such a good attitude. My husband is having an ablation in 3 days and I am a nervous wreck. He was diagnosed with afib and flutter about a year and a half ago. Meds kept him in rhythm for about a year and then 6 months ago, he went into afib again- Increase in meds, in and out of fib and flutter. Nuclear stress in December showed EF dropped from 75 to 36 in a year, therefore he needs ablation.

    You have been through so much. Do you have any tips on recovery from the ablation and how to calm down a very anxious spouse!
     
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  12. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I had my first ablation in 2014, and I am sure that it saved my life, @Connie Benton . My ejection fraction was down to 23%, and I could barely walk around the house, even with all of the heart medicine I was on.
    I went from being able to walk 4-5 miles a day, to not even being able to walk to the mailbox when my heart went into afib and heart failure.

    When my cardiologist said he thought I should have the procedure, I was totally panic-stricken, and to be honest, I was not sure that i would even live through the procedure, my heart was so bad.
    But, I also knew that if I didn’t have the procedure, my heart would keep getting worse, and I would definitely die; so I really had no option.
    They did what is called a Convergent ablation, which is a 2-part process, by ablating both the inside and the outside of my heart.

    After the procedure, my heart was in rhythm for the first time in many years, and I started to feel better, and the heart failure was also going away; so I was really glad I made the decision.
    About 3 years later, I had a hard fall, right on my face on the ground, and after that my heart went back in afib, so my doctor did another ablation.

    However, I also had both tachycardia and bradycardia, and my Apple Watch was telling me that my heart was going WAY too slow at night when I was sleeping, so then he did the pacemaker procedure two years ago, which worked well until right around Christmas of this year.

    What he did this time was to add the 2nd lead to the pacemaker, so now my heart is totally controlled by the device, and it can’t go back into afib anymore.
    I can relate to your being so worried about your husband having this procedure , but I believe that once he has recovered from the ablation, he will feel better, and have more energy than he has had for a long time.
    His cardiologist would not be recommending it if just medication was doing its job , and being in afib is terribly stressful on the heart (and the whole body).
    Feel free to PM me if you have questions you do not want to put on the open forum.

    Also, for recovery, what helped me was a diet of a lot of anti-inflammatory foods, and staying away from inflammatory ones, which helped my heart to heal better and faster. After a procedure, there is always inflammation, and the sooner you can help heal the inflammation, the easier it is for the heart to recover.
     
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  13. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    No we don't and some people use faraday cages around their modems . We just take a chance ,many think 5G is not good.
     
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