Most Recent Messages in Surgery & Recovery

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Trying to Move On

Hello,
I'm new to the group. I had my PM inserted 4/24/09. I went in for an electrophysiology study and had the PM inserted the next day. Thank God all went well and recovery has been good with the exception of depression. I'm having a very hard time accepting my fate and have all sorts of fears that I will never be the person I was before. I'm afraid of being alone and this is so hard because I have always been very independent. My husband stayed home with me for two weeks while I rec...

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work

i got my pm 4 weeks ago im trying to find out if i can still drine tractor trailer and pull hazardous chemicals ive been an over the road driver for 16 yrs i dont know what ill do if i cant drive anymore

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newbie

I just had my dual lead St. Jude pm implanted 10 days ago after three and a half years of taking theophylline which very poorly managed my arythmia ( the day before my proceedure, I nearly passed out with a heart rate of 38, and was rushed to the e.d. where my ekg showed 2nd and 3rd degree block). I'm normally a very active mom--I work full time, have three kids, and do cardio and weight traning at the gym. My p.m. right now is set at 60, and I still feel pretty fatigued( I'm taking it easy and...

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Soreness

I had my pacemaker implanted on 13 April 2009 and as of today I am still sore in my chest muscle area and towards my shoulder/chest intersection. I wanted to know if anyone elses soreness has/did last this long? Thanks for your help.

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How much does ablation surgery cost.

If you had ablation surgery for atrial fibrillation, how much did you pay for it? What insurance company did you have and how much did they pay.

I am using Healthnet PPO insurance.

According to my doctor the ablation surgery has a 50 to 60 percent chance of working. If that doesn't work then a second operation would increase it the 70 or 80 percent.

Has anybody here traveled to Mexico or other countries for cheaper surgery.





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how long is long enough

May of 07 i had an ICD implanted on the left, it became infected so we moved it to the right, the lead began pacing my diaphram so yet another chest opening for me. July of 07 my lead became loose my device was counting my heartbeat double and so I was shocked 24 times in about thirty minutes.so another ICD was placed on the right, this device caused swelling ond redness in my arm and neck, once again my chest was opened up and yet another device was implanted on the left. I am 13 days post-op...

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how long is long enough

May of 07 i had an ICD implanted on the left, it became infected so we moved it to the right, the lead began pacing my diaphram so yet another chest opening for me. July of 07 my lead became loose my device was counting my heartbeat double and so I was shocked 24 times in about thirty minutes.so another ICD was placed on the right, this device caused swelling ond redness in my arm and neck, once again my chest was opened up and yet another device was implanted on the left. I am 13 days post-op...

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$225,000 for Defibrillator/Pacemaker -- Does this sound right???

Just found out from the insurance company's statement that my father's combination defibrillator/pacemaker costs $225,000! That seems outrageous to me!

He spent one night in the hospital after the surgery with no complications and there weren't any special circumstances.

Is the device and surgery really that expensive???

I would like to hear from you even if you don't have a defibrillator yourself but have an idea of how much it should cost for the surgery and/...

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Still getting used to the idea...

Hi - this is my first post. I had a Medtronic "adapta" dual chamber pacemaker fitted five days ago. I'd had shortness of breath and had been a bit lightheaded in the previous weeks but just put it down to working too hard.

I blacked out while driving with no warning. Somehow I managed to cross six lanes of traffic without hitting anyone else. The car smashed into a concrete barrier and was completely destroyed. I had to be cut out but thanks to lots of air bags got away with just some...

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pain in wrong places

ok
i got my pm less than a week ago,it is on my left side, and feels fine. The pain is my right shoulder, i can move my left arm with less pain than my right. Has anyone else had this problem? I think its from how ?i am sleeping but not sure.
it sad that the reason I am taking pain pills is not where I had surgery

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undecided

Hi! I'm new to the site. I'm 87 and trying to decide whether or not to get a pacemaker. My heart rate is usually in the 50's and I'm tired a lot - doing less and less. I rarely sleep through the night. I have high blood pressure and know that some of my medications may also cause me to feel tired and sometimes dizzy and faint. I'm worried about complications and how it feels to live with a pacemaker. It would be a blessing if some of the pacemakers could help me with your experience - especiall...

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SVT Ablation

Hi Everyone,

I am new here. I had SVT for the past 11 years. I finally was approved for an ablation procedure which I was told would cure my rapid heartbeat. During the ablation the EP said he got too close to a nerve and I ended up with 3rd degree heartblock and had to get a pacemaker. I got the pacemaker in 2/09, and am still feeling noticeably out of breath. I am 46 years old and could do much more before the pacemaker. The docs keep saying the PM is fine, but I don't feel fi...

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diaphragm nerve damage

Has anyone had any nerve damage due to an ablation or other surgery? My nerve was damaged in a sinus node modification and only one side of my diaphragm is working now. The doctor said it could take a while to heal. I can not lay flat because I get so short of breath. I just got a pacemaker last week and still trying to get used to that. This just makes matters worse. Anyone know how long this will be like this?

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JUst got a pacemaker Fridayand I am new to this forum

I have so many questions and really felt like when I left the hospital they were not all answered. I am 36 and had a sinus node modification for SSS two weeks ago. My sinus node did not recover at all and I was beating from my AV node about 80% of the time. I felt awful these last two weeks! Since I got the pacemaker I have felt better except for a few times when it still feels like my AV node is taking over. When that happens though my heart is beating around 80-90 beats a minute. Will that pac...

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How long does this take?

Hi! My name's Meg and I'm new to the forum and really new to this heart thing... I'm 24 and found out in March I have junctional heart beats pretty regularly and they put a pacemaker in. My doctor told me it would take about a month to feel "normal" again, but it's been almost 2 months and I still don't feel the same. I get tired easily, have pain at the incision area and can still regularly feel the pacemaker when it jumpstarts my heart. How long should I expect this for? I appreciate any answe...

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surgery for inappropriate sinus tachycardia

I was wondering if any of you has had surgery to treat IST. I've already had 3 ablations for accessory pathways and 2 sinus node modifications. Last time my rate dropped to the 60s but then the tachycardias came back. On March 17 I had a pacemaker implanted in anticipation of total sinus node ablation, but the doctors say that doing it through the traditional way will not work because of the proximity of the phrenic nerve. My EP suggested combining endocardial ablation with surgery and referred...

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implant

I am having a pacemaker this thursday - Is there anything that I need to know that is just routine info?? thanks, Di

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Pacer replacement

Am approaching the time to replace my pacemaker for the first time. Need some honest answers about recovery. How long does it take before you feel ok? How long before you can drive? Any other restrictions? I'm trying to figure out when would be a good time to get it done but have two kids with multiple activities so have to weigh all options.
Thanks,
Lori

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what causes slow recovery?

Hi,
I had a pacemaker implanted on February 26th. On January 30th prior to the pacemaker I had a non invasive back surgery called a percutaneous disk decompression resulting from disk injury following a car accident.
At any rate my recovery from the back surgery was pretty slow, but the recovery from the pacemaker even slower. It was 6 weeks this past Thursday and I am now no way ready to return to work.( I am a teacher) I still can't breathe when I walk very far and certainly not ups...

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Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is the big day. With the kind words you all have said I'm not as nervous. I'm just annoyed that they bumped it up to tomorrow and not Thursday!!! But when I'm able to logg on I will let you guys know how it went. I'm just glad they are putting me all the way asleep!

Thanks again,

Nikki

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Do feel free to contact the manufacturer of your device. I have found them to be quite helpful when I have had questions and concerns.