Very nervous bout my surgery for a pacemaker/defib

Hi everyone! Im 26 yrs old and I have CHF and Cardiomyopathy. Im scheduled for a pacemaker and defibrillator Thursday December 8th. Im very nervous and anxious. I dont know what to expect. I read other peoples reviews on it and it has given me mixed emotions about it. What should I expect once im out of the surgery table? Im I going to be in a lot of pain? Whats the recovery time? Are you restricted of much during the recovery process.. Thank you in advance for your time on reading and replying! =))

7 Comments

Nessa

by donr - 2011-12-04 01:12:13

Let's talk turkey!

1) you are authorized to be scared. Your one & only heart, which is absolutely necessary for you to live, has gone south on you! Now let's put it in perspective. The PM SHOULD take care of your problems. You will be unconscious - or at least in sedation La-La- Land & out of control. That's always a source for anxiety.

2) You say you are a medical assistant. Assisting at what? At least you know what goes on in the medical world. You need to chat up every person you come into contact w/ during this procedure. Ask them to 'splain exactly what they are doing & why. Tell them you are scared outa your mind. They will do everything in their power to ease that fear. remember - they do this EVERY day, many times. They see all sorts of anxious people & know how to deal w/ them.

3) You will go into the OR on foot, maybe. I was asked to walk in last time I had my PM replaced. It will be colder than a meat locker. You will be met by two people - an RN & a technician. They will be buzzing around you doing all sorts of mysterious things w/ mysterious gadgets. TALK TO THEM. Ask them all sorts of questions. Ask if either of them is named Igor & notice if one of them drags a leg & cackles evilly. My experience (3X in the OR for this) is that they will gladly talk & interact w/ you. They know it puts you at ease & they want a relaxed patient. (Easier to shove needles into). They will gladly 'splain (a little Desi Arnaz here) everything they do to/with you. OH YES!!!!! be sure to ask them who they think you are & what they are planning to do to/for you. This is not a joke - you want to be sure that you are in the correct OR & they are planning on the same procedure you are. Ask this BEFORE they zonk you w/ happy juice to chase your cares away.

4) You are here because you have anxiety & you are looking for reassurance. Here's some!!! There millions of folks running around (literally) hosting PM's. There are only about 14,000 folks members of this site. DO NOT assume that because you see a lot of folks here w/ problems that the general population of PM Hosts have problems. Tain't so. By far, the vast majority just wander around, blissfully unaware of the little buddy they host that keeps their one & only heart functioning OK. If you are like most of us, when it is all over, you will look back & ask yourself "What was the big deal in that?". Don't feel ashamed if you do - it's the norm. The probability is better than 99% that it will just be another day in the office for you - when it's all over. That's one Heck of a lot better odds that what you face w/o the PM!

5) Your new little buddy is more reliable than the heart you already have. Your heart has already gone south on you. The PM will last far longer than 10 yrs, before it fails - but you will need a new battery before then, so you will get a brand new more modern PM to replace the old - which, like the Energizer Bunny would just keep going, were it not for the finite lifetime of its battery. If you are into naming things, call your new little buddy "Allstate," because you will definitely be in good hands.

6) You are going to ask "What happens to me if the PM fails?". A natural question. I cannot recall ever reading in here about a PM failing. Leads break (Happened to me), but PM's just keep going on. Well, if they don't ablate any of the electrical nodes in your heart, you will just revert to your state before the implant. You will feel like something you step on in the back yard; you will go see your cardio - they will fix it. No big deal. If you read enough posts in here, you will find that there are several people who are TOTALLY dependent on their PM to live. Now that takes a lot of confidence in the PM. You will, like Scrooge, probably be visited by several of them during the night. But they will give you support & hope, not fear.

7) Post - Op. Hmmmmm - how long is a piece of string????? I went home the next day & bought a bunch of lumber at the Home Depot on the way to work on building our house. Day after that, I was actually working on it - of course, I was being careful of my left arm, like I was supposed to. Never took a pain pill. Never went into anxiety OVER my PM. I had other anxiety issues, courtesy of PTSD from Viet Nam.

