Pacemaker replaced today!

First time getting my PM replaced and NOT being put to sleep. Didn't get nervous til they started wheeling me down to surgery. Then got VERY nervous, but the sedatives were great...just made me pretty sleepy and the surgery zipped by. Only awkward thing was since I am pacemaker dependent, they inserted a pacing wire through my groin and all the way up into my heart to pace me while they changed the device. As the wire went through my stomach area and into my heart it felt very weird. I was like "Doc, that don't feel right!" But they just gave me a second dose of sedatives which didn't put me to sleep but made me very relaxed and sleepy, and from there on the surgery was a breeze. Within 10 minutes of the end of surgery I was wide awake and feeling great. Discharged 4 hours later! Awesome day!

3 Comments

You're Brave!

by Tracie H - 2010-06-14 11:06:51

Wow! Not being put to sleep! That's so brave - kind of like some of my friends who don't have novacaine for tooth work. I tried having "as little pain medication as possible" for my pm insertion...that lasted until the first contact of the cautery thingy with my skin. Then I asked for LaLa Land and got my wish!
Kudos to you, though!
:) Tracie

Pacing during the changeover

by ElectricFrank - 2010-06-15 02:06:14

Glad it all went so well. That's the important part.

I talked to the cardiologist about it and he just put some external pacing electrodes on my chest just in case. The Medtronics rep was in the OR and programmed the new pacer for a fixed 65bpm, and set the old one the same. Then at changeover time he just pulled the ventricle lead out of the old one and plugged it into the new one. I think I skipped about 2 beats which was no big deal. (I'm dependent). The atrial lead wasn't doing anything so didn't notice it. When all was reconnected they reprogrammed the new one to DDD mode with the same settings as the old and I was back to normal.

I was awake during the whole thing and also insisted on no sedatives unless I asked for them. Never came anywhere near needing them.

They all have their own procedures. I just get pretty assertive as to what I want.

frank

pacing

by Tracey_E - 2010-06-15 07:06:55

I'm completely dependent with a low underlying rate and I've been paced externally for each of my 4 replacements. I guess they all do it differently! I slept through all of mine.

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