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Surgery was Monday and I came home yesterday.

I really am having issues wondering why I let them do this. The surgery itself went great. I DO NOT remember anything...not even the test shock! Thank you Jesus for that. The pain afterwards has been worse than expected. The vicodin would work on the pain, but make me feel like I was spinning and caused EVERYTHING to come back up. Now I'm on dimerol, and the nausa is better, but the pain is worse.

Did they try to put a 5lb brick on anyone else to stop the swelling? Did they put the IV right where you bend your arm...on the side where they DONT want you to move your arm?? Then the trip home....I felt every bump.

Sorry...just dont know if I'm strong enough for this. I make jokes on my FB and w/ my family, but I'm hating this!

6 Comments

Hi Andrea

by Pookie - 2010-02-10 02:02:35

Isn't it great to be home!!!

What kind of issues are you having exactly. You needed your device...right?

The pain....that's a tough one to dicuss as we are all different. I am in the whimp category for sure. :)

How about calling your pharmacist as they know SO much about medications, then if they suggested one to you that you think you could tolerate, then you could ask your doctor to give you the RX for it.

Just a suggestion, but what about taking the Vicodin at half dose...ONLY if the tablet is split-able. Be careful, as some meds are not to be cut in half. I'm even thinking Tylenol #3 might work, as it usually works for me. There are so many pain meds to choose from. Another one that works for me is Hydromorphone which is called Dilaudid here in Canada and it even comes in extended release to cover me for 12 hrs!

There's got to be a solution for your pain that doesn't give you such awful side effects cuz you don't need anything else to deal with right now. Perhaps you should call your doctor for another suggestion.

Expect to have swelling. It's normal. I've been told to put ice because ice works when things are inflamed, not heat. But I've heard others say heat, so....???? You could always alternate between the two.

And yes, I have had the IV in the crook of my arm (inside elbow) in the left arm and my pacer is on the left side. Sometimes, "they" don't think of the patient and just go for the best vein that they can see.

Today I had surgery and all went so well I think I'm still dreaming!!!!!! And I specifically asked them to put the IV in the crook of my right elbow as my left harm hurts because of my rotator cuff issue, and the anaestheologist was fine with it. I find the more I go in for procedures, the more I learn to ask for what I want.

Now for the physical feelings...you will probably be more sensitive now that you have a device. Most of us go thru that. It's going to take time to get use to your new buddy. It will get better day by day.

The thing that got me thru my first few days was lots of rest with supporting pillows.

good luck.

Pookie

time

by Tracey_E - 2010-02-10 02:02:51

Give it a little more time! Vent here all you need. You're stronger than you think you are. Sending very gentle hugs.

I've found I'd rather deal with the pain than the side effects of the pain meds! It's hard to think about getting back on your feet when you're barfing and the room is spinning. Been there, done that! I can't do vicodon, demerol, codeine, darvocet, morphine or aleve- each procedure we've found something new I'm allergic to, lol. Have you tried just tylenol? It doesn't work as well but I found it took the edge off enough that I could deal with it.

You should be able to move your arm now, no movement is only for the first 24 hrs. Don't go crazy or anything, but you don't want to keep it immobile because your shoulder can freeze up.

Home is best

by FirstDuely - 2010-02-10 02:02:56

Glad the surgery went well and it sure is good to be home!! Focus on this fact. You ARE home....
Pain is unfortunately what the doctors leave us with but it will pass in time. I always wanted to take a drug and go to sleep until after the pain went away.
I've had 8 pacers so far in 24 years. Each one was different, one was particularly difficult and painful.
I'm assuming you can get up and walk around as much as you want? Then, if you can, get up and do some walking. This will increase circulation and get the healing going and get your mind off the pain. Maybe you can have a friend or family member walk with you. Get some fresh air (unless it's snowing) and enjoy being able to get out. Hospitals really are the worst places for me. Hate being in them because it means I'm not well.
Brick on chest: I was put under for 6.5 hours one time and in recovery and at home I swore someone had walked on my chest. Don't know why they walked on my chest but I believe that the entire surgical staff took turns standing / stomping on me. Actually, they press down pretty hard from what I was told in order to get leads implanted...or they did for me.
IVs have a special place in my book. I hate 'em, don't want 'em, get really pissed off when I have to have 'em, and generally dislike anyone who wants to put 'em in.
And, yes, I have had them stuck on the inside of elbow joint, down the arm, in the wrists....they all are, and were, designed to inflict massive amounts of discomfort.
Did I mention I don't like IVs???
Only once did I get a ride home from my parents and I rode in the passenger side. I was feeling particularly bad that trip because that was the time I had had complications. My Dad, bless his heart, drove. He's old and not very good at driving anymore. I thought he'd hit every pothole, car, telephone pole, but he managed to miss each of the above and more. I thought that this is great! I go through hell to stay alive and on the way home Dad kills me. We go home and I was SOOOO glad to be home. Still am. AND SO SHOULD YOU!!!
Being home is, well, "there is no place like home." Get it? Now get up and try doing something around the house and move, move, move.....
Sometimes it just takes grim determination. Or maybe, better still, go bug some of your family. Just do whatever it takes to take your mind off the pain until it eventually goes away.

