Most Recent Messages in Surgery & Recovery

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Weight fluctuation after pacemaker?

Hi! I just got a pacemaker 6 days ago and was wondering if it will have any effect on my weight? I had a baby 5 months ago and have about 15 lbs to lose...I'm sure the extra energy will help me workout harder once the doc gives the ok. But my heart rate was in the high 30s to low 40s pre-surgery and now it's 70. I'd think that major of a change would have some effect on my metabolism but I don't know which way it would go...

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6 weeks post implant

A slightly bizarre question   But I am six weeks post Medtronic pacemaker implant. Tomorrow I am seeing my cardilogist for the first time. Is there any questions that I should ask, I'm still a bit confused as to How my pacemaker adjusts for sport, increased pulse. Etc. is there also questions that you asked and for good answers to (that I may not think of) or questions that you wish younhad asked at the time. Thanks in advance. Jason 

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Pain with pectoral implant

I had a pacemaker placed under my pectoral muscle 4 days ago. The pain is still excruciating. Pain meds barely touch it. Is this normal

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Pacemaker Log, Day 3 - AM PostOp - Lost Lead

Morning All - I'll be experiencing one of the issues I've read about here, fixing a lost lead. 

If I hadn't already read about this here, I'm sure I would not be so calm. I knew what the problem likely was as soon as I was asked if I already had breakfast.

Anyway, one of the leads did not clamp where/as it should have and went "way down" somewhere. I'd like to think this really just means an added day to recovery, but we need to ge...

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Pacemaker log, PostOp

First: All done, all good so far, after Recovery and being settled in room.  Taking it easy but dressed myself and walked around a bit (very cautiously); been busy on the cellphone. Was very hungry (seems nothing interferes with my appetite, darn), was blessed with a warm muffin in Recovery, and a lite, sensible meal at 5:05 pm. Good thing I brought healthy snacks. 

Pre-Op was practically a blur, talking and doing things with&n...

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Pacemaker Log

Pacemaker Log – Day 1, Night Before Procedure

Hi All – I’m not the least bit terrified, frightened, or even a smidgent apprehensive about my scheduled pacemaker (pm) implant surgery tomorrow morning, so I thought I’d start noting why…

I realize I am fortunate to have been heading toward this first pm for about a year since my heart attack last April, meaning I’ve had plenty of advance time to research and acclimate to the idea of it all. I&rsqu...

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Local Anesthesia

I received my 1st PM on April 18th.  Everything went well during the procedure, could feel and hear them pushing the device into the pocket.. that I could handle, no problem.  But then the local started wearing off and I could feel them suturing me up.  I mean, I could feel the curvature of the needle and the sutures being pulled through my skin.  I finally let out a moaning sound and they asked if I could feel that, as if they were shocked.  They responded by te...

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Replacement

I went for a device check and was told to come back in 2 months that my battery was around 17%. I am permanently paced, for fast and irregualr arrythmias. Sorry for the spelling Im so used to auto correct

How are you kept alive during the switch?  And I was told this would most likely be done out patient.  WIll there be someone from the manufacturer there to program it up like the  first time.  The first time I was in overnite and then had it set the next d...

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ICD device and wire are protruding

Good evening, 

Has anyone have the issue of PM or ICD wearing skin thin with potential danger of coming out? Or the wire is protruding with the danger of breaking off the skin leading to serious infection?

My husband was put in a pacemaker in 2015, within 11 months he went through second surgery to replace PM with an ICD. A year later after the ICD was put in, he was told that he would need another surgery to fix his wire protruding issue. We have noticed that his ICD is...

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5 weeks post implant / settings still not right

I have had my PM for a little over 5 weeks. No adjustments have been made to the PM at all during this time. I had one in office interrogation and 2 via my home monitor. Prior to surgery I was on Bystolic. After surgery Flecanide was added. I have SSS or Tachy/Brady syndrome. Pacemaker was put in so the could treat the Tachy part with meds but have the PM as backup for the Brady part.  The combination of Flecanide and Bystolic and PM gave me low BP so they removed the FLecanide. BP was s...

