Be aggressive

I was a pacemaker rep. for 20 years (retired due to back surgery in 1999). Happenned upon this site because I had my spinal cord stimulator replaced a few weeks ago and suspect I have a pocket hematoma. Will call office of surgeon tomorrow (saw him last week for staple removal) to check it.

Though I've been out of the business for 13 years, a pocket is still a pocket.

I would suggest to anyone who even suspects a problem to see the doc. sooner than later. Even a simple hematoma can become an infected pocket if it is not resolved fairly quickly.

While none of wants to become the "patient from hell" this is serious business and one should avoid self diagnosis and treatment.

If you keep having the same problem for an extended period, or if you have it repeatedly..............or have the same proceedure repeatedly (15 pacemakers in 16 years......Really?) get another opinion. From a doc in another group, another hospital, etc.

I must have been in 20-30,000 surgeries. Huge respect for medical profession, etc. BUT.....

1 Comments

YES, Really

by Shortcake - 2012-08-12 07:08:08

I've actually had 16 pacers now in 16 years. The reason is due to the voltage requirements needed to keep me out of failure. Believe me, I have not just sat back and went thru this without any knowledge of what is happening. And as far as other opinions...been to several other EP, other hospitals and dealt directly with several pacer companies. The doctors and companies went as far as to do a research study to attempt to find out why, when my voltage was turned down, I immediately fell into severe CHF. They couldn't come close to figuring it out. We are not all textbook cases. I just happen to fall at the extreme end of the spectrum. I am seem by one of the top EP and at one of the best hospitals in the country. They are actually the ones, who on my request, have sent me to other places for further testing. Still no answer for this. I have searched thru numerous resources to get an answer as well. The answer is my voltage is set at the maximum which needless to say drains the battery.

There is more to my problem that just electrical issues. I also have restrictive cardiomyopathy so the plumbing side is bad too. If my voltage is lowered, which believe me we have done that, I am in the hospital within a week with severe CHF. At least with the voltage set high, I have a quality of life. When I received the biventricular pacer, I was in a wheelchair, on oxygen and was actually in the CCU waiting for a transplant. Now I am able to live my life to some degree of normality. I also have 4 leads, one in each chamber. That is not the norm either.

I agree with your post, if you have issues, you should seek out an answer, sometimes that includes a second, third or even fourth opinion. However, not everything and everyone is as a statement appears. Your post implies I am some dumb patient who has no better sense than to sit back and go thru the same mistake again and again. When it comes to medicine, the problem is people who think everyone should fit that textbook case in which they were taught. Strange, in all the years of my dealing with this, the biggest problem I ever had was with the pacer reps. They were always the first to argue the settings because it was not how they were taught to look at the dealings of the pacer. Numerous times, myself and my EP have gone head to head with them proving them wrong by simply turning down my voltage and running a simple EKG. Everything with my heart and heartbeat changed that quickly. So to answer your statement, yes Really, I have had that many pacers and it certainly wasn't because no one had the lack of sense to ask if there was something else that could be done. People should know there are times when they need to ask for another opinion but the medical staff, Doctors and reps should know not everyone fits in the mold and sometimes they need to look beyond the textbook. Thank goodness, I have an EP who is that intelligent!

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Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.