24 and being recommended a pacemaker

Ok this may seem like a drawn out story but Ill make it as quick as possible. This is my first thread btw so bear with me please.

Ok, so Ive been getting dizzing and blackout symptoms for the past 5 or so years when I havent had food and stand up real fast. Naturally i contribute this to low blood pressure (im nowhere near a dr btw lol). Anyhow the symptoms go away after 5 seconds or so even if i remain standing.

Well 6 or 7 months ago I had a castremoved from my broken wrist too early and when it came off the pain and blackout symptoms came on immediately and i actually passed completely out that time. I had no breakfast then so figured it as from pain and low blood pressure.
Forgot about it.
Fast forward to last friday im in Gamestop looking around and about to check out when i get a sharp pain in my lower back (which comes frequently andhas for the pastfew years even though ihave no idea what it is atm) well in rhe same instance i get the black out feeling so i shift sides.
The blackout symptoms go away but the pain is still there so I shift again. At this moment the sharpest pain ive had in my back shoots up to my brain and I completely black out falling 6'5" straight to the floor on my face. Broke 6 bones all around my eye, fracture my skull in two places and they said they found crazy gaps in my heart beat.

Well they ran multiple tests but the only explanation i gor after 6 days was "we think your heart stopped beating for so long that you blacked out" which i wont argue with the drs makes sense but other than a heart murmur ive never heard anything negative about my heart. They said at one point last night i had a 6 second gap between some heart beats which sounds insane to me.
They also really seemed to wanna keep me there and ultimately give me a pace maker. I left and said i wanted to make sure. They kinda scolded me a little i guess youd say but i just cant help but worry about this.
Im 24 years old and dont wanna have to get a pacemaker unless its just a last resort. I guess Im just looking for some kinda comfort or something from maybe people rhat have dealt with the same thing or even med drs that may be on this site.
Any input experiences, facts, truth is greatly appreciated id just like some other peoples thoughts on this.

Rhanks in advance and God bless

a reply to: feedmemore

This seems to be a fast track to 'sudden cardiac death' if you don't get a pacemaker. Have you gotten a second opinions?

This really doesn't seem to be that uncommon. Get a second opinion soon or get the pacemaker.

Best wishes to you

The only thing is they dont even know if thats what caused me to pass out its just the first thing the jumped to. I have a heart murmur but none of my other physicians have mentioned a single thing about having to even worry in the least about my heart. I havent had the chance to get a second opinion because I literally just got home from there like 2 hours ago. It just felt like they didnt want to look into anything but giving me a pacemaker and it kinda just didnt make sense. Like i had a chance to sit down before I passed out but i just didnt because i had dealt with it before so I didnt think itd go that far but it seemed like the back pain just pushed me over the edge. I just wanna make 100% its my heart that made me pass out because i dont want that crap in me if not. It seemed to me like they were pulling scare tactics and trying to get me to stay there and just do that surgery. They even practically tried to talk me out of a second opinion. And for the record Ive never had any heart issues whatsoever. And Ive done ALOT of stuff so it seems like an isolated incident or something that they wanna try to make money off of. I mean hell they already had my insurance paying out for a week.



a reply to: liveandlearn

a reply to: liveandlearn

Thank you btw

a reply to: feedmemore

Years ago I had a major health problem and ended up needing several surgeries to fix it. There were a bunch of complications, pain and sickness along the way. I even almost died once. So I know what it feels like to not want to deal with it. If I was told I needed a pacemaker I'd be tempted myself to tell the doctors to **** off.

If your life depends on getting a pacemaker, then you have to make a choice. If you choose to do it, then some day in the future that choice will be in the past and won't seem like a big deal.
If you choose not to do it, then go about enjoying your remaining life to the best of your ability, rather than stewing about your poor health and being miserable. Do something you've always wanted to do.
In either case, my advice would be to truly come to peace with the idea of death. That will greatly help with any anxiety or fear you have. Personally, I like reading about near-death experiences (particularly HERE). It makes me realize that no matter what happens in this life, there's nothing to be afraid of, as we eventually leave it all behind anyway.

