Pacemaker Syndrome

Question: is it rare that a person with down syndrome has a pacemaker? I have down syndrome and have a pacemaker And I was curious if there was other people like me have a pacemaker and is at the age of 23

Answer: I have an 18-year old daughter with Down syndrome. She had open heart surgery when she was 6 months old. She was recently diagnosed with heart block. She will have a pacemaker within the next two weeks. If you do a google search on "down syndrome" and "heart block" you will find medical reports that there are babies and children with down syndrome who have pacemakers after heart surgery! It is not unusual for persons with Down syndrome to have congenital heart problems.

Question: Would a delay in performing pacemaker implantation cause complications to the existing tachy-brady syndrome?

Answer: I agree with John, and only can add that it depends on the length of the delay, and the severity of the condition. A few days should not really be a problem....but there is risk, depending...

Question: I have sick sinus syndrome and have had pacemaker since 1999. Is this condition hereditary? My son now has had problems and doctor says he thinks he had some atriall fibrillation. He will have some tests coming up soon....but in the meantime the doctor has prescribed him with 25 mg of metoprolol. Medicine says it should not be taken if he has sick sinus . Doctor thought he should take it anyway. He has not been diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome....but is the condition hereditary? Back in 1999 I asked my cardiologist about my two sons possibly developing the problem. he said no. But I am beginning to wonder at this point. I am also concerned about him taking metoprolol just in case he does have it.

Answer: No sick sinus syndrome is not in itself hereditary. Sick sinus is diagnosed when the heart changes rhythm without a known cause and usually the heart puts itself back into a normal sinus rhythm. Sick sinus syndrome is not necessarily harmful. A-fib is a condition of the ventricles where they do not contract but only quiver. The problem with this is that it causes some people to develop blood clots. If you dont want to use metoprolol then you should quickly get a second opinion.

Question: What can these symptoms mean? I am a 22 yr. old female.? I already have a pacemaker,pots syndrome, heart arrhythmias, right to left intrapulmonary shunt, asthma,ibs,chronic uti and sinusitis's. I am going to see a pulmonary hypertension specialist in 1 month. I have been waiting 4 months. Chest pressure and pain, dizziness epescially standing upright, shortness of breath with any excertion, and tightness in throat, and weakness. My dr. said it is not any of these problems i already have. my ekg and heart enzymes are normal.

Answer: I'm just a layman, but it sounds like the dyspnea that you are describing is related to the pots. If your doctor is not providing you a tailored treatment plan for it, with regular adjustments for what does and does not work, then you probably ought to find a second opinion. The specialist that you plan to see next month might be able to help in this regard. Cardio rehab might be a good idea, too. After all of this, you would probably benefit from exercise in a monitored and safe environment. And if you have a good program, you'll learn a lot about how to care for your heart. My wife attended cardio rehab after her cardiomyopathy diagnosis, and it was a real eye opener for her. Good luck!

Question: Has anyone had radiofrequency cardiac ablation to cure arrythmia? I am scheduled to have this procedure and would like responses from anyone who has had it. Have you been cured? Did you have any complications? How bad was your arrythmia to begin with. I have tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome brought about from dysautonomia. I had a choice to try the ablation or put in a pacemaker. I chose the ablation procedure. It has me a little scared, but it still seems better than having a pacemaker installed. Any valid comments will be appreciated.

Answer: Two months ago I had an "EP study and possible ablation". (They didn't end up doing the ablation.) I have intermittent SVT, which was moderately bothersome, but definitely not malignant. The doctor was not able to induce the arrhythmia during the procedure and therefore could find nothing to ablate. There are truly few complications. They stick a bunch of pads on you, start an IV, load you up with drugs, and you wake up with a dressing on your femoral vein a couple hours later. They make you lay there for a while with the dressing on to ensure you clot, then send you home. I was scared to death about having it done, and nearly cancelled it the day before. The staff at my facility was great, they do a hundred of these every week so they were comfortable with everything and able to explain exactly what was going on. People of all ages get ablations (babies to 100-year-olds). I know a 10-year-old who had one done, and I figure that he could handle having it I could too!

Question: What does it feel like when blood is pulling in the legs.? I suffer from pots syndrome. a heart condtion. i am 22 with a pacemaker. my legs have been felling weak and pain. i have low blood pressure.

Answer: Do you have any swelling, or edema? If so, you may want to get seen by your dr. Also, is your back hurting? If anything, you may want to elevate your legs so that they are up above your heart. Maybe set them up on a couch leg or something for a few minutes. If your legs still feel numb, they you're having a circulation problem. If it's relieved, then, set up an appt w/your dr to see what may be causing the pain & weakness.

