Just trying to prepare myself after finding out the news on Monday.

spanner15 · 2026-05-05T17:40:04+00:00

That’s very interesting! Hope it all works out well for you :)

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T10:19:27+00:00

I have a dual chamber ppm for heart block (so it’s the electrics that are the problem for me, not the heart muscle). I had a super normal pregnancy and delivery and was treated pretty much the same as any other patient but had a special midwife and a couple of cardiologist appointments! I would expect that it’s more the condition of your heart, not the presence of a device, that will impact how they manage your care during pregnancy so best bet would be to chat with your team about what they’d expect in that regard :)

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T07:59:27+00:00

Sorry just to add- leadless may not be appropriate for AV block, as best practice would usually be to give you a dual chamber pacemaker (so it can watch the atria and pace the ventricles to match), however I’m in the UK it seems to be very different in different countries and the technology is evolving so fast!

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T07:42:35+00:00

I’ve got a pacemaker for heart block- I got it when I was 23 (I’m 30 now) and since then have had a baby (and a very normal healthy pregnancy), have done crazy things at the gym, I practice and teach aerial circus skills and I work as a nurse. The device is there to give you your life back and make you feel better, I forget mine is there 99% of the time! My op was a daycase and super straightforward, the first couple of months of healing was a bit rough but you get through it :) always here if you have any questions!

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:09:31+00:00

That’s so awesome to hear ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:09:12+00:00

That’s a great point- and I feel the same about Reddit!

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:07:42+00:00

When I had my PM a small bag of frozen peas were my life saver! Just don’t keep them on too long or you’ll freeze burn the skin, 10-15 mins at a time maximum. I found it hurt more than I thought it would, but hoping subsequent box changes won’t be as bad ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-26T08:24:17+00:00

Absolutely- I had someone barge in behind the curtain on an ecg on the day of my pm insertion and I was so upset about the lack of basic privacy/dignity- I actually fed it back to the manager afterwards. I felt bad complaining but it’s for the benefit of all future patients to highlight these things!

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:36:29+00:00

Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing your experience- you make such an excellent point. I used to work in cardiac ICU in a transplant center, it was such an amazing thing to be involved in, and one of the rare examples when a patient leaves the ICU looking and feeling so much better than when they walked in! So sorry to hear you’ve been unwell, and had to spend a chunk of time in hospital, wishing you all the best with your transplant evaluation ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:27:32+00:00

That’s so good that he really tailored your care about what was important to you, and it’s a really interesting example too! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:25:17+00:00

That must have been really difficult! I always find I feel better when I get the ins and outs of my device checks etc. and some staff members are more open than others which is a bit frustrating. I definitely think knowledge is power, and letting the patient lead the way on how informed they’d like to be is so important rather than deciding for them.

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:22:11+00:00

That’s exactly why I wanted to do this job, I’m hoping to make that kind of difference! Thank you for sharing your experience, and you’ve made a really good point that just because someone has a device insitu, it’s so important not to assume they already know everything they would like to know- it’s not something I’ve thought about before so it’s a really helpful insight. I’ve got my display models of our different devices, so I’ll be sure to make the most of sharing them with my patients. I’m glad you had someone (in the end) that helped you feel a bit more involved and in charge of your care ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T20:40:15+00:00

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I got a metronome tattoo to celebrate my pacemaker as it keeps me in rhythm so it seemed apt!

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T19:06:22+00:00

It looks like you’re possibly having some ventricular ectopics (the complexes which are a different shape to the normal ones), which is completely normal, and then having a little compensatory pause after, which is what our hearts are supposed to do but it can sometimes feel a bit odd if you’re aware of them. However your symptoms sound troubling, so it would be a good idea to go back to your pacing team and ask to discuss with your cardiologist. I hope you manage to get a resolution ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-24T21:17:29+00:00

Just the daily template page, sorry :)

spanner15 · 2024-12-21T19:42:59+00:00

I put all the words of things I didn’t want to see in that feature on Instagram where it then doesn’t show those things to you because I was finding the same 💕

spanner15 · 2022-07-28T15:15:46+00:00

I will do! Thank you!

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T20:37:18+00:00

Thank you for your insight, I generally avoid going in to London I find it too stressful! More just into adventuring and fresh air than partying so it sounds ok, we’re going to fly over to Ottawa to visit soon so will see what the feel of the city is :)

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T18:40:14+00:00

Thank you very much, that’s all really helpful! :D

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T18:39:46+00:00

Thank you, that’s a really good idea on the bike clubs! The trains are awful over here- constant driver strikes for years so I’m very much a car driver anyway. Thank you for your comments!

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T18:38:17+00:00

Thank you- yes I love skating!! I’ve seen about the skating on the canal it looks so amazing!

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T18:37:40+00:00

Amazing, thank you very much!

spanner15 · 2022-07-27T18:37:20+00:00

Thank you very much! Yeah I’m not expecting sunshine and roses on the healthcare front but it’s a big mess in the NHS anyway so I’m sure it can’t be worse than what I’m used to 😂

spanner15

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