ER visit and surgery (pacer/ablation)

Hi Gang,
I was admitted into the hospital Monday evening (7/15). One of my friends at the 55+ park I live in got me in the car and raced aprox 50 miles to the hospital.
I was checked into the ER, as they knew I was coming in. They put me on an EKG and my heart had no rhythem and was beating between 15 to 150 beats a minute. They sent me to a room and called the cardiologist in from home. He looked at the tape and checked my heart himself and scheduled the ablation surgery room for the next morning. During that rest of the night, they got me ready for the operation.
The Electrophysiologist/cardiologist, came to the rom and explained the sick sinus condition and explained the two operations I needed, which would be done one after the other.
The operation went well.
The only real issue was they did not put me under and when they cut into my groin on both sides, to get into my arteries it hurt pretty badly. Next they slinked wires into my heart and tested where they could kill the rouge areas that were causing the arrhythmias. Once they were found they had to burn a line inside my heart, to stop the rhythm problem and boy did that hurt! Next they cut a pocket under my left collar bone and by then they put me under quite a bit more, then snaked the two pacing wires through an artery, in my chest and into my heart. They set the pacer so my pulse will not go below 60 beats a minute, or above 130 bpm. brought me back to full consciousness, then brought me back to my room.
The doctor told me when they were doing the pacemaker, I told them I would never be able to get another MRI, so he got a Medtronic one made of titanium and approved for MRI and installed that. I remember nothing of this event.
They tested it today and released me from the hospital and now I am home… sore, but feeling a whole bunch better.
So ablation and pacer are working well. I am sore, but grateful to be alive. The doc felt I may have not lived through another attack!
Itsme Wayne

3 Comments

Still some issues

by ItsmeWayne - 2013-07-18 10:07:13

A small problem still exists. My pulse this morning was hovering in the low 40s. The pacer should keep it at least 60, but the doctors office thinks that my sick sinus may be making beats that the pacer can not pick up. They want me to test my pulse throught the day and contact them tomorrow. I may need to go in and have some sort of adjustment to my pacemaker.

Iwas told if things get any worse, to head for the ER again. My pulse has been in the 80s the rest of the day so far, but at rest it should be in the 60s. I hope this is not going to become an issue, but the cardiologist/electrophysiologist is on top of it.

So I shall see where thius is going tomrrow!

I wonder why I can never have things in range? Even my diabetes has been wrong for many days now and my blood sugars are at least double what they should be. I know I am taking many steroids for allergy and asthma and I know that is not helping one bit either! I just hate all this attention!

Itsme Wayne ... not doing the happy dance just yet!

May need another hospital stay

by ItsmeWayne - 2013-07-20 10:07:20

Hi group,
Sick sinus is rare and it has been foiling my pacers ability to control my pulse between 60 to 130 beats per minute. It is floating between 40 and 150 and the pacer doc feels I may need to come back to the hospital, to try and get my pacer to do a better job.
I do hope they can get it to work as it should.
Itsme Wayne

similar problem with sss

by Bluefey - 2013-07-21 05:07:31

i have sick sinus as well -- it did take a while to get the pacer adjusted to work properly with me -- they ended up turning off a sensor that detects when I am picking up activity. now my pulse is usually still slow - between 60-70

I still feel weird when it gets in the 80's and 90's because I am not used to having it that high...

my cardio told me that I was dropping to 20 and rarely above 60 before I got the pacer put in...

I hope they can balance it out for you -- but do not worry I am sure they will find that balance soon

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Member Quotes

But I think it will make me feel a lot better. My stamina to walk is already better, even right after surgery. They had me walk all around the floor before they would release me. I did so without being exhausted and winded the way I had been.