There's no right or wrong choice. You're an adult, so you have the right to do whatever you want to do.

originally posted by: feedmemore
The only thing is they dont even know if thats what caused me to pass out its just the first thing the jumped to. I have a heart murmur but none of my other physicians have mentioned a single thing about having to even worry in the least about my heart. I havent had the chance to get a second opinion because I literally just got home from there like 2 hours ago. It just felt like they didnt want to look into anything but giving me a pacemaker and it kinda just didnt make sense. Like i had a chance to sit down before I passed out but i just didnt because i had dealt with it before so I didnt think itd go that far but it seemed like the back pain just pushed me over the edge. I just wanna make 100% its my heart that made me pass out because i dont want that crap in me if not. It seemed to me like they were pulling scare tactics and trying to get me to stay there and just do that surgery. They even practically tried to talk me out of a second opinion. And for the record Ive never had any heart issues whatsoever. And Ive done ALOT of stuff so it seems like an isolated incident or something that they wanna try to make money off of. I mean hell they already had my insurance paying out for a week.
a reply to: liveandlearn

Always get a second opinion unless you're literally on the verge of death. Like I said above, I had a major health problem... And there were quite a few doctors who told me nothing was wrong with me (until it became obvious when I ended up in the emergency room). In my experience, half the doctors don't know wtf they're even doing.

a reply to: trollz

I totally agree and am honestly comfortable with the thought of death. However, in this situation I dont think theyre looking deep enough into this and just want to give me the pace maker since that their heart has been set on. I guess in the end I should be prepared for anything and thats what I am. I feel a pace maker would hinder me from living life the way I do and Inever want anything to do that. Id rather die. I guess in the end its just a risk Im going to have to take so thats probably the road ill stumble down

a reply to: trollz

I definitely dont feel like Im anywhere near the verge of death and definitely plan on getting mtiple opinions. And thats what Im saying. Theyre either idiots or do whatever they can for a buck. I dont trust them as far as I could throw them

The symptoms also are common in hypovolemia and low sodium. When your BP is low, that could mean volume is really low. Dehydration. Do you pee a lot? Some people do not reuptake sodium well and it leads to hyponatremia which leads to hypovolemia. Low sodium or low potassium can lead to irregular heart beat.

If you do pee a lot then you could also pee out other minerals too.

It could also be you need a pacemaker, there could be a problem with your ticker. I would try adding some electrolytes to your diet to see what happens.

The heart runs on lipids mostly, and also signals. A deficiency in a few vitamins can cause problems too. I would get more oppinions on this. The light headedness when getting up is a sign of hypovolemia sometimes.

a reply to: feedmemore

If it were me, I would get a 2nd opinion from a non-related network doctor and get blood tests for everything. That is just me though. Do what you think is best for you.

Here is my reasoning:
www.ahcmedia.com...

www.courier-journal.com...

If I was you I would get to a big city heart Doctor.

You are very young. Get it fixed by the best you can find.

Hope it's a pitched artery in your neck. Im your size.

It's easy to have something go wrong.

Posting with a prayer...

I really appreciate the responses Ive already gotten guys. I have some pretty high anxiety and it took me a while to actually decide to leave the hospital (that left me in the dark for nearly a week and still never figured out anything) and search for a better alternative. and hopefully I can find one in the end without having to get a pacemaker at 24 years old.

a reply to: feedmemore

I get what you are going through. 8 years ago I was an active duty USAF Master Sergeant. I planned to retire at 24 years (...that would have been 2014). I was training to do wilderness search and rescue... I was an avid hiker/climber/outdoor photographer. I was very fit, and nothing slowed me down.

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 7 years ago. My entire world was SHATTERED. I was forced to retire at 21 years, because I was no longer "world wide qualified". I dropped nearly 50 lbs in one year. I struggled with illness after illness; at one point, I almost ended my own life. But... I hung in there.

I still have M.S. I will have M.S. tomorrow. It BLOWS. I live with it... and I am far happier with my life now.

You will have a pacemaker. It will blow, but... you still have a life to look forward to. You MAY want to avoid microwave ovens for awhile...

Crap happens. Wake up tomorrow, and do so with a smile...

That's my advice.

a reply to: feedmemore

it "sounds" like a bad/irregular AV node in your heart.

