Can anyone tell me how battery replacement went.

Hi,
I was hoping that someone could help me. I will be going in to have my battery replaced very soon, I saw the doctor today and she said I have anywhere from less than 1 month to 3 months before it needs to be changed, and I am paced 96% of the time, It worries me to think that it can stop pacing normally at anytime, and what scares me even more is not knowing how the surgery will go.

If anyone could let me know how it went when you had yours replaced, I would really appreciate it. Between thinking it could stop working normally at anytime, and 3 years ago I had surgery that went very wrong and ended up having no blood pressure for 1 hour and 20 minutes and needed 28 units of blood.

I have heard horror stores of having their battery changed, but never any good outcome, which I know that there must be some out there.

Thank you so much for reading this and for any help you can give me.

Take care, Karri

9 Comments

No Problems

by MSPACER - 2012-05-22 10:05:39

Hi Karri

The replacement is a lot easier than the initial implant. I had my pacemaker replaced in Feb 2010. A new pacemaker is implanted, but the old leads are used. I was given a local, and light sedation. It took less than an hour for the replacement. I was sort of asleep, but I could hear everyone talking in the room. I went home a few hours after the surgery. The worst part of the entire procedure was getting the IV antibiotic. That was the only pain that I felt because it was burning in my veins. I had some pain for a few days, but by the end of the week, most of it subsided. I went back to work in a few days.

Piece of Cake ala mode

by ElectricFrank - 2012-05-23 02:05:26

So easy that I chose to have it done while wide awake with only a local pain killer around the site. It took about 45 minutes in OR and I was back to reading a technical book in my room. Another hour waiting for a post surgery antibiotic drip and went home to fix me a nice meal.

The thing that makes it easy is that the leads are reused as is the pocket area that holds the pacer. So it's just open the pocket, take out the old one, transfer the leads to the new one, put it back in the pocket, and close the incision. For me it was easier than have a tooth filled at the dentist.

I'm suggesting your having it done as I did, but it gives some idea of how easy it is. If I had chosen to have a sedative or anesthesia they would have been the worse thing about it.

frank

easy

by Tracey_E - 2012-05-23 07:05:31

I'm on #4. If I get an early appointment, I'm home fixing my own lunch. Can you electively do it before it goes into EOL mode? It will keep you safe in EOL but if you pace all the time it won't feel too good because all the extra features will be turned off and it'll pace you at a steady rate. I've never let it get that low, we pick a date and catch it before that. Some insurance makes you wait.

Very easy

by Gellia3 - 2012-05-23 08:05:58

Hi,
I'm with Tracey. It's a piece of cake! I had my 7th replacement 5 years ago and will need another shortly, I suppose. I've had a pacemaker for 37 years now. Replacements are nothing.

They make you comfortable, small incision, pop the pacemaker out, switch the wires (takes only seconds) pop the pacer back in and stitch you up. Basically, that's it.
I had my last one replaced at 10a.m. and was on my way home by 1p.m. to a regular routine.

You'll be fine. Replacements are so much easier. You don't have to worry about keeping your arm down either.
Do try and get it replaced before you go into EOL mode. My regular heart rate is around 80-85 and my EOL put me to 65 all the time. Not a good feeling at all, but manageable if you have to.

Good luck and let us know how you do. We all LOVE success stories here.

My very best to you,
Gellia

Battery replacement

by manaman - 2012-05-23 09:05:00

A piece of cake. I've had two. Local did nothing more than relax me. Infact, I was so nosey that they finally put a mirrow up in front of me so I could see what was going on! As they were about to dispose of the old unit I ask what they were going to do with it (I ended up taking an old PM home with me, quite a conversation piece). I tell people when ever I need an extra boost I just take it out of my pocket and hold it on my chest (you see some peoples reactions (quite a laugh) I'm in the process of my third replacement anytime time (waiting to see how they will address the broken lead) Leads have been in for over 20 plus years so I am drilling doctors to see what will happen. No dates set but I feel it will be soon although I am not PM dependent!
Good luck and just use your KNEES (talk to the GREAT psysican) and all will be fine. Just remember that you will have the same limitations as the first time.
Blessings,
Mannaman

I had my 3rd PM put in last August

by janetinak - 2012-05-23 12:05:42

& it was a piece of cake as they say. As MSPACER says above it is usually easy. I expect we hear about the problems here as folks are asking for advice. I went in got IV started with antibiotice (didn't hurt me at all) surgery went fast & out the door in a few hours. I am 100% paced & understand from the tech my EP is very fast & switched PM out between beats & I never missed a beat. I was worried too as it is scary but all went well & I expect it usually does.

Hope that helps,

Janet

A Piece of Cake!

by donr - 2012-05-23 12:05:44

Karri: You've heard from the wrong people. Most of us say it's just another day in the office.

Dunno if your personal horror story was for a PM job or something else.

My PM went into EOL at 1220, Sat. I was scheduled for an appt the next Tues to discuss when we would replace the PM. It was no big deal - all it did was go into its default mode of pacing me at 65 BPM, so I felt a bit crummy. They got me in on the next Thurs for the replacement.

I'm paced about 99+%, so we row the same boat there. The Btry has about 3 months left when it goes into EOL.

No one can predict how the surgery will go - good grief, if I could I'd make my fortune in the stock market. But - it's pretty routine & simple, so it should go well for you. They slit open the original scar to the pocket. Examine wires, connections, flush out the pocket, put in the new PM & sew you up. You wake up & go home.

Me, I woke up on the way out of the OR at 3 PM, then went back to sleep & woke up again in a hosp room wanting a sandwich AT ABOUT 10 pm! I was kinda all tuckered out after going nearly a week of functioning in my Zombie mode.

A couple yrs previous, I had a broken lead replaced at about 7 PM at night. Was out of the hosp that night at about 11 PM & went home. Is that routine enough for you?

You are authorized to be anxious after your bad experience.

Wish you the best & hope they get to it soon so that you do not have to stew about it for a long time.

Don

Thank you for all your helpful comments!!

by Karri - 2012-06-05 12:06:04

Thank you everyone for all of your comments. I feel so much better about having it replaced now. I have talked to the doctor about replacing it before it goes into EOL mode because I am paced at 85 all the time, but she didn't want to replace it until it goes into EOL mode.

I have been having very low blood pressure and had to double my heart meds because of all the arrythmia's that I am having now, I keep thinking that all this is happening because my pacer is coming to an end, but I have to wait and be patient until my pacer says it needs to be replaced.

Thanks again everyone for all of your help, and I will let you know how everything goes after I have it replaced.

Take care, Karri

Is it this easy even if you had complete heart block?

by MA - 2012-06-07 09:06:03

Not to put a negative spin on this as I will need a replacement too , but my pm nurse told me I would have a temporary pm in my groin artery while they do the replacement pm. I guess this all one surgery. I am paced 100% in one lead and 10 to 25% in the other. Maybe that is just how my cardiologist chooses to do it . Has anyone had this experience with the replacement pm?
Thanks

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