Back from Surgery

• by cohara
• 2012-09-16 02:09:29
• General Posting
• 846 views
• 2 comments

I want to thank those who wished me well with my thyroid surgery. I am happy to report that I still have half a thyroid and my pacemaker is still sparking along. I'll get the final pathology report this week, but all indications are that the nodule was benign.

What was particularly striking to me was that the only person in the OR who really understood my pacemaker and how it works was me. The anesthesiologist asked numerous questions including what mode it went into when placed under a magnet, what the heart rate would be in asynchronous pacing, what my underlying rhythm was, and my pacing parameters, especially the lower rate. Luckily, I had gathered all of this information due to Donr's informative article, information from my cardio and PM interrogation, and some research I did over the Internet from the Biotronik site. It makes sense; all pacemakers are not exactly alike and an anesthesiologist is not an expert on them. I was glad I could provide the information he needed, but I wonder what happens when others cannot. I have a feeling they just go with the flow and hope for the best. It must usually work out, but I imagine there are times when they bet wrong and a pacemaker rep is rushed up to the OR to fix the issue. I'm glad that I could prevent that scenario from happening with me.

I also took a copy of my pacemaker settings with me. The nurse placed them in my chart, and they returned them right before I left. I made it clear that those settings were one of the most important possessions I had since they dictated my quality of life (I did make sure to say besides my wedding rings; hubby was sitting right there when I handed them over:J). They even placed them in their own little plastic sheath with a sticker that identified their owner to keep them nice and safe.

I must have made an impression on them because I received a report post-surgery on how my PM did during surgery. They knew it was important enough to me to become informed and be proactive, so it also became clear that I expected the health of my PM to be important to them.

I would urge anyone with a PM or ICD who is going to have surgery, especially if it is going to include general anesthesia and electrocautery, to gather as much information as possible so that you can educate the OR team if necessary. The anesthesiologist seemed genuinely appreciative of the information I could provide, and he actually used it to help with my care.

Thanks so much for all of your support,
Carol