A scary beginning

by trisha
(pensacola, fl)

It was 2001, and I was 37 years old. I had felt very odd all day, but couldn't stay home because I had just started a new job and my two-year-old daughter had a check up at the doctors.

I was working at the local university, and I was leaving for the day, walking to my car and that is the last thing I remember. I fainted in the parking lot, fracturing my skull, resulting in a grand mal seizure. Luckily there was a student who witnessed this, and helped me and called 911.

After the doctors figured out that the seizure was because of the fall, they looked into why I fainted. Lots of test... and finally a tilt table test where I fainted again. The cardiologist decided to implant a pacemaker because my heart rate and blood pressure kept dropping, which was quite a shock! I was, and am, a very healthy, active person. So now the news of a pacemaker along with epilepsy was a bit overwhelming.

Now I am getting ready to get a new pacemaker because the battery is just about out, and I don't even think about the pacemaker. I run about 3 miles probably 4 times a week, I haven't changed anything, in fact, most people don't even know I have a pacemaker.

I was self conscious for a while, I am very thin and live in the very warm south, and you can see the scar and the protrusion of the pacemaker, but now I don't really care. I do hope this next one is a bit smaller, that would be nice. I had to ask them to tweak the settings some, because it was coming on too often... but now it is much better.

I did my procedure as outpatient, with no complications. I have also been weaned off the epilepsy medicine and feel great!! If you are nervous about having a pacemaker, I would tell you it is so easy!!