Chronic Health Conditions Discussion and Support

I am a U,S expat in Denmark. The incident that led to my getting a pacemaker occurred in the States (in 2010), so my operation was carried out there, I left the hospital with two pages of instructions, mostly on what not to do, which I later showed to my Danish doctor. From the list, she said the most important restriction was not to carry much weight in the first month or two, but I should LIVE MY LIFE. Now, I would not go bungee jumping or engage in activities involving large magnets, but otherwise I have lived my life normally.

This advice may or may not be applicable to you, but I asked how the instructions could be so different. Her answer: because American doctors are afraid of getting sued.

Since the operation was so long ago, my memory of post-op is a bit unclear, but my recollection is that compared to other surgeries I have had, this was very. easy. By the way, as I am left-handed, I asked them to place the pacemaker on my right side, since I generally have a heavy bag or backpack hanging on my left shoulder.

Best of luck!