Getting pacemaker next week

I have signed up my mom to this site hoping that she will use it for support and information after her surgery. She has questions that probably no one can answer except the people on this site. I wanted to introduce her a little bit. Her name is Betty Freeman and she is 83 years old. The doctor told her yesterday that she needed a pace maker because a part of her heart isn't working. She will go into surgery next Friday. Any suggestions or sharing of experiences would be appreciated. How can I help her and support her when she comes back from surgery? What should I expect in terms of her mobility? Thank you ahead of time for any sharing of your experiences.

5 Comments

Hi Betty!

by Many Blessings - 2013-08-10 03:08:14

Welcome to the site!

You are going to get so much great information here, it will really be a big help during your recovery. Do a search on this site (top right hand corner) that will let you search for things that are concerning you before and after your PM procedure.

Also, look on the left hand column of this site and click on all of the links (batteries & leads, checkups & settings, coping, etc.) and read the posts and comments until you're puking sick of doing so! You will find some awesome information there too, and it will help you know what to ask your doctors if you're feeling something's not right.

Everyone has a different experience to share which will help you a great deal. The recovery is so different for everyone, I guarantee you, if you have a questions, someone out here has been there and can give you an answer.

Some have a super easy time, others have a more difficult time. This goes from the time the have their procedure done, during the recovery stage and time, and on into your new life with a PM.

For me, I wish someone in the hospital would have explained the "setting issues" to me. No one said a word on what to watch out for, what to expect, and how things are handled there. That's important, since a bad setting can make you feel awful, and a good one can make you feel great!

My first experience with a setting issue was some diaphragmatic pacing while still in the hospital. It was a super easy fix with one little change in my settings. I didn't say I was feeling the symptoms, because I thought "this must be the way it's supposed to be".

Same with other setting issues in the first few weeks. Until they got my settings corrected, I didn't feel well at all. I thought that was the way it was going to be forever. Luckily, others on this site helped me understand what was going on, and told me what to ask my PM tech to do. That alone was a life-saver!

I also had a bad experience with the Percocet they gave me to take when I got home. I had some horrible side effects that made me feel like "you know what". After I figured out it was that, I went off of it and felt great! Because the side effects were things I had never felt before the PM, blamed the PM without even thinking about the Percocet. Lesson learned!

It's easy to blame the new PM for anything icky you're feeling afterwards, so make sure to really look hard at not only the PM, but what else "new" could be causing it (anesthesia used in the hospital, new meds you were given, anything you recently changed, etc.) But, then again, it might be the PM or setting issue. Always ask your doctor, PM tech, and members of this site, if you're not feeling right so you can get some answers.

Read this site every day during your recovery to see what others are posting too! So many newbies start posting immediately after they get their PM, and a lot of them are having the same issues and concerns as you will have. It's so great to see others out there know exactly what you're going through! It's even better to hear from others that have been there, gotten through it, and are doing great!

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Welcome to the club

by KAG - 2013-08-10 05:08:35

You've come to a great support group. As Many Blessings said there are so many people of different ages, backgrounds, experiences and conditions (and devices) to draw from their knowledge.

Also I agree that one of the best things you can do is get an understanding of what you're getting your PM for and what the basic settings are. When you have your PM checks ask for a copy of the printout. That way if you have any questions you can let us know some info which will allow folks to give better advise to you. Things like Mode, upper and lower rate settings, rate response, etc... It will probably be greek to you at first but this site can help you to decipher it.

They'll start out will some basic settings which on average work well, but everyone is a bit different. So as MB said if they work for you great, but if they aren't quite right you might not feel the best and a simple setting change can make all the difference.

As far as post surgery, they'll give you the do's and don'ts. The big one is not to raise your site side elbow above your shoulder or put your arm behind your back, or lift weight for X weeks. Times vary depending on you and your doctor. They also give you a sling to wear at night to keep your arm down. I wore mine for 3 or 4 nights. Other wise you should gently move your arm as much as it feels comfortable to prevent frozen shoulder.

Then try to get back to your normal schedule as soon as possible.

Keep us posted and take care
Kathy

Mom's Getting A PM

by SMITTY - 2013-08-10 06:08:34

Hi Betty,

The following is a reprint of a comment I wrote for someone getting a new pacemaker earlier this year. Since I'm close to your Mother's age (I'm 84) I'll give it to her as it tells a little of my experience on getting a pacemaker as it may give her some ideas of what the procedure involves. It may relieve some anxiety about the surgery.

I've had to two PM implants. I got my first PM in 2000 and the 2nd one in 2009. Both were done in the same hospital but by different Drs. Both surgeries were almost identical.

On arrival at the hospital I was given a some of the hospitals latest fashions to put on and told to lie down and get comfortable as it would be a little while before the surgery. I read the paper and watched TV for a couple of hours while other PM patients were also being readied for their PM . After about an hour I got an IV and spent the next 3 or 4 hours being "prepped" which consisted mainly of getting about a quart (at least it looked like that amount) of antibiotic through the IV and the surgery area cleaned and cleaned real good.

Later that morning the doctor came in and examined the area for the implant again and we talked about what was involved. After another hour or so I was wheeled off to the surgery area where I spent about 30 or 40 minutes being "dressed or draped" for the surgery. Sometime after I got in the surgery area I received some medication to make me relax so they said, but what it did was make take a nap in about a half-sleep mode. I vaguely remember being told they were injecting a local anesthetic into the area where the surgery would be performed so I would not feel the anything. I was not put to sleep as is normally done for surgeries as this is not surgery in the terms we normally think of surgery. About 45 minutes later I was told, "okay Mr. Smith, we are through and your pacemaker is working just fine." I was wheeled back into a room where I had to stay overnight to be sure I had no adverse reactions to any of the meds I had received

I was not unexpectedly sore and my healing was no problem. I did have restricted use of my arm for a few days, the main thing being not to raise my elbow above my shoulder, or lift more than a few lbs. Each of us is different, therefore get slightly different instructions) with the arm on the side of the PM. I was n lot allowed to drive for about 24 hours and then for short distances for a week or so. All in all the pain is less than most dental surgery I have had, and since I was retired even with the first one, it did not interfere with any activates.

One last word, she will go home with the Drs best guess on PM settings. Most of the time these are good, but occasionally some people need to have those settings tweaked. If she thinks hers is causing you a problem, or if she thinks something is amiss, she should let her Dr know, otherwise he will have no way of know everything is not perfect.

Good Luck,

Smitty

Welcome

by dad4dds - 2013-08-10 07:08:33

We are all here to help. There is also a great book out there.

Understanding Your Pacemaker or Defibrillator
What Patients and Families Need to Know

This book helped me alot. I have read it about 5 times.

Good luck

Welcome

by jane32 - 2013-08-11 05:08:31

I think everyone has covered the important things, just wanted to add, to take a button down the front top to wear home from hospital, you will be a bit tender for a few days also wear soft bras. Keep in touch, there are plenty of people to help you on this site.

You know you're wired when...

Friends call you the bionic man.

Member Quotes

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