Most Recent Messages in Surgery & Recovery

Post Message!

is this weird?

Hi,
So I have a question. After an EP study or catheter ablation, is it weird/unusual for a few days later for your 'insides' to be almost sore? Like my chest feels swollen from the inside almost like there is pressure on the left side of my rib cage.
It feels weird, but I don't know if it's something that I need to worry about.
thanks.

Read More...

Turning the pacer off

I was going to have nose surgery until the surgeon discovered I had a pacer. He stated that they would have to get a representative from the pacer maker to turn the pacer off prior to and during surgery sincw it will cause problems with the anestesia.
Anyone ever hear of this? wow! What if I needed emergency surgery?
Ken

Read More...

ep study and ablation

I had an ep study and ablation attempt this morning and it didn't work. The equipment had issues and everytime they got my heart into the "correct" rhythm something went wrong, either the catheter wasn't recording, or was in the wrong place or the guy running the computer wasn't on the ball and kept pacing over the arythmeia making the capture totally useless. I understand that this can happen, but they worked at it for 4.5 hours and I was given 10 mg of the crap that makes your heart rate crazy...

Read More...

drains and surgical ablation

Hi! I had surgical ablation of my sinus node on July 30 to treat my Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. It seems it worked (after 5 failed catheter ablations) and now my pacemaker is doing all the job. My SA node is not working, and it feels weird, but great, to have a perfect rhythm at last!

My question is about the drains they used in surgery. They had to deflate my right lung and there was a lot of fluid accumulated afterwards, so they put two Blake drains on the right side. Problem...

Read More...

Replacement Surgery

Well, I made it through my replacement surgery. However, they sent me home with nothing - nothing for pain and nothing in case of infection. And waking up this morning I felt as though someone had been beating my chest, shoulder and neck with an aluminium baseball bat. The doctor on call was surprised and wrote up a prescription for Percoset.

I'm now a much happier camper though it looks like my incision is kind of swollen and it itching like hell already. Any tips or things I should...

Read More...

driving restriction

Hi,
I've been restricted from driving since my EP figured out that my tachycardia was causing me to pass out (not that it was actually the cause but the period of time between tachy and normal rhythm when my heart does nothing causes me to pass out) without any warning. It is understandable, not being allowed to drive. I am having an ablation tomorrow and am wondering how long after an ablation people were removed from driving restriction? I have four jobs and am a full time student and do...

Read More...

1. Swelling 2. Driving

I am now 8 days post implant and really feel much more energy and am so pleased. I am still quite swollen & back/blue/yellow/green and it looks like I have about a half of a hard boiled egg sticking out of my chest. Will it disappear completely over time or will it always still have a noticeable bump? (Im 59 and fairly muscular & have a Medtronic PM).
DRIVING - how soon do most people start driving after surgery - I have an automatic trans. and feel ready, but my doc had said 2 weeks - is...

Read More...

One depressing movie

OMG did I ever make a mistake. Had heard it was a great movie (and it is, one of the best I have seen in a while) but it was the wrong movie at the wrong time. Watched The Wrestler last weekend, right before I had to leave on my first business trip since I had my PM implanted. While the movie is really great it left me worn out and depressed after watching it. I am still in the up and down emotional part of my recovery and it was hard to watch and even harder to think about when it was over.

Read More...

Can you feel the pacing???

I just had a pacemaker installed last week. I really think that i am feeling little electrical impulses in my heart. It seems to come in a double patter with a very slight pause in between. The first little shock is always higher than the second. I have tried to pinpoint the specific spots, but they are not always exactly the same - they are consistently on the rt side of my heart (toward the center of my chest).
Does anyone else get these sensations? Is this just a temporary occurrence...

Read More...

Early Surgery

Hey ya'll.. newbie here (new to the forums). I've had a pacer since I was 16 and have had a few pacer replacements since then (the last being in May of 2002). Back in February, I had a checkup and they said I had about a year and a half left on the current one I have.

Since then, an opportunity has come up for me to takeover a small restaraunt business, but unfortunately as you're probably all aware, I'm conflicted, because it would cause a lapse in my health insurance. The insurance...

Read More...