Glad you are here.

Gary in Hemet, CA

It does get better

by JulieH - 2010-02-10 06:02:30

Dear AndiC - Everyone's PM procedure is different. I would NEVER ask why I let them operate on me. In my case, my pulse rate had dropped to 14 beats per minute just prior to my procedure. I had a complete electrical blockage so, if I didn't have my pacemaker - who I named Sparky - I wouldn't be here. Now, instead of starting my prayers by thanking God for all of his blessings, I first thank him for life, and then for all of his other blessings.

I really didn't ever feel much pain from the actual surgical site. Instead, I had a reaction to the anesthetic (they had to give me a general anesthetic rather than a local because of my heart rate and resuscitation issues) and, after surgery, I had a level 15 (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst) headache for a full 48 hours! I spent two days in almost total darkness - no lights on in my room & the window shade all the way down, the AC thermostat turned all the way to coldest, with washrags literally soaked in ice across my eyes. I didn't even look at anyone who came into my room; I just let them do whatever they needed (IV, blood sugar check, etc.) At times the headache pain woudl increase and I knew I was about to throw up again. The pain was so bad the doctors wanted to make sure I wasn't suffering an aneurysm so they performed a CT scan and then a spinal tap, both of which came out negative. They gave me several things to try and stop the pain but none worked until they got to Fioricet; that one did the trick. You may find that, like me, you can't take the really strong drugs. They make me sick at my stomach.

I'm a 62 year old mom of four and grandmom of five. Dear one, if I can do this you can. Stop making jokes on FB and get up and move. Every day is better than the one before and it's a darned site better than what my outcome would have been had I not been given a pacemaker.

What do you like to do? Draw? Photography? Walk on the beach and pick up shells? Watch movies? Think of something you like to do that is within your current physical limits and do it. I don't know what part of the country you're in but there's always something to do.

Everyone on this lovely web site is in this together. We are all here for each other.

Take care,
Julie in Florida

Pain

by sln - 2010-02-10 07:02:17

There are so many pain meds, there's no excuse for someone to be suffering from post-surgical pain if they want relief. I normally have a high pain tolerance but did find I needed something after the implantation, and when I found Vicodin doesn't work for me (same thing for my mom) they switched me to Percocet, which was much better. Then, when they found I had pneumothorax and put in a tube, which increased the pain a lot, they put me on Dilaudid, which was great! They should be able to find something that works for you and you should not feel embarrassed to ask or to use it.

I think your feelings of hating what's happened are so natural. What's not to hate? You're in pain, your activities are limited right now, and maybe your feelings of knowing who you are and what your body is all about have been thrown off. It's hard right now to see how this has improved your life or how you will adjust. But it has, and you will! Remind yourself that you're alive, and likely will be, and in better shape, for a lot longer than if you hadn't gotten the PM. Remind yourself of all the people on this site who have gotten back to their normal lives. And then remember the hundreds of thousands of people with pacemakers who are not on this site, maybe because they just don't think about their pacemaker much or have concerns about it. Use all the stress-reduction and blues-lifting techniques at your disposal - distraction (when I was stuck in the hospital with the pneumothorax my husband brought in a DVD player and a couple seasons of Sex and the City...and the other thing that helped was emails from work needing answers from me), pampering, beautiful or yummy things that remind you of how great the world is, deliberately restructuring how you think about the PM (it could save your life!), and above all support from others. Be creative! Every day you'll feel better and more comfortable, physically and mentally.

Thanks...

by AndiC - 2010-02-11 10:02:19

Tracey...thanks for the gentle hug!

I am VERY emotional. This morning is a little better. I think that I'm at home all day by myself is one reason its hard right now. I have my sister-in law coming by today, so hopefully that will help.

They put the ICD under my breast tissue, but it feels as if the muscles have been cut. If I shiver or tense my chest AT ALL, I feel it. The incision itself look good. No ANGRY skin, or oozing.

Sorry about the vent. The Drs said I had to have the surgery. My Mom said afterwards, "At least she'll feel better." and the Dr said ....this will not help her, but it will save her life. When he confirmed what that other dr had told me last week...it just made me feel so let down.

I'm grabbing my boot straps and pulling them up!! I am strong....I've been thru 5 brain surgeries w/ my youngest. I can do this....I can do this....this is easy compared to Brain surgery!!!!

Love and hugs to all!

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