Holter Test Result

We need to back up to the experience with the Holter monitoring of my heart, as that was what led to the pacemaker.
I wore the Holter for 24 hours. There were seven wires that were attached to me--mostly around my chest and upper body--and these were connected to the machine, which was worn around my waist. I say, 'machine,' but it was a small computer, about three inches wide, an inch thick, and seven inches long. I was also given a 'log,' in which I had to enter my activities. I tried to do all the things I normally do, including my daily exercising on the elliptical trainer, some fast walking, and some stair climbing.
I looked like a suicide bomber. I wore the thing for my recording session that day, and I kept it hidden when we went out to a restaurant with friends that night. It made sleeping very awkward.
We were off to England on the day I handed it in to the doctor's office, and I had been told to call from England on the following Friday. On that day, I went down from Paddington to Plymouth on the train and was met by my brother, John, and his wife, Mary, and we drove from the station to my sister Anne's house. From there I made the call to Washington. What I was told seemed reasonably reassuring, although there were the words "a bit worse than I expected." But seemingly there was nothing to alarm me and nothing to suggest that the original diagnosis of atrial fibrillation had changed. An appointment was fixed a day after we returned from London.
Once back in Washington, I saw the doctor again, and it became apparent that my heart rate was not just slow, but also irregular, and on occasions my heart would stop altogether for up to four seconds. "You need a pacemaker, David" And a few days later Joan and I had an appointment with the surgeon who does the pacemakers.  As I was very largely asymptomatic, our first question was essentially, "Is this an-open-and-shut case. Is there any doubt that I need this?" The detailed information that was given to us by the doctor left no doubt in our minds that it had to be done. And so we immediately set up the appointment for the operation.