Question: I want my pacemaker removed? I am 32 years old. I had a cardiac pacemaker put in July of 2004. It was put in because of what the doctor called sick sinus syndrome. My heart rate kept dropping too low and I would faint (but it would go back up) Having this thing implanted in me has caused me a lot of depression. i feel like a freak. I am self conscious about wearing low cut tops. I am not beautiful, but am fairly attractive and even after five years, I still am not comfortable with having it there especially since I have lost 70 pounds since the time it was put in. I have not seen my cardiologist in three years even though is office calls me almost every month trying to talk me into getting it checked. I really want to have it taken out. I think they rushed into putting it in before checking into other possible options. Any chance I'll get a cardiologist anywhere to take it out? Oh and I didnt mention the other reason besides cosmetic that I want it out is because I desperately need to use a TENS unit for chronic pain in my neck so I won't have to take pain medication and I actually am using one despite the warnings against doing so because the pain in my neck is worse than my fear of what may happen to the pacemaker. I also need an MRI to see what may be causing that pain because it is really bad.

Answer: Well, to be honest, the chances of finding a cardiologist willing to take a pacemaker out of a patient with a documented condition requiring one, is zero. It's like taking someone out of an iron lung because they don't think they have polio. That said, there are ways around it. You should go to the doc and talk to him about your concerns. The fainting attacks are called Adams-Stokes syndrome (or Stokes-Adams), and combined with an ECG showing fibrillations (spasms) or asystole (cardiac arrest, complete lack of electrical activity), are pretty definitive for some kind of serious underlying heart condition (but not any one in particular). It depends on the exact nature of the ECG readings. If it's asystolic, then you need the pacemaker, no question. If it's fibrillations, there are some medicines which *might* help. Again, it depends on the exact nature of the ECG. Regarding the neck pain, you should mention the pacemaker to the doctor you're seeing for that. You might be eligible for a CAT scan instead of an MRI. While NOT free of risks, it's a safer alternative that will at least be better than a normal cranial x-ray. This is up to the doctor's discretion though. And who knows, your pain could be due to a bone condition pinching a nerve, which is operable. And lastly, about the psychological aspects of having a pacemaker: That's not something a doctor (or I) will really be able to help you with, but you can get referred to a psychologist who will be able to help you much more. You may even find support groups for pacemaker patients, so don't give up on yourself.

Question: Where is a good web sight I can type in symptoms and find disorders? I am 24 and have a pacemaker. I have had? Where is a good web sight I can type in symptoms and find disorders? I am 24 and have a pacemaker. I have had so many odd things the doctors can't explain like extremely fast heart rates only with excertion. Low oxygen 80% with excertion. Orthostatic intolerance. I get shortness of breath, tightness in throat, chest pressure/pain, lower jaw pain/numbness, lightheaded. So far doc's told me I have pots(postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and inappropriate sinus tachycardia, but they do not know why my oxygen is 100% rest and 80% with exercise. They have mentioned a shunt in lungs but can't locate it. Some one please help. I am desperate. I am sick of going to hospital I am only 24 yrs old. Category Health > Diseases & Cond

Answer: Hi... wow this must be so stressful for you. Here are some sites, I don't know how helpful they will be http://www.medicinenet.com/symptoms_and_… http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/ http://www.healthline.com/ Hope you feel better soon.

Question: Where is a good web sight I can type in symptoms and find disorders? I am 24 and have a pacemaker.? Where is a good web sight I can type in symptoms and find disorders? I am 24 and have a pacemaker. I have had so many odd things the doctors can't explain like extremely fast heart rates only with excertion. Low oxygen 80% with excertion. Orthostatic intolerance. I get shortness of breath, tightness in throat, chest pressure/pain, lower jaw pain/numbness, lightheaded. So far doc's told me I have pots(postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and inappropriate sinus tachycardia, but they do not know why my oxygen is 100% rest and 80% with exercise. They have mentioned a shunt in lungs but can't locate it. Some one please help. I am desperate. I am sick of going to hospital I am only 24 yrs old. Category Health > Diseases & Cond

Answer: Perhaps you need to go to a center that sees the unusual cases routinely. Mayo Clinic would be a good choice, or Johns Hopkins or Cleveland Clinic- if you are a military dependent, Walter Reed gets all the rare stuff. Go where the experience and brainpower are---

Question: professional answer a Dr. that specializes in complete dental extractions to explain the process. visits, etc Would like to know, approx how many visits, how much healing time is needed before the denture process can begin, The difference between a patient that is under usual local anistetic (for extractions) and the process is which the patient is fully sedated. Complications: such as pacemaker, Down syndrome, Alzheimer's disease. *I am a care taker for individuals with Developmental Disabilities For Service Alternatives Inc.

Answer: If you need such in depth answers and if you are a caretaker then I think ethically and legally you should do a course that will answer your questions or get a dentist to come in a give you a few guidelines