Pacemaker

Hello everyone!
Im thankful for finding this group. Im a 46 yr old female. Ill be having surgery this coming Tuesday. Pacemaker implant, i am very nervous because im super scared of hospitals, needles, the smell of alcohol etc. and i was told i wouldnt get general anesthesia:( plz anyone share your experiences...did you feel anything? Im sorry if i sound like a little girl but i take anxiety meds and hospitals is like phobia to me.
Thanks & Blessings

19 Comments

thank you

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-18 11:06:01

Thank you Grateful Heart for your advice, ill do that. God bless👍

Talk to your Doctor

by Grateful Heart - 2015-06-18 11:06:59


As well as the anesthesiologist. Let them know your fears and the meds you are taking. I'm sure they have other patients with your concerns. None of us want surgery but as I just mentioned to someone else....we have all been through it....you will be fine.

Try and stay a little busy until Tuesday. Prepare for your hospital stay and when you come home. Before you know it....it will be over.

Welcome to the club none of us wanted to join....but are grateful for our Doctors and devices.

Keep us posted.

Grateful Heart

Wasn't bad at all for me.

by Busdriver - 2015-06-19 01:06:33

I was given a light sedative and was awake during the "procedure." I was told a pacemaker implantation is referred to as "an invasive procedure" instead of surgery. Anyhoo, I was awake, the implant site was numbed up with Lidocaine, just like a dentist uses, and all I felt was someone poking around on my left shoulder! Took about 30 minutes. No real pain, just a little tender for a few days. I felt better almost immediately.

Now it's been a little over 6 months, and I still feel GREAT! It takes awhile for your body and brain to adjust to the new way of life. My only regret is that I didn't have a PM sooner. I felt absolutely terrible for the last 3 to 5 years. Fortunately, I found a doctor that knows what he is doing, and I have no doubt he saved my life.

I wish you all the best, and I hope your hospital visit is short, sweet and successful.

A Piece of Cake

by Artist - 2015-06-19 02:06:45

I had the same treatment as Bus driver outlined above. There were no problems. Every now and then the EP surgeon asked me to take a deep breath and hold it for awhile. The most difficult thing for me was the fact that after surgery, I was taken to my room and told that I could not sit up or roll over on my side or get out of bed for 24 hours. That was an unwelcome surprise because that meant use of the dreaded bed pan. They must have pumped me full of fluids during the surgery, because I kept the nurses pretty busy with bed pan duties. It was nice to not suffer the side effects like nausea that a general anesthetic causes for me. It was also a great relief to no longer worry about my heart rate sinking to 7 and perhaps stopping all together. I found the procedure interesting. I am 7 months post op and every day gets better. You will go through a period where your arm movement is restricted and the amount of weight you should lift during the first two weeks is normally 10 lbs. It is great to get the surgery behind you and then just focus on healing. I was driving after two days with my surgeon's permission. So focus on the fact that you are fortunate to have modern technology protecting your life and are fortunate to have such good medical treatment. Think positive thoughts and don't worry about the small stuff like needles etc. It's a piece of cake!

thank you💗

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-19 03:06:47

Busdriver and Artist, thank you i honestly appreciate you sharing your stories. Im feeling more at ease and of course very thankful to my God and all the new technology!! Blessings to both💗

wow!

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-19 06:06:40

Wow brushmore! I pray i go through as you did, painless! Thank you & Blessings!!

Really, not bad

by brushmore - 2015-06-19 06:06:46

I know this might sound like I am exaggerating, but I had dentist appointments that were worse than the implant. Whatever medication they gave me worked well because I felt no pain and really don't remember most of it anyway.

Easy

by jjiggers - 2015-06-20 06:06:18

I had mine installed 2 months ago. Easy...I seemed to have had more seditive that the others...I asked for more...I just had a really relaxing little nap. Woke up before I got back to my room...no bed pans, they let me get up and go when I needed to. A little sore, but they gave me good pain pills and I used them for a few days...No problems. GOod luck to you, relax and enjoy the nap.

wonderful!

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-20 07:06:06

Wonderful jjiggers! I pray itll be easy for me as well. Thanks for sharing, im feeling more comfortable now! Thanks!!

Pacemaker

by Mona - 2015-06-20 12:06:08

I agree with brushmore, I have had dental procedures that were more unpleasant than my procedure for a CRT-D. No one is more nervous and scared of medical procedures than I am. As I have posted on this site, I even have fears of having my blood pressure taken. Having the CRT-D implanted was a piece of cake. I was awake, but sedated and pain free during the procedure. Thanks to a fantastic EP and anesthesiologist, I felt very calm and peaceful. Hope it all goes well - I think you will be glad you got it done and behind you.

pm implant

by islandgirl - 2015-06-21 01:06:05

I had my pm implant 4 months ago, as an emergency. I told my EP I didn't want to be aware of what was happening. He gave me something so I didn't remember a thing. He did make a comment afterwards that I required a lot of ??? to keep me comfortable, but again, I don't remember anything.
My dr. has been very good in the past with not causing extra discomfort.

thank you

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-21 02:06:51

Thank you islandgirl, ill let them know how i feel i honestly pray i dont feel a thing! Ive heard several people say some doctors dont want you to be asleep because they want you to be responding to them during the surgery but i dont know. Thank you for sharing, i pray i go thorough it just as you did, without remembering anything.