Other people have a lot of pain, discomfort & misery. You cannot predict how you will react to this procedure. I've been through it three times (Original implant; new wire; new PM to replace the battery); my recovery has been exactly the same after all three. No one can predict how you will react - they will only tell how you SHOULD react. That is closer to my response than to the misery responses.

8) Just hang in there - like a bat in a belfry - all will go well for you. Any more questions, come here & ask. We will answer. BTW: I'm 75; had my original implant at about 66.

Don

Take it easy

by fishfighter - 2011-12-04 07:12:51

Your doctor will tell you how your recover will be. He/she, will tell you for the first 4 weeks not to lift your left arm above your head. Not to lift anything heavy. Watch the sight for any infection. Not to get it wet till it heals.
Pain wise, its really not all that bad. They will give you something for that for a couple days. Most people will go back within one week for a check up and a PM setting/reading. The biggest thing is to ask questions each time you go to the doctors. Also, setting the PM might take some time to adjust it for you. Everybody is different when it comes to that.

One other thing is that they will give you a card. That will have all your PM info on it. They might give you a home moniter that you plug into your home phone line.

So, just take it easy till your doctor tells you as to what you can do. And, Good Luck.

Have a read of my posts

by gulliver80 - 2011-12-04 10:12:50

Nessa, no need to worry, everything will be groovy!

don't worry

by msmillholland - 2011-12-04 12:12:43

i have your same diagnosis along with left bundle branch block. had the same device implanted feb. 2011 and recovered with very little pain until i developed frozen shoulder. at your young age, you should have no problem with that. i don't have a landline so i have a wireless merlin monitor. we're all lucky to have this modern technology. my advice is to do everything your doctor tells you and come here for support and advice too. good luck to you.

Piece of cake

by ElectricFrank - 2011-12-05 02:12:56

The best way I can put it is that I would rather have the pacemaker surgery than a tooth filled.

The main thing that affects the pain and initial recovery time is the location of the pacer. For an old geezer like me I have no problem with the pacer being located just under the skin below by left clavicle (on my chest). This is minimally invasive and heals rapidly. Being 26 you may want to to have it placed under a muscle or breast for cosmetic reasons, and that disturbs more delicate tissue. My writing this may get someone who has had it done this way to give you more information.

The big thing is to get up and at it as soon as possible. You will feel better about yourself and get over feelings of anxiety about having the pacer. Keep in mind that you are surviving without the pacer now, and the worst that would happen if it failed (very unlikely) is you drop back to this condition.

I was out walking the next day after the implant and in a few days was up to my 3 miles/day. I'm out here in the Mojave Desert and do a lot of Jeeping & hiking around. I've camped and hiked at 13,000 ft with no problem other than being 81.

So go for it and let us know how it all turns out,

frank

D-2 & counting!

by donr - 2011-12-06 12:12:57

Nessa: How you doing? Thurs is the BIG day. Wish you the best.

Dunno about comparing this to having a tooth filled, but I'd surely prefer this procedure to having 4 wisdom teeth pulled on the same day. I've done both. Took a week to recover from the tooth job at age 22; only a day or so to recover from the PM planting at age 66.

Don

post op status

by lovelynessa - 2011-12-16 05:12:08

Hi everyone.. thank you all for taking the time to input on my question =) some of u made me laugh with ur silly sence of humor =).. Its been a week today since ive had my ICD placement. I must be honest and say this was by far the most painful experience ive ever been through, considering Im a pretty tuff gal. I had complications with the anesthesia and medication. I was awake during the process and there was a lot of times were i felt unbelievable pain. I alerted the nurse i would feel the pain, they basically maxed out on all the medication they were able to give me during surgery and for my safety I had to deal with the pain because they couldnt give me more because then my heart would stop. I was in agonizing pain. Once I was in recovery i couldnt handle the pain and they gave me morphin and i still felt the pain all it did was make me drowsy and sleepy. The first 3 days were bad. I couldnt move an inch without wanting to cry. They prescribed me vicodin. They said this was the first time they had someone go through what i did and be in so much pain. My blood pressure was really low also after surgery. I didnt expect this type of pain. Right now i still feel pain and im still limited of a lot of things. I have my post op tomorrow and I hope everything is fine. Other than all this drama the doctor said the surgery went great lol.

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As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.