Post Op day1 thru 3- Yolanda

DAY of surgery - I am 43 and had my PM inserted on the 6th of March ( Boston Scientific Dual chamber Advantio). I was very anxious and nervous when I arrived at the hospital with my husband. I was taken to pre op and was gowned and had 2 IV's started (1 for the vancomycin and 1 for the anesthesia), i was given medication to relax me and then taken to the cath lab for the procedure. Once arriving to cath lab the nurses noticed I had a rash all over (most likely red mans syndrome from vanc being run too quickly) then i was given benadryl. After that I remember nothing but waking up with wrist restraints on, I guess because i was thrashing around during surgery when they were trying to insert PM ( i found out the next day it took double the medication to sedate me) 2 hrs after I arrived to my room they finally let my husband and son up (they forgot about them). I was in alot of pain D/T the muscle manipulation from inserting deep in the tissue and found that 1 norco q6h prn was not doing the job and then given morphine instead of just changing the order (1 tab q4h would of been good enough for me). Day 1 Post Op- I had all the sensing features turned on and got released from hospital and went home to rest since i got very little in the hospital.. Day 2 Post Op- I feel great other than the discomfort from surgical implantation, I went to the Dr's with my husband then to look for a nice medic alert bracelet which I couldn't find one that didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Once I returned home i got the most horrible headache I ever had in my life and I have had many, I had no tylenol or anything here except migraine medication and of course i couldn't drive ( my husband went to work 3-11;30 pm, so i took 2 tab turned off all the lights and noise until i could fall asleep. Woke up feeling better. Day 3 Post Op begins!
Yolanda

7 Comments

Jittery?

by varmit - 2013-03-09 04:03:32

Have also felt temporary jittery, with some breathlessness or sense of inability to have enough air. The operative word is/was temporary, as it would pass within 10 - 20 seconds. Dr. comment was as Inga suggested. Something which happens until one gets used to the new constant heart rate.

Actually, it feels as though the pm is having trouble keeping up with my rate of movement changes. Comment from Dr, was that was a possibility. That the pm had to get used to me, not the other way around.

Apparently, the pm senses both body motion and emotion. So anxiety or?? will register as well as getting up from a chair.

Good luck. Give yourself time to get used to the mechanism and to recover from the invasiveness of surgery.

varmit

Sensors

by golden_snitch - 2013-03-09 04:03:46

@ Varmit: It doesn't sense emotion. Well, there is one manufacturer (Biotronik) that has a rate response sensor called "closed loop stimulation" (CLS), and the manufacturer claims that it does indeed sense emotions/mental stress, but I don't know a single patient in whom that really works. Yolanda's pacer senses motion and minute ventilation (respiration). Most pacers sense motion only. Just as a little background information :)

Inga

Thanks for the update

by golden_snitch - 2013-03-09 10:03:37

Hi Yolanda,
nice to hear from you again, and glad you came through surgery fine. Wishing you speedy recovery (without any more headaches)!
Inga

Sensors

by ylatulip69 - 2013-03-09 10:03:54

Inga: I was feeling yucky earlier today, as of about 1pm I started feeling really queasy and then the nausea lead to vomiting, when and after i was vomiting my heart was going a little crazy as to an overwhelming feeling of palpitations, dizziness nervousness and several other feelings that are hard to describe. I tried to lay down but my heart rate was 115, 90's and just kind of all over the place for about 10 minutes which really scared me.After a bit I took a pain pill because the heaving from the vomiting and my fresh surgical site caused alot of discomfort (hadn't taken on since morning) after a bit things stabilized until the vomiting started again. Later I took my temp and had a 101 Fever (stomach flu). I was thinking that the sensing of the vomiting and being sick is was caused the craziness. You have been so helpful in all your advice and knowledge I really appreciate that you care enough to take the time to help others who are scared and confused.
I am very thankful to have someone like you to help educate and ease my fears
Yolanda

Post op day 3

by ylatulip69 - 2013-03-09 11:03:38

Inga - I had this horrible headache that i could feel from my throat to deep up in my skull. This morning when I woke up i had a wierd feeling in my throat still and my chest felt kinda strange, almost anxious like or jittery, not sure why. Is this something normal? My sensing features were all turned on thursday morning and they said they may be too sensitive, could this be what they meant?
Thanks
Yolanda

Drugs?

by golden_snitch - 2013-03-09 12:03:16

You had a sedation, got some morphine and also antibiotics, and then yesterday took those migraine pills - so, maybe the headache is caused all those drugs that were administered since Thursday? I mean, you had all the features turned on on Friday already, but the headache did not start before yesterday evening, right?

The jittery feeling could be related to a faster heart rate and better rate response. If you had bradycardia issues before, you might very well be running around with higher heart rates now, and that's something you need to get used to. Too sensitive could mean, for instance, that the pacemaker increases your heart rate a little to fast; that it reacts very quickly when you start to move around.

Hope you get better soon!

Inga

Get better soon!

by golden_snitch - 2013-03-10 04:03:18

Yolanda, you're very welcome. I'm sorry to hear that you have come down with a stomach flu. I can imagine that, with the fresh incision and all, this causes quite some additional stress to you/your body. Not that uncommon that people take a virus etc. home with them after a hospital stay, there is so much "flying around" in hospitals. However, one should always be careful with a fever after the implant. If I were you, I'd give the doctor a call, just to be on the safe side.

Hope you feel better soon!

Inga

You know you're wired when...

“Batteries not included” takes on a new meaning.

Member Quotes

I have an ICD which is both a pacer/defib. I have no problems with mine and it has saved my life.