Pacemaker and Heart Disease Support Group

Hello,I am 60 years old with my wife of 32 years and 5 kids. I was diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy 10 years ago with a Left Bundle Branch Block probably caused by a minor Heart Attack. I have trained in the Martial Arts for most of my life and that all had to stop because of my diagnosis. I also boxed for 5 years and won a county tournament. I had hoped to go pro but mt heart had different plans I also coached Hockey and won local,state,national,and world championships. 6 of my players have played on team USA. I am also a retired Psychiatric Nurse. I became very depressed when I had to stop training and boxing but went to a counselor for help.This helped me alot and I have changed my lifestyle. About 1 year ago I started getting dizzy spells and then 6 months ago I started passing out. One time I was in my car.Once I hit a telephone pole that totaled my car but I had minor injuries. I thought it was just a one time thing till it started happening on a daily basis. I was admitted to a cardiac unit and received my Pacemaker. I have not even had a dizzy spell since then and was able to resume a normal life. I used to get alot of irregular heart rhythms but they are gone too. I do get a fast bounding pulse occasionally and need to see my doctor soon regarding that. I am a chain smoker and that MUST stop. I come to this site every day....so I hope I will hear from people that also have heart problems and a pacemaker. The key to living happily was accepting my condition. There are a lot of hobbies out there that we can entertain ourselves with. I started playing guitar and my favorite hobbies are cooking and hand loading ammo for target shooting.

John