Fun day! Aborted PM implant session!!

Well, this has been a fun day! I was scheduled to have my PM installed today at UCLA-Santa Monica hospital with my amazing doctor. Showed up at 6AM this morning, got prepped, drowsed off under sedation and woke up to find out that they couldn't finish the job! Why? 'Cause they got in there and discovered that the vein they wanted to use was too small - something to do with a stenum bone that kind of bends in towards the heart cavity and, since birth, has probably played a little havoc with the vein structures in there!

Rather than immediately try the right side, Doctor Dave decided to back out, stop the process and set me up for a CAT scan next week to see what's really going on in there and whether there's another vein somewhere that can work.

The good news? This "dry run" was a piece of cake! I've got the incision but it's absolutely of no concern or problem. And my doctor is simply a rare find - somebody in the medical profession who will cheerfully and honestly respond to my emails and carry on a good dialogue to reach the right results.

Knowing what I know now, I'm so glad to be doing this and can't wait until the process reaches its intended goal. And for all of you who answered my questions a month or so ago about this PM thing, my deepest thanks.

To be continued . . . !!

Bob

3 Comments

Impressed!

by Vicki - 2007-08-17 10:08:56

I am impressed with your attitude Bob. Good luck with the cat scan and getting that PM up and running. Hey, I'm in real estate too. I was out showing a house and then writing up an offer one week after getting out of the hospital.

Take care,
Vicki

Venicebeachcottages.com

by MJH - 2007-08-17 11:08:30

tgifbob: Great web site! Loved Santa Monica when our family was there in January 2002 after going to watch Nebraska play in the Rose Bowl. My son found a perfect sand dollar on the beach near the Pier, put it in a CD case (or something) to protect it, and it ended up crushed! Shook Jay Leno's hand at Universal Studios. Stayed in Vegas going and coming. Great trip!

I'm new here and don't know your medical history. Why the apparent need for a pacer? The adrenalin was probably really flowing at 6:00 this morning, but you got a reprieve! Maybe something can be fixed and you won't need the pacer?! I sure wish my daughter didn't have to have one at age 9, replaced at age 13, now age 18. (See my "bio" for details. Any comments would be appreciated.)

Do rate-responsive pacers use more "juice"? Is there a "general postings archive? How do I access it? Is Medtronic buying another company? I talked to a Medtronic customer service woman today with some questions about my daughter's leads, etc. She tried to "dump me" to go on to someone else before I was able to get half my questions answered! I mentioned my daughter's Sigma recall Nov. 2005 (still in place), and the CS woman said, no big deal because it will soon have to be replaced. That did not go over very well with me. Should be more than a 5-6 yr. life on these things. She was trying to "sell me" on all the bells and whistles on the newer models out now. I read a posting here the other day that referred to companies doing that very thing! It was also a Medtronic lead that broke for my daughter in 2002.... Not a very good track record, and hopefully she has another 75-80 years ahead of her.

Keep us posted, tgifbob!

Wow!

by hooimom - 2007-08-17 11:08:57

I didn't even have the vein they were trying to use for my leads. They did an angiogram (?) and looked and it just wasn't there. They went in through the next best one and gave me my PM anyway. I always said God made each of us special and unique...mine is just a missing vein.

Michelle

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