Pace Yourself: When?

Once I knew a pacemaker would be needed at some point in my life, it came down to when? As a husband and father of three, I have more to think about than myself. My wife Tara, and I spent a number of evenings discussing the risks and potential benefits and our hope for the future.

I feel fortunate we are not yet in a life or death situation, however in the last year my instances of dizziness and feeling faint increased. Walking up a flight of stairs left me breathless; running or mountain biking not only left me gasping for air, but my heart rate rarely rose to match my level of effort. After weighing our options and reviewing years of extensive cardiac testing, we decided now was the right time to have the device implanted.

I felt a mix of emotions as we made the decision; guilt, selfishness, and fear of the unknown made appearances. Thankfully, I spoke up to Tara and my counselor as the various emotions surfaced. The guilt and selfishness was tied to my family experiencing a lot over the years related to my healthcare, and why put them through one more event? Eventually this faded to excitement for the potential to actually feel better and have more energy to be a husband, parent, and enjoy time outdoors.

We scheduled the appointment for April, which was by design. This time of year many trails are too wet to run or ride on and the skiing is still a blast, but a far cry from the depths of winter. Having the device implanted in April would hopefully provide enough time for me to recover and still enjoy the gift of our very short warmer Montana weather.

Working with National Jewish Health from a distance has been easy to manage. The team works closely with my local primary care provider and together they handled pre-surgery coordination with ease. I am proactive in my healthcare and researched every pacemaker available. The technology has come a long way and I was enthused that my cardiologist was open to my questions and feedback related to device selection.

Eventually, it was decided a Boston Scientific Accolade dual-chamber pacemaker would be the best fit for my condition and lifestyle. It adjusts heart rates based on my breathing and has a battery life that could last anywhere from 9-16 years. As a sarcoid patient, MRIs are sometimes needed for disease management, and my device is MRI compatible with conditions.

While I have never used any Boston Scientific medical devices, I felt comfortable with their devices given their positive reputation in the medical community. I also had connections to other patients that use their devices, and their positive feedback for how pacemakers have positively changed their lives put me at ease.

Now I just needed to wait six weeks for surgery. Patience is not always easy for me to summons once I make a big decision.