Pacemaker insertion return to work
Common Questions and Answers about Pacemaker insertion return to work
pacemaker
Hi all. Please can anyone help me with this question? I had a cardiac ablation 11 days ago for Focal Atrial Tachycardia. How long would I expect to be off sick from work after the ablation? (I live in the UK).
My Dr's said to have a few weeks off to recover & build up my level of activity again. But how many weeks is a few?Due to my arrhythmia symptoms I had been unable to do anything much for 2 months before the ablation.
The pain associated with an implanted pacemaker may be musculoskeletal or nerve related. Most likely related to the minor surgery required for insertion of the pacemaker. This type of pain related to the incision should heal within weeks. If you have persistent chest pain at the site of the pacemaker, it might be reasonable to see your doctor so that possible causes can be evaluated.
I agree, it's very hard to go back to work after being off for a year with your child. It was very hard for me 6 years ago when I had to go back to work after having my son.
I will say it does get easier.
In my experience, when a Pacemaker is inserted by a Cardiologist, a representative by the Pacemaker manufacturer follows up the insertion and programs the pacemaker in the hospital. It's not unusual that it has to be tweaked from time to time. If your husband still isn't feeling right, I'd request that you contact your Cardiologist and ask for a manufacturer's rep to be present to review the history of your heart beats since it was inserted.
I have been seriously considering changing Doctors because my current one just doesn’t seem to be able to get the pacemaker set right. It is either too fast or too slow.
I feel in this day and age someone should be able to help set the thing better.
I would appreciate your comments. Thanking you in anticipation.
I am on my 3rd pacemaker after an ablation and pacemaker insertion 12 years ago. Since my new one on the 5th of May was ok with the exception of lacking energy to walk far. Prior to my last insertion i was walking 4k's a day. Since then no way. i went back to my Doctor 4 weeks ago and told him. He said he would make it more sensitive. Then I experienced headaches amd feelings of nausea on many occasions.
i went back the following week to be told my BP had gone sky high. 160/102.
I had a total of 38 "applications"/burns but that was over 3 separate ablations. My EP didn't want to do more than that for fear I might end up with a pacemaker. Yes, I still have some PSVT but it's much better than it used to be and my heart is still in good shape.
I would ask why so many burns? Were they applied to just one or two spots or where they scattered over many areas of the heart?
Moving on to your question about the pacemaker….Sometimes we doctors find it challenging getting the balance right when it comes to providing information to our patients. Sometimes we explain too little. At other times we explain too much. In this case I think your doctor may have been outlining a range of possibilities but unfortunately scared you with the mention of pacemakers. You are right – this is not required in the majority of young patients we see with palpitations.
My father, 89, recently had a pacemaker inserted due to bradycardia. His PMD and internal medicine specialist started him on Coumadin afterwards. Since my step-mother had been hospitalized a week before with GI bleeding due to long term (20 years) effects of Coumadin, my father is reluctant to keep on with the medication now he's at home.
Your Surgeon will advise as to when you should return to work; especially if you do any lifting. It takes several weeks for complete healing to take place but I'm sure you could return to work sooner than that. You should do some stretching exercises (with the Dr.s approval of course) to regain full range of motion in that arm but you should NOT overdo it. Assuming that you will have some additional treatment; this will also dictate when you could return to work.
My husband received a pacemaker nearly a year ago. Headaches are daily to the point he has not been able to return to work. We have been to an ENT, Neurologist and regular MD. He was recently prescribed pain patches and they have not help at all. We have even been to a chiropractor. We are at wits end.
You should return to your pacemaker clinic and have the setting to reviewed again. There might be adjustments in AV delay to be made to avoid excessive/unnecessary pacing, if that is indeed the issue. Alternatively the tracking is still abnormal and you are skipping beats for some reason. Also, "first degree heart block" is not an indication for a pacemaker; there must have been another reason for the implantation. Good Luck!
I'd like to B59 too ; >)
I have had AFib for about 10 years myself with long periods of sinus following electrocardioversion procedures. They no longer work for me, so I am now just trying to decide if I can just live with AFib or do I want to do something else to try to stop the AFib. One driver I have is I'd like to return to more vigorous exercise, including bike riding, street bike.
It showed that I have frerquent tachycardia up to the 140s on mild (getting up to walk to another room, after sitting at my computer) exertion, bradycardia (with junctional rhythm) as low as 40s, frequent episodes of bigeminal pvcs and pacs, short run of 4 pvcs or possible a-fib, I have had the tachycardia since before avr and ascending aortic graft 18 years ago, but have been able to suppress with beta blockers until recent bradycardia.
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