" ONLY 2 DAYS TO GO! "


ALLAN (41) EDINBURGH

Well the storys i have read on here over the past two weeks are so mixed i dont know whether to be relived or terrified.

My diagnosis was pretty text book intermitent episodes of afib mostly when i am asleep or during any sort of physical exertion now adays (strange) i never even knew what afib was till two weeks ago must have been suffering with it for years obviously getting worse now as i am exhausted all the time now get out of breath walking up stairs, but it is strange ever since i found out about it two weeks ago all my symptoms seem ten times more acute (the power of the mind).

I have no heart pacing- no pains sure i have sinus bycardia(slow) heart beat mostly when i sleep but i find that strangely comforting obviously less comforting since i found out that it is dangerous.

Anyway 30 minutes with cardiologist and bam you are getting a pacemaker.I still cannot get my head around it still makes me feel angry-grateful-scared-uneasy-freaked out and yes strangest of all in mourning but why i am not dead.I find myself looking at strangers in the street my own age and actually feeling envious of there normal heart.

So with the operation only two days away my main worry is
How awake are you?
what does it feel like inside of you?
Does it tickle when they put the cables into your heart or does that part hurt?
Are you able to get up and go to bathroom 6-7 hours after operation or are you connected to ecg monitors all night on hospital bed?

Curious and freaked out

In edinburgh

Allan

7 Comments

take a deep breath

by pat - 2007-10-07 04:10:38

allan,

i went through almost the same thing that you are going through. i just kept getting weaker and weaker and could hardly walk. as a matter of fact, i went to work on a friday and went back to my station and told my co worker to please call 911 i knew i just couldn't make it to the door. wednesday i had my pacemaker in. let me tell you, from the moment they brought me back to my room from the surgery, i could tell the difference. my breathing is better, i can actually walk across the floor without feeling like i am goint to pass out.
my symptoms were a lot like yours and yes from the time they told me i needed a pacemaker (turesday) until i got it wed. i kept thinking, am i gonna make it??
well i did and all is well. and yes, i went through all the emotions that you are going through, anger, panic, envy of other people, the whole bit.
as far as the surgery goes, the only thing i felt was when they gave me the novacain shots in my chest, nothing else. i was awake the whole time and talking to the dr. and the nurse. my dr. made me stay in bed the rest of the day and i went home the next day. the nurse told me some drs let their patients get up as soon as they get back to their rooms, my dr. just preferred that his patients rest for the day.
and yes, i was sore afterword, for about a week it hurt but then when they took the suture out, it started to get better. it has been 6 weeks since i got the pm and each day i can feel myself getting better and stronger. i know i have rattled on, but i hope this can put a few of your concerns aside, cause believe me honey, it is worth it all. when i think of the other possibilities.....well i just dont think of them anymore,,,,cause then are gone.

bless you allan

pat

My surgery

by ela-girl - 2007-10-07 05:10:57

Hi again, Allan!

Well, looks like D-day is getting closer, huh?! It will be done and over before you know it and you will be on the road to recovery. :)

I wasn't awake for the surgery. I did, however, wake up during the surgery once and felt some tugging (but it didn't hurt at all). A nurse kept checking on me and I remember seeing her face under the sheet they put up and I wanted to wave and say hi. Next thing I knew, I felt something in the IV and I was out again. Nothing about the surgery hurt. I am very small but they gave me A LOT of anaesthetic--so, I did throw up once after surgery when I was awake. Regardless of how they do your surgery, I would think you shouldn't feel the leads go into the heart or anything. The area will be numbed or you will be out or something.

Because I was not allowed to get out of bed and move around for the first 24 hours after surgery, I had a catheter put in before surgery. Honestly, I hated that and thought having the catheter was 100 times worse than anything else I went through at the hospital. It's just uncomfortable. But they told me it was that or a bed pan--I don't think I really had a choice anyway. I only had to stay in bed for the first 24 hours because my EP does that as a precaution to make sure all the anaesthesia wears off, the pm is working properly, and to make sure the leads aren't pulled and the incision is ok etc. I also had an IV with an antibiotic. I didn't need any pain meds after the surgery--icing the area worked well enough for any discomfort I had. It was a bit hard to be in the hospital bed for that long because you want to move and get cozy but you really can't.

