Sorry need to rant

I had my 2 lead pm fitted 3 weeks ago but had been having weird feelings in my chest and could feel my heart beat really strong, phoned the pm clinic on friday and they said setting proberly need to turning round well after testing it and sending me to x-ray they then send me to see the cardiologist who informs me one of my leads ( the bottom one) wasn't working and completly gave up on saturday but my pm is still trying to pace through it.

They have told the connection off to that lead and have told me the moment i start blacking out again or feel anything slightly wrong then to phone up and i will have to have the operation again. I don't want the operation again the last one took 3and half hours not hour an hour to an hour like they said because they had problems it was so painful because i was wide awake and just had a local which kept wearing off.

If i hadn't phoned up then i wouldn't have known this until the 5th july when my appointment at the pm clinic is.

Sorry about the rant just feeling upset and annoyed on the plus side the nurse who looked after me was so lovely

Sorry again

Mel xx
England leicestershire

3 Comments

my theory

by Tracey_E - 2010-06-14 01:06:11

If you have to have the lead repositioned, insist on sedation. I was awake for my last surgery but had versed and don't remember a thing. There are advantages to doing it with minimal anesthesia but given your last experience, tell them you want more next time!

Here's what may have happened. When they place the leads, they do it via xray while the heart is moving. It amazes me that they can ever get it where it needs to be!!!! The heart is beating and blood is flowing while they're trying to remotely get a little wire to stay where they want it. Sometimes our hearts are shaped or the muscle is such that the leads do not go in easily. If they had trouble getting it in (your extra long surgery) they may not have been able to get it in as well as they wanted/needed to, which is why it came out. Not really anyone's fault, just bad luck. I could be wrong, that's just my guess.

My second guess is you are pacing mostly with your upper lead, which is why they aren't rushing to fix the lower lead. They almost always give us both leads, even if we just need one of them. It provides more information, and it will already be in place if we need it down the road. I pace 100% of the time with my lower lead, less than 2% with my upper, so if my upper lead were to stop working I would not be in a rush to fix it. They will always try to avoid an extra surgery if they can. If you can get by without the second lead, they'll just watch it until you need the battery changed and fix it all at the same time.

It'll be ok!!!! If you were in danger, they would have had you in there as soon as they figured out what was wrong. {{{{hugs}}}}

Leads

by Mel P - 2010-06-14 02:06:26

When they fitted it they and problems finding my cephalic vein so placed it in another one then had trouble getting pacer into pocket.
I feel silly for being so cross as I know its know ones fault, just angry because i have been so careful and I still have complications.
Thanks for the hugs i feel like i need them.
mel xx

mel

by LS - 2010-06-14 03:06:38

I'm so sorry you're going through this.
{{{BIG hugs}}}
Liz

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