Newbie

Not to worry

by AgentX86 - 2018-08-18 00:11:21

I'm not a big fan of lying on by back, either, but the procedure is a piece of cake.  I also had an AV ablation at the same time, so I had to lay on my back an additional three hours after the procedure.  My back wasn't too bad but my bladder was about to split. 

The procedure itself was pretty easy.  There was some pain when they made the pocket the pacemaker sits in but other than that it was a walk in the park  I only had locals (groin and shoulder).  If they gave me a sedative, it was really light because I was quite lucid, carrying on a conversation with the surgeon at the pacemaker end.  I'd had three ablations before that, and a carotid angiogram in the two years before so I was pretty familliar with the drill. 

I'd just tell you that it's not a big deal.  The cath lab table wasn't uncomfortable and they did a really good job of keeping me comfortable.  The room was freezing (as all cath labs are) but they wrapped me up really well in heating blankets.  They really do try to keep you as comfortable as possible.  It makes things easier for everyone.

I couldn't have the head of the bed adjusted because I had to wait to make sure the femeral vein remained sealed.  Otherwise, I don't see a problem with it.  They took me straight from the cath lab to my room (I was staying overnight because I was PM dependent and they wanted longer observation).

Of course things can go wrong (it is surgery) and everone reacts differently but don't worry about this one.  It's easy for >90% of us.

Good luck and be sure to come back to tell us how it all went.

Wish I had timed it

by Paulb - 2018-08-18 01:21:48

The op for me was painless. I had a local and mild sedation and as far as I remember I was only in the op room for about 45mins.  It is now dayv37 and the swelling and bruising has almost gone and there is only a  minor lump with virtually no scar. I did have my head in a pillow during the procedure and the bed in my room afterwards was elevated about 10 or so degrees. Unfortunately my lead came loose just after I returned home the next so I then spent 5 more days in hospital including a repeat of most of the op. There is an under 1% chance of something going wrong and it certainly left me wrattled for about 2 weeks. I am now much more confident and I have me check up in 6 days when I hope I can start getting fully back to the normal healthy lifei was leading 7 weeks ago. 

Comfortable with light sedation

by LIssH - 2018-08-18 08:55:59

From my experience, drs in Aus prefer a light sedation as the op is so quick. 

18 days post op for me, after placing a dual chamber pacemaker. 

I was more concerned about being awake for the op personally but it went better than I could have hoped. I had light sedation. I new what was going on but was very relaxed not too dissimilar to happy gas at the dentist. 

45 min and it was all over! Back on the ward I was pretty sore after the local had warn off. Moving in and out of bed was difficult. I found it hard to get comfortable. 

Now I am a new person! All swelling and bruising has gone and I have a light scar. 

Im already noticing the benefits and wish I had the surgery sooner. 

All the best. 

Had a dual chamber implanted yesterday

by Going Forward - 2018-08-18 16:11:11

My EP met with me before the procedure and one of the things she discussed was how much sedation I wanted. I told her just a mild "chill." She gave me fentanyl and versed in low doses so I was completely awake and she told me what she was doing every step of the way. She also asked several times if I wanted more fentanyl. The only painful thing was the deeply injected local. I had my PM placed under the pectoral (I am skinny) so I do have shoulder pain but tylenol an ice are enough. (they gave me a neat ice bag that doesn't sweat as I am to strictly avoid getting the incision wet until it heals more.) 

They said to give it 48 hours for the drugs to clear and I am still a bit out of it today. 

I think I had a pillow during the 1 hr and 45 minute procedure, but the weird thing is that my head was in a tent (I was warned ahead of time). I guess that they don't want to you to freak out over the bleeding.

Back in recovery the only raised my head about 10 degrees for a couple of hours, but by the time my lunch came they sat me nearly fully up. I was at the hospital for 10 hours and had to pass the "walking test" before discharge.

Sedation

by Kiwi - 2018-08-18 17:23:30

Thanks for all the input

hopefully New Zealand with be the same for sedation really appreciate all the input it’s nice to know what your in for

thanks for the heads up re the “tent”

Talk to your doctor

by Gotrhythm - 2018-08-19 12:53:05

It's standard practice for the surgeon to visit you before the surgery and talk to you about what is going to happen. Be sure to tell him/her how you feel about sedation.

There are lots and lots of options from no sedation at all--just numbing the area while you are wide awake--to complete unconsiousness. The surgeon knows the more comfortable you are both physically and psycholigically, the better things will go and the quicker you will recover.

So speak up. Be specific about how much sedation you want.

PM placement and sedation

by Selwyn - 2018-08-20 12:53:05

As a Kiwi, I expect you are super cool about everything. 

Sedation is not a necessity.  Nothing to the procedure - you can watch yourself  on the  TV!

Interesting!  

On the other hand you may like a little diazepam... there is a bit of a black market for them on the street in the UK. 

Hope your weather is improving. Knowing New Zealand well (I have an Auckland table tennis shirt), I would try to get the procedure done at a busy cardiological centre and not at some peripheral, small, hospital. 

You may have to give up bungee jumping though! 

Kind regards,

Selwyn