The next day I had to get up and walk around the hospital before they would discharge me. And a pacer rep came in to do a check and answer questions. I was given a booklet on my pacer from the company and my temporary pacer id card. I also was given an arm sling and an arm immobilizer for when I sleep.

So that was that for me. I also don't really even feel it in me. I was aware of it more after the surgery, but I really didn't feel it. From time to time I feel the pacer kick in because the ventricular beat is the strong heart beat and sometimes I feel that. Other than that, I hardly know it's there!

Hope my story gives you some comfort. All of us here have been through what you're about to go through and we made it ok. So will you!

ela-girl

Hi again Allan,

by hooimom - 2007-10-07 07:10:59

You are not feeling well and know that you need this pacemaker. I had the same symptoms you had and YES, they felt much worse when I knew what they were. It is certainly the power of the mind. Speaking of the power of the mind.....it will have a great deal to do with how you do during your procedure and during your recovery. I spent about 10 days after my surgery just feeling really sorry for myself. I didn't do myself any favors thinking that way. Once I decided that I was blessed to have a chance to feel good again and live a healthy life I started to feel better. I know how incredibly scary all of this is. I was frightened in the weeks preceeding my pacemaker but the morning of my surgery I felt amazingly calm. I needed a pacemaker and I really didn't have a choice so I just tried to accept it. They knocked me out and I didn't feel a thing. My incision is less than 2 inches long. There is a tiny little bump where my pacemaker is implanted but it really isn't noticeable, or so my friends and family say. I have some shoulder pain when I lift heavy things at times, but it isn't as bad as it used to be. My pacemaker really doesn't bother me. I have had it for 15 months now and it is just another body part.

About the 30 minutes with the doctor...not many of them understand what a trauma this is for us. Doctors look at it as minor surgery and we look at it as a total life altering expereince. I thank God that this site is here because these are the only people who really "get it". While getting the pacemaker implanted is minor surgery, living with one is a big adjustment for many of us. The good news is that most of us go on to live active and happy lives with our new body parts.

About the whole bathroom thing...I had the bed pan. I NEVER thought I would use one of those things but when you have to go, you have to go. Okay, that is something I didn't expect to share.

You'll be fine. Let us know how you are doing as soon as you can post.
Michelle

1 Week for Me!

by Carol - 2007-10-07 09:10:12

As you're getting your PM, I will be completing my first week with mine. I'm still dealing with alot of the
emotional issues you mention..couldn't do it ahead of time because I didn't know I'd end up with a PM.
What I can tell you is that the procedure is not painful-you are sedated. I had an EP Study done just before placement, and then I remember hard pushing on my shoulder. The overnight hosp stay was the pits- roommate up freq- turning on lights, checking vitals,asking for coffee at 4AM etc etc. So now an overly tired and emotional newbie was even more tired...which I think contributed to my sensitivity to EVERY beat, skip, and shoulder ache I felt.
Specifics? I had to lay flat for a couple of hrs d/t the groin puncture site(EP Study), but then was allowed up and to the bathroom. I was acutely aware of my heartbeat that first night, but I really think it was d/t physical and emotional exhaustion as that has improved. My shoulder was very sore but that really is improving each and every day...I use Tylenol with good results. Can't feel the wires, but to me it's kinda "creepy" just knowing I have wires IN my heart. But then, I felt that way about the clips after my GB surgery and I got over that one!
My best advice to you is to use all the good advice and emotional support this site has to offer. It really helped me alot. I really believe in support groups, as nobody understands as well as those who have been there.
P.S. Try not to check your pulse rate every minute..I'm still working on this one!!!! God Bless, Carol