Bi-V surgery, day 8 post-op

Off to the races today. Incision site still very sore, feels a bit itchy, which means the scab is healing well. I can finally sleep on my side, which has led to a lot better sleep at night (I was unable to sleep for the first 48+ hours.
I have been walking at least a mile every day, no issues. The only thing is that the incision site chafes against the shirt and becomes irritated. I fixed that. I got a large bandage and cut the ends off of it. Put it right over the site. Plenty of air gets...

Read More...

Scar tissue

Hi, i was just wondering::

I am a 15 year old female who had a PM implanted 6 months ago. As with most females, my surgeon implanted it under my left armpit. I have one 2 inch scar directly under my armpit, and one 1cm scar on my upper chest.

My question is about scar tissue,, I know that scar tissue is supposed to be numb, which the one under my arm is, but the one on my chest is not,, is that because it is so small?

Also, i have quite a bit of skin that is num...

Read More...

Bi-V surgery, day 4 post op

Implant date was 8/3, it has been almost 4 days since the surgery. Still a LOT of pain at the incision site. Am only taking Tylenol with an ice pack, so that may be part of it. I have only slept about 4 hours total all week. Can't get comfortable in any position, pain and overall distress about having a piece of metal in my chest.
The positives: I can already sense that my lung capacity feels extra-ordinary. In fact, I think the PM has my LBBB re-routed so well that my hear is beating more...

Read More...

Pull Tab...?????

Okay, interesting thing happened last night. Since my surgery one side of my scar has been itching like hell and has had what seemed like a little scab to it. Last night I accidentally scratched it and low and behold a small knot was lodged in there and that small not pulled loose and is attached to what looks like very low test fishing line which now is out about a half inch. Not sure whether to just pull on it and snap it, cut it as close to the skin as possible or what. Pulling it has me...

Read More...

Bi-V surgery, day 1 post op

Comment posted by IronMan66 on 2009-08-04 11:34.
Had a slight delay in the surgery due the the patient before me had some complications. As for me, the worst thing about it was I was starving by the time I went to the OR. As you know, nothing to eat or dring past midnight, and I expected to be in the OR at 9:30. . . had to wait until 4:30 pm.
Surgery went very well, doctors and nurses were all very nice. When I woke up, it seemed like there was 20 people in the room. All of them talk...

Read More...

Bi-V surgery, recovering at home

At home now, about 27 hours since the surgery. They released me at about 1:00 today after everything was tested and checked out ok. I think the Darvocit pain medicine they gave me was causing a lot of the dizziness. . . but it did kill the pain.
On a scale of 0-10, the pain now is about a 5. I decided to switch to Tylenol to see if that will work instead. I am told I have a high tolerance for pain, so I am hoping to avoid the Darvocit unless it gets really bad.
The scar looks pretty...

Read More...

Ablation, mailboxphobia and walletdectomy

I had an ablation done a couple of weeks ago and have been suffering from mailboxphobia which is a fear of looking in the mail box and finding a large bill.

The bill for the hospital stay is about $192,000. The insurance company explanation of benefits states that they will pay the contract rate of about $86,000. The form also states the hospital is not supposed to bill me for the $105,000 but I will still suffer from mailboxphobia for the next several months until I find out for sur...

Read More...

Had open heart surgery finally

Hi all!

I know I haven't posted for a while but it's been a busy few months. I had open heart surgery Thursday May 28th to repair an Aortic anuerism, and replace my Aortic valve. I also had a second valve replaced with a cadaver valve, another valve repaired and the Maze procedure done in one chamber. Surgery did not go well. What was predicted to be an 8 hour surgery turned into 19 hours and my chest was left open for 4 days afterward. Every time the surgeon tried to stich somet...

Read More...

Bi-V Surgery 8/3 9:00 am

Won't be long now, surgery is tomorrow morning. Feel good now, the toughest part was waiting the 3+ weeks since we made the decision to go ahead with the procedure. Had a great conversation with the nurse Thursday last week. Coupled with all the information I've received from all of you on this site, I think I've got all the knowledge I need to go into this with a clear head. I am kind of excited about it. . . and have to hope that the Medtronic Concerto does what they think it will do for me. <...

Read More...

Question?

I just had a pacemaker put in not even two weeks ago. After the procedure I feel like sometimes something pops up in down in my chest. Has anyone else every felt that? Also even before the procedure I would get dizzy and saw dots, but it still continues. Has this happened to any of ya'll?

Read More...

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

Member Quotes

I'm running in the Chicago marathon.