PATIENT STORIES

Jay Carmichael, Pacemaker Patient

“It is so important that you take charge of your own health and know what you want to have a good quality of life.”

Ann Kiefer, Pacemaker Patient

“I am excited about my future. The pacemaker has given me a quality of life that I am just excited about everyday. After my pacemaker, I again can walk around the room, teach at the board, walk back and forth, walk amongst my students and have confidence that I’m not going to faint or need to sit down.”

Hear from Ann’s Family

When you or a loved one suffers from bradycardia, the entire family is affected. Ann’s mother, husband and son all worried that her symptoms were causing her to miss out on life. But after receiving her pacemaker, they saw results they thought were “wonderful.” Hear their story.

Barbara Hanson, Pacemaker Patient

“I’m always on the go. I like to do water aerobics at the Y–I do that every morning for an hour or so–I’m so busy doing other stuff I don’t want to be worried about what my heart’s doing. My pacemaker is as big as a fifty-cent piece with two little wires in it and it just slips right in.

“When I woke up [after surgery] it was fine–no pain associated with it–the fear was gone. There’s not even much of a scar. It’s just miraculous, what it does.“

Lisette Astudillo, Pacemaker Patient

“I actually felt an improvement that same week after I got out of the hospital, which was amazing—to feel back to my normal self…. Having the pacemaker implant has been life changing.”

Steven Reiss, Pacemaker Patient

“I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy the procedure was. It was done on a Monday, I was released on a Tuesday, and I was back in the office on Wednesday. I was sore for a day or two because they put it underneath the muscle instead of underneath the skin, but I have virtually no discomfort at all now and it’s only been two weeks later. It’s constantly monitoring me. It’s effortless. I mean, I don’t even think about it.”

Bill Trent, Pacemaker Patient

“The implant was amazingly easy and simple. I’ve got all the confidence I had when I had a perfectly healthy, normal heart. It’s getting better and better the longer I have this pacemaker in.”