Pacemaker and Lead Extraction

Hi Everyone..... I posted about a week ago about my upcoming surgery for Monday April 29. I really appreciate the great responses with some of your experiences. I have to admit, I am still very anxious about it. I am an RN and have seen so many complications of surgeries in general that I am finding really difficult to focus on the positive (I am usually a very positive person....until now!) Has anyone any suggestions about how to get past this so I can walk in confidently on Monday? I want to be able to write back in here about a week from now and say that it wasn't all that bad. My wires have been in for 15 years and it is that laser that has me worried. Help! Thanks....Jan

6 Comments

Nurse, Heal Thyself!!!!!

by donr - 2013-04-27 09:04:57

Jan: You just gave me the answer to your dilemma. I will give it to you in the form of a question:

"What would you tell someone who came to you w/ the situation you have described?"

Think about it while I go eat supper & take my evening ration of meds.

I'll be back in about 30 min to discuss.

Don

Nurse, Heal Thyself, Part II

by donr - 2013-04-27 10:04:51

Well, Jan, I'm back from a plateful of lasagna; fed, dry but not napped!

I'll guess that you would look up the mortality rate for the procedure,. determine the proficiency level of the surgeon doing the job. look at the hospital's record for success in this particular procedure & its infection rate.

Then you would call in the nervous Nellie patient & have a heart to heart talk w/her. Tell her all the good things about the typical procedure. Review what will happen to her & when & how. Tell her how great her surgeon is & how clean from infection the hosp is. Fill her in on everything to expect so there are no mysteries or surprises on the big day.

Finally, you will give her a quote attributed to John Wayne - "...Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up and riding out anyway!..." Now he may NOT have said that, but it's a neat quote for someone who must face the inevitable.

Have you done all that research for your own procedure? Do you know the success rate & mortality rate for YOUR surgeon? Are you comfortable w/ his record? Does he come anywhere near the nationally expected rate of 98-99% successful?

Do you understand all the nuances & facets of a laser Roto-rooter job? Have you reconciled yourself to the fact that you MUST have this procedure? Have you talked w/ your surgeon about all thee issues you have found out? Have you vetted him as to the frequency with which he performs the procedure? Has he met national standards for being considered proficient in it? Is the thoracic surgeon & OR prepared for emergencies & contingencies?

I'll tell you what I told a HS aged Granddaughter when she shadowed her aunt one night during a shift in an ER. "Dana, if you are going to get through the night watching gory traumas, you must detach yourself from thinking about seeing a person that is hurt. You must temporarily focus on the fact that a mechanical procedure must be successfully performed & that you must do it. Watch your aunt - she becomes another person when working - totally focused on the job in front of her."

Thus, you must temporarily focus on what is about to happen & learn all about it, concentrating on all the facets of it. Yes, it is going to happen to you, even more reason to learn it all. Thus you have some control & influence on what is happening to you - at least before they zonk you out. But - all the things I mentioned above are important for your confidence so you can walk into the OR, climb up on the table & say to the crew - "Let's go, I'm not ready, but let's go anyway!"

The best to you next week. Look forward to reading that next post.

BTW: any time I go into an OR, I'm scared witless, so the first thing I do is tell the nurse and/or OR tech working on me that & start asking them questions. You'd be amazed what chatting up the crew can do for your mental attitude.

Don

Lead extraction cont'd

by mermaidjan - 2013-04-28 02:04:00

Wow thanks for all your comments and good luck to you Francine on may 1. I will keep you In my prayers
My biggest problem is I haven't Even met my surgeon who will operate on me tomorrow. As it is a teaching hospital the' cardiac team' does it as it said on the consent
They sent a doctor who is training who was very sarcastic when I asked questions. Later I called back and asked to have only the trained physician use the laser on me. The answer was negative - he will do some but wont guarantee all of it. That makes me nervous! I feel I should have. Right to ask for this. Is this the way it works in other teaching hospitals like Cleveland too?
They say their success rate is 99%. But I'm not sure how they define success
I would like to have been able to ask more questions but I have to be there at 0630 tomorrow to get started
I'm thinking positive now!
Mermaidjan

Lead Extraction too

by francine1 - 2013-04-28 11:04:46

Had my pacemaker placed 2/11/2010,have a broken lead which will be extracted and replaced, my regular cardiologist has pretty much blown me off, after many appt.s,med changes, reprogramming the pacemaker 3X he told me I have to live with it so I sought another opinion from an EP at the Cleveland Clinic, he says the lead is broken and agreed that I cannot continue living this way, sleeping 13 hrs at a time,2hr naps,feeling awful daily, many symptoms. I too am a little fearful and I too am a healthcare provider. I feel totally confident with the new EP,talented and well trained, and Cleveland Clinic has a 99.5% success rate. My fear originates from the initial placement which was pretty tough and done by another EP. I pray that you will be fine. My extraction is 5/1/2013. Keep in touch.

Update request

by francine1 - 2013-05-05 09:05:33

Please let me know how you are. Original plan for me was extraction of the atrial lead. Surgery was 4 hrs long. They found that I had grown a cluster of new blood vessels, that both leads were entangled like grapevines therefore the pacemaker was not and had not been working efficiently. Everything had to be replaced. Feeling much better. Cleveland clinic did a superb job. I am extremely impressed. We asked why or how the leads could have become entangled we were told that the original EP may have placed them that way (he blew it) or perhaps I grew some tissue in that area which moved them. Regardless, the procedure is done, I feel better, and look forward to living a more normal life. Hope all is well with you!

Mermaidjan update request

by francine1 - 2013-05-07 09:05:21

Praying you're ok please let me know

You know you're wired when...

Airport security gives you free massages.

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Since I got my pacemaker, I don't pass out anymore! That's a blessing in itself.