Tuesday - HEY! That's....

by donr - 2015-06-22 08:06:47

....TOMORROW!

First, some preachy, high-falutin' quotes, followed by practical advice on how to successfully get over the worst part of this coming ordeal.

Preachy quote 1) In about 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte said: "In Battle, the ,mental is to the physical as three is to one."

Preachy quote 2) American WW-II General Patton said sometime during that fracas "Never take counsel of your fears," and "Any man who tells you he isn't scared is either a fool or a liar."

Preachy quote 3) Western Movie actor John Wayne said "Courage is knowing what you face, but saddling up and riding out to face it anyway."

Commentary on my quotes: I know fer sure that Napoleon said what he said - he or one of his minions wrote it down - it's part of history,

Patton, well, he said a lot of things, many of which cannot be written or used in polite company unless censored; but he said these two things or some variant thereof when talking to the troops headed into battle.

John Wayne - well he, like Abe Lincoln, is credited w/ saying a lot that he never said, but this one is nice & folksy & makes sense.

Now for the practical advice:

1) You have a right to be scared out of your gourd at this point. Some stranger is going to knock you out - fortunately more gently than w/ a big rubber mallet applied to the base of the skull - & while you are in La-La-Land cut a hole in you, run a harpoon down into your one-and-only heart & sink it into the wall like Capt Ahab got Moby Dick in his great whaling story of the same name. Accept that fear as natural and that you are not a weakling because of that fear. Any one of us who tells you that they were not afraid is either lying, or a fool. So much for Patton.

2) Sounds like you are following John Wayne's advice - you are still planning to go in tomorrow for your great adventure in the unknown.

3) Going into this "Thing " tomorrow requires that you do something to help yourself , & it does NOT require the use of a scalpel or rubber gloves. It's all MENTAL.

Walk into the first room where they are going to prep you for the adventure & start by chatting up the nurse/tech/whatever. Ask questions about what they are doing, why & how. Be a real motor mouth. Start by saying outright - "I'm scared to death, please help me over this." They recognize fear - they see it every day. Ask them their name, what they do, where they are from, how long they have been doing it. Make them a part of your experience as a human being, not just a chunk of meat in a butcher shop. Use this technique on every new person you meet in the procedure. One important question to ask is "What are you planning to do on me today?" If the answer is NOT "Put a PM in you," jump up & run away as fast as you can!

You may be very pleasantly surprised by what sort of connections you have w/ the staff. My first time I discovered (Later) that one of the nurses was the wife of a friend. At my first replacement, I discovered that two of the OR staff were Vets, like myself. One of them served on the same post I did, but several yrs later. Turned out he was a tank engine mechanic there, but after his service became an RN.

They will react to you in this issue, so take charge & use your mental faculties to overcome your natural fear of the unknown. Next thing you know, you will be in recovery & asking for a ham sandwich.

The best to you tomorrow!

Donr



awesome advice

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-22 10:06:51

Donr thanks!! You have given me an awesome advice which i will be following tommorow morning for sure! Also thank you for understanding. People may say scary cat or other names but i am a very srong woman. My fear is exactly how you described it, fear to the unkown! Thank you very much, ill remember and practice all this in the morning, God bless!!




How are you?

by sooz - 2015-06-24 09:06:16

Probably too early to find you on after your pacemaker being placed. Prayed for you and hope you are ok!

Hi

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-24 09:06:38

Hi sooz! My surgery was reacheduled for next Tuesday due to insurance documents needed. Thanks for asking and plz do keep me in your prayers!

scared

by wired&blessed - 2015-06-28 11:06:18

Really? Awe!!! Well lets keep in touch after our surgeries!! Honestly ive been through so many procedures but this one is making me feel super super scared!! Jaja i know God is in control but yet still have human nerves jaja. Prayers for both of us and for everyone that will be going though similar procedures!

The 30th?

by sooz - 2015-06-28 11:06:27

Me too!!! Prayers for us both! I am scared out of my mind but know 2 people who got them in the last week and lots that have them. Also have a friend and family member getting heart procedures this Tuesday. Crazy, huh?! I have had ablations, caths and on and on but this one has me more nervous. I am sure we will do great! Let me know!

Yeah!

by sooz - 2015-06-29 12:06:32

Where is my thumbs up sign to post here?!

You know you're wired when...

You have an excuse for being a couch potato.

Member Quotes

This is my second Christmas with my pacemaker and I am so happy to be with my family.