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Recovery time

Hi everyone!  54 yo female, first PM put in in 2007.  Last week I got my 2nd PM put in.  This time I had a broken lead that needed to come out, and they replaced the generator as well I am a little concerned as it is one week tomorrow and still very sore and tired. Has this happened to anyone else and is the recovery time longer than getting only the generator changed? Thank you all so much in advance for any light you can shed on me! 

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Planning to "take" you all with me!

Hi everyone! I've been avidly reading this site and researching everything I can in anticipation of obtaining my first PM in 3 days... I'm very excited and hopeful about it! I have brady, which seems to have been lifetime low hr, and started noticing a fairly rapid regression in energy and hr over the past few months; had all the tests to ensure all else ruled out, so here I go for my dual lead Biotronik procedure. 

I'm very impressed and&n...

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39yr old, 3 weeks post 2 surgeries (lead came loose) and still really sore

Hello! 

I am 39 and am 3 weeks post 2 surgeries because one of the leads came loose about 2 hours after the 1st surgery. They could not give me as much drugs the second time around because I stopped breathing, so I felt a lot of the second surgery that was a few hours after the first. 

I am still in quite a bit of pain. The area is really sore, and I feel the pacemaker area at all times. The feeling that it is going to pop out if I laugh to hard or bend over to pick...

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First timer

Hi All,

I'm scheduled to have my first pacemaker implanted next week and have some concerns.  I met with my cardiologist today and he filled me in with the info from his side (the medical doc one) of the procedure but I wanted to get some feedback from folks on the other side who've gone through the surgery and managed to cope with the various ins and outs of recovery.  I've read up on the surgery and the initial recovery period of about a week or so.  I&...

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Number Five

Pacer number five tomorrow.  Three medtronics, one St. Jude and now a Boston Scientific.  And the first one I dont get to keep after.  Time to move from a two chamber to three chamber.

I am actually eager for this, want to get my heart running smoother again, will see how I feel tomorrow night (when the pain has arrived).  But in a handful of months hopefuly my EF will come back up...

Thanks so much for this site, in 1987 when I got my first one, I was 19, was...

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Installer, Maryland

I live in Leisure World in Maryland. My Pacemaker will be replaced very soon and I have to make a choice of who and where it will be done. 

Because my cardiologist is with the Medstar Cardio Group, they want me to go to the Washington Hospital Center and have their surgen do it. I live nearer to the Medstar Montgomery Hospital and it would be more convenient to go there. They can arrange for someone from another cardio practice do it if I want. My current device was installed by Dr...

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Anxious

Thank you all so much for your kind reassurance & advice., appreciated so much!

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Extremely anxious about surgery in 3 days

Hi everyone,

This is my first post., I am a newby.

I found out last week pretty much out of the blue I need a pacemaker fitted due to complete heart block.  Obviously this was a massive shock!

I am having pm fitted on Thursday & I am terrified of the operation! Especially that I will be awake during the op.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

many thanks

Nicola x

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Post surgery appointment?

Is it normal NOT to have a follow up appointment after getting a pacemaker? I'm 36, had my first pacemaker put in at 8:30am on Tuesday and was home by 1pm that same day. My hospital discharge paper said in all caps to follow up with my doctor the next day. My mom called to make an appointment but they wouldn't make it until Friday morning because that's when the pacemaker people would be there. She tried to explain that I'd just had the surgery but the appt girl said they ONLY...

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Anxiety and Indigestion.

On August 15, 2016, I underwent surgery to receive my first pacemaker due to complete heart block.  One week later, I felt sick and it was determined that one of the pacemaker leads had penetrated my heart wall, causing bleeding that was compressing my heart.  Consequently, I underwent surgery for placement of a drain, and then I underwent another surgery for replacement of both pacemaker leads.  On September 8, 2015, I was re-admitted due to chest...

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You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.