PM replacement

Hi all, I'm 23 and have had my pm for just over 5 and a half years. I had my first six month appointment yesterday and they have told me I need to come back in December for another checkup and that I am more than likely going to have a replacement battery in March. I don't really know why but I've felt really weepy about this today as I'm not sure what to expect and my battery hasn't lasted as long as I thought it would. Is it really uncomfortable and painful during the op? When I had my pm fitted, it went wrong and I ended up being in theatre for over two and a half hours. Does it take long to have a replacement and are you restricted for a while after in everyday things you do? Thanks x

7 Comments

NOt bad

by dloseke - 2011-09-10 09:09:03

The replacement is not bad at all and after five and half years you are probably due anyway. You will be restricted with the use of the left arm for a few weeks but you will feel fine. Good luck.

Agreed

by Anita Sword - 2011-09-11 03:09:34

Wow your 23 years old and had a PM since you were 18? I'm 23 and had my first PM for 2 years; I haven't ever met/known anyone close to my age with a PM!
The surgery isn't too bad; like you my surgery had a few complications so I was in theatre for two hours and ended up being put under general anasthetic. Young people are meant to recover faster, I was in a sling for a week, then wasn't allowed to use my left arm for a month; other than that its not too bad.

easier!

by Tracey_E - 2011-09-11 05:09:21

Replacements are generally much easier than the original insertion! Assuming your leads are in good shape, all they do is go in the same spot, pop out the unit, put in a new one. You shouldn't have any of the lifting/arm movement restrictions after because you aren't waiting on new leads to set. The only restrictions this time will be watching the incision until it closes.

I am on my 4th now and since they've gone in the same spot 4 times now it's pretty much numb! It didn't even itch as it healed the last time. I get a little sore but it's barely worth mentioning. I went on a hiking vacation a week after one replacement, to the Keys less than a week after another. When I went to the Keys, I did stay out of the ocean since it was a fresh incision and I skipped the wave runners.

dloseke, arm restrictions are only when you have new leads, not when you get just a new battery. They leave the leads alone unless there's a problem. You can go through quite a few batteries on one set of leads if you're lucky

similar situation

by ncrawford - 2011-09-11 09:09:44

i had my first pacemaker fitted 4 weeks ago and i am 20 years old. i also had an op that took over 2 and a half hours due to complications and have had a lot of difficulty over the past 4 weeks! i was told it was maybe because it was my first one and trying to find an area of tissue it would fit into because i am thin. hopefully your second will go better! good luck you'll be fine.

Thankyou

by F0xieR0xie - 2011-09-12 05:09:45

Thankyou for all your comments. Feeling better about it all now, think i was just having a down day! Thankyou for reassuring me Tracey, its nice to know it gets easier. It's also really nice to know there are other people at a similar age to myself with pm's that I can talk too. Thanks again, x

PM Replscement

by Russell - 2011-09-17 03:09:39

My initial packemaker was implanted June 1998, a Medtronic Legacy DR II, and lasted 128 months (10 years and 8 months with continuous use)! The new pacemaker, a St. Jude 5826 was implanted February 2009, at Columbia University Hospital, College of Physicians & Surgeons. The cardiologist, a world-renown electrophysiologist, did the entire procedure in 20 minutes, start to finish, with only a local anesthetic (lidocaine and NO sedation or other injections). When the original pacemaker was unplugged, I did experience a very brief cardiac standstill since I am 100% pacemaker dependent, with usual uneasy feelings afterwards (just as I experience during brief episodes of cardiac standstill prior to my have a pacemaker installed). Sutures were used to close the wound. I NEVER felt the slightest pain; I got up off the OR table and went back to work and saw patients all afternoon. I had some chest wall soreness after the local anesthetic wore off, but required no pain medication. Compare that with my first pacemaker implant where the hospital and doctors did not know what they were doing, and procedure was painful, agonizing almost, despite use of IV anxiolytics (but no pain meds) and that is why I have never returned to the hospital that implanted the original pacemaker in 1999. Done by an expert who does pacemaker replacements everyday in a top-notch cardiac hospital, and the procedure is safe, simple, painless and without complications! The more procedures the hospital "team" peforms, usually the better the results.

PM Replacement

by luckybutterflycandy - 2012-01-02 11:01:16

I had my first defib-pacer when I was 24..extremely scary ordeal. It was extremely painful and I threw the beanbag off the incision site as soon as I started coming to. But they put it back on and said it was to prevent blood clots and infection. My second battery was not even three years later. I really do not like surgery and it is a scary thing. I think it is normal to cry about all this, whether its from being scared, sad, or even angry. I'm sure you will be fine:)

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But I think it will make me feel a lot better. My stamina to walk is already better, even right after surgery. They had me walk all around the floor before they would release me. I did so without being exhausted and winded the way I had been.