This is the hearts own natural "pacemaker". Treatments do include a pacemaker being put in, but treatments also include a type of angioplasty where they actually "shock" the AV node to re-regulate the impulses that it sends down the Purkinje fibres to the rest of the heart.

Regardless, do your homework, get a second opinion and most of all, Good Luck!

Damm man that would scare the hell outa me

But a pacemaker isent permanate to say they can be removed

Get one put in for the sake of them being right than find a good doctor to see if they where wrong

a reply to: DBCowboy

They did that with my dad. It didn't work, but then, he'd been living with his abnormal rhythm for all his life and the nerve fibers were very entrenched. Your chances of that working are best when you are young.

To the OP:

Are you saying you are 6'5", have odd pains in and around the region of your aorta, have had broken bones (wrist and now shattered face)?

Has anyone ever mentioned Marfan's syndrome to you?

It does come with heart problems.

What an intense experience. Thanks for sharing. My advice is to listen to your heart (pun unavoidable). You have stated several times that you do not jibe with their diagnosis, and no one knows you like you do from the inside. So still your mind and listen to your body. Let it suggest what is up.

I hemorrhaged one day last year. Out of the blue. Thought I had to go to the bathroom and filled the bowl with blood. So much so I passed out on the spot. When I came conscious I was on the floor. I had just been in the darkness of my mind questioning if I wanted to continue "on" and I did. I had no money or insurance so I laid down on my bed and said to myself, ok body, tell me what to do to get me through. And I began listening..and my body wanted rest and fasting, then certain foods and juices. Was very, very scary startling experience, and took a long time to get built back up, but I did.

a reply to: feedmemore

The first part of your story where for five years you've had dizziness upon standing...that is an orthostatic blood pressure shift, and it is almost always due to a hidden heart defect. Lack of food or a low base pressure will not cause that specific reaction...it would be happening no matter what position you happened to be oriented in at a given moment.

If you've got a known murmur, then chances are you've got some electrical issues that have manifested as you've gotten older to go along with it. I'm quite sure you were probably given plenty more information than what you claim to have been, but you simply didn't retain it, and that's a normal reaction when a patient is in denial...which is also normal for a person in their twenties who suddenly discovers they have something chronic and life threatening.

But your situation is more common than you think...and a pacer is not going to interfere with you leading a normal life. It sounds very much like putting it off would be far more detrimental to you...if your heart stops beating again, you may very well pass out and never wake up. Cardiologists don't recommend pacemakers to people your age unless there is a medical necessity for it. And insurance isn't going to pay for it unless there's proof of that medical necessity.

You've got choices. You can do nothing at all, live as long as you can without medical intervention. You can go back to the same doctors who already ran all the tests to rule out other possibilities and just let them place a device in there to keep your heart from stopping. Or, you can go seek another opinion from a different cardiologist. Whatever you decide, acceptance of your condition is going to have to be a part of that.

Educate yourself on pacemakers and read some testimonials from people your age who have one. They're out there. There are so many other, truly debilitating chronic conditions out there that you could have instead of a lazy ticker. Getting a pacemaker isn't going to ruin your life. You'll never even know it's in there. But the symptoms you described at the start are already concerning...and five years is a long time to have that strain on your heart without doing anything about it.

One thing you can be certain of is that if you've got an electrical problem that severe and it goes untreated, it will ruin your life...by ending it. It all depends on how you feel about death, really.

originally posted by: feedmemore
I really appreciate the responses Ive already gotten guys. I have some pretty high anxiety and it took me a while to actually decide to leave the hospital (that left me in the dark for nearly a week and still never figured out anything) and search for a better alternative. and hopefully I can find one in the end without having to get a pacemaker at 24 years old.

This sort of diagnosis... it hurts, but it IS NOT a life ending situation. You are very lucky. A few decades ago, a pacemaker would not even be an option. You have been given the gift of more time. Smile... have a light heart, and appreciate life.

Get the pacemaker?

Why wouldnt you ?
Anything else you can change ? Are you heavy? Do you eat well? Whats your stress like?

I dont mean to imply anything but youre 24 there must be something to save your life... if its the pace maker take it..