Successful Revision with TONS of consious sedation

• by JustKrs
• 2012-09-10 04:09:42
• Surgery & Recovery
• 1350 views
• 0 comments

Friday I had my pocket and lead revision, and everything went well.

This, my first pacemaker, was original put in 4 months ago, but the ventricular lead was having some sensing issues and my pacemaker was rotating away from my chest wall and moving way too much.

So they moved the existing ventricular lead (the atrial lead was still aok and so left alone)
And then closed up the original pocket that was below the scar and moved the pacemaker into a newly created pocket above the scar (since the scar was so low there was room between scar and collarbone)

The only crazy thing about the whole process was that they had trouble getting and keeping me sedated. I ended up with a total of 35 of Versed, 600 of Fentanyl, and 50 Benadryl.
Surgery started around 10, I have no memories of talking to docs or my parents in recovery. Starting about 3 in the afternoon i have vague memories, and my memory isnt really solid until the next morning.

I was also given a 5/325 narco for the pain in the late afternoon, and then at 10pm before bed along with 10mg of Ambien.

I receive another narco for the pain the in the morning, and then was released about 9am or so after a chest xray and pacemaker interrogation.

Mostly I've slept since sugery. A friend is staying at my place so shes helping me with cooking and stuff so I remember to eat and all that good stuff.

For the most part I'm just taking Tylenol, though I've taken about one narco a day usually in the evening as the pain ramps up a big.

Still wearing the sling to reduce shoulder movement to help control the pain.

all in all, other than having to get over alot more sedation medications - this is going a TON better than the recovery from the original surgery, so I'm really happy about that!