Pacemaker and Old Leads Removed, So Far, So Good!!

• by truenorth
• 2009-05-15 05:05:39
• Complications
• 1436 views
• 2 comments

On April 6th I was sent by my doctor to London Ontario to have my current pacemaker removed, as well as the old leads that were left in from an old pacemaker site because they were causing a VERY staph infection that otherwise refused to be cured, even by prolonged infusions of vancomycin via a portable IV pump.

A long and complex operation that left three big scars on my chest, as well as the insertion of a cable through a vein in my groin to my heart.

But, there were NO complications, and recovery has been swift and smooth.

I was on a heart monitor for a couple of weeks afterwards, and had two holter monitor tests for 24 hours apiece.

There was ONE skipped beat in 24 hours!! WELL within the normal range.

So, it appears that whatever had originally caused my heart block back in 1996 when i had the pacemaker installed has completely disappeared--so far [touch wood!!].

When I asked what causes such things to happen, the answer was that, one's body changes radically over such a long period of time; it may have been a viral infection of the heart that slowly disappeared over time, or just natural, self-healing changes of the body. Who knows?

I'm just happy that this whole thing seems to be moving towards a happy ending at long last!