You will be fine

by Vicki - 2007-10-07 11:10:23

Since mine was done on an emergency basis, I didn't have the time to research on the internet or get nervous about the PM. I've had my pacemaker since July 18th of this year. I had 3rd degree heart block and on the third day in the hospital was told I needed the PM and it would be done the next day. I was shocked but figured that if they said it was needed, then it was needed. So, off I went to the cath lab to have the procedure. Alan, I am the biggest whimp and worry wort but it was a piece of cake...well maybe not a piece of cake but going to the dentist for a root canal was worse. The gave me some kind of la la juice..IV sort of like twilight sleep. Numbed the area where the incision was to be made. I didn't feel anything nor was I even aware of what was going on. Then the nice nurse was telling me I was done and was going to recovery. They gave me a sandwich and monitored me for about an hour and then I was sent back to my room. Within an hour of that I walked to the bathroom and for the first time in 4 days could do it without being totally wiped out. Later that evening went for a walk around the hall. You asked what does it feel like inside you..I can't feel it unless I put my hand over it. At first you will have some minor pain from the incision but Advil should take care of it. Later as it heals it will itch some and every now and then I get a quick sharp pain which goes away in seconds. I'm told that's normal. Part of the healing process. They kept me overnight and yes, the monitor was still hooked up to me. I was used to it. I had it for the 3 days prior to the PM being put in. As for the leads to your heart...don't feel them either now or during the procedure. All in all having the PM put in wasn't bad at all. But afterwards I was feeling "why me" and in a state of confusion and anxious at times. Yes, I would look at others and think they are fortunate because they don't have heart problems. But you know what? I believe people would look at me walking down the street and think the same thing. Good luck. Be sure to let us know how you are.

Vicki

Curious and freaked out too!

by Shelly - 2007-10-08 07:10:51

Hi Allan,

I'm 36, from the UK ,and waiting for a pacemaker too. Just wanted to wish you well and say I completely understand how you're feeling, and the questions you've asked about the procedure are the same ones as I have running around my mind. Lucky we found this forum eh?

Very best of luck, hope it all goes well, and please keep us posted of your progress.

Shelly

Another UK pacer

by Mil6113 - 2007-10-09 06:10:14

Hi Allan - by the time you read this msg you will probably have received your pacemaker & I hope it has all gone well for you. I had mine implanted Oct 2005 age 42 after ablation for SVT made heart rate too slow, so I didn't get the chance to investigate pacers beforehand. Anyway, what I wanted to say is everyone is different as far as the recovery process goes, and please don't be alarmed if you aren't feeling better straight away. Having my pacemaker fitted was quite difficult for the Dr and involved a lot of pulling & tugging of my left arm! Here in the UK we are usually awake throughout the procedure, although I can say I wasn't in any pain at the time. After a night's bedrest in hospital (bedpans yeuckk!!) I walked out of the hospital and went home feeling sore but ok.

However, the next morning I couldn't get out of bed on my own I was so sore and felt very short of breath, and although paracetamol was all I needed for the pain, I felt ROUGH!! My GP assured me that all was fine with the pacemaker & my body was just reacting to the shock of the operation. I was off work for 2 weeks, and didn't drive for 6. Stairs were very difficult for a couple of weeks also.

After that time tho' I gradually got back to my old self, and can honestly say that I have had no trouble at all with the pacemaker - just an annual check at the hospital, and I'm fortunate in that I don't take any medication. As I don't have the palpitations any longer, I feel on top of the world! Although unexpected, having the pacemaker was the best thing for me & I don't find it restricts me at all.

I know we read lots of comments on this site of how quick people recover from their surgery (and I hope this applies to you), but I also wanted to let you know that if your recovery takes a little longer than you expect (as mine did), then as long as you are checked out by the Dr's, please don't worry as everyone is different & it does not mean that something is wrong.

Good luck - and feel free to contact me if you need a friendly fellow pacer!

Diane

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