It almost feels like I"m back in The Waiting Room. . .

[epstns]

Well, this is starting to feel really serious. . .

I met with the surgeon yesterday. It turns out that this one is the cardiac surgeon who serves as a team leader, and is there to step in just in case something really bad happens. I haven't even met the lead removal specialist or EP who will do my lead and pacemaker implants yet. Not sure if I will meet them before the procedure day at all. I guess that the surgeon remains the "star of the show." Some things never change.

I'm just a bit bummed out, too, to find out that the pre-admission prep for this "overnight" procedure is the same as I had for open-heart valve surgery. I've had an ECG, echo, chest X-ray, blood tests, and Friday I am scheduled for a CT chest scan and another angiogram. Those of you who knew me before my valve surgery know how I feel about that. . . I actually felt more anxiety about the cath than I did about the sternotomy and valve surgery. Can't explain it, that's just how it impacted me. At least they plan to do this cath via the radial artery in my arm/wrist. That way, I'll have less restriction of movement after the procedure and there is less risk of bleeding at the wound site. It just bums me out that from Friday on (for about a week) I'll have weight and movement restrictions on my right arm, and about the same day that those end, I'll have weight and movement restrictions on my left arm for another 4 to 6 weeks.

I guess I'm just venting. This entire endeavor seems to be happening "to" me, rather than "for" me. When I had valve surgery, I was able to get through it all knowing that after the procedure and recovery, I would certainly feel better than I did before it all. This time, there is no reward for me afterward. I feel fine now, and I'll have to go through some really invasive testing, then another really invasive procedure, with all the restrictions, all hoping to feel like I do now when it is all over.

They'd just better keep the train on the tracks this time. I don't know if I could make it through another train wreck like last time. . .

 

[Paleowoman]

Of course this is stressful for you Steve :-(

I do actually understand your feeling that this:

"entire endeavor seems to be happening "to" me, rather than "for" me. When I had valve surgery, I was able to get through it all knowing that after the procedure and recovery, I would certainly feel better than I did before it all. This time, there is no reward for me afterward. I feel fine now, and I'll have to go through some really invasive testing, then another really invasive procedure, with all the restrictions, all hoping to feel like I do now when it is all over."

- as I felt absolutely fine before I had my valve surgery, I was completely asymptomatic, I really was, though I guess some people here don't believe me, but in the UK they will try and do valve replacement before a person has symptoms. That means one goes into this very invasive surgery feeling well and comes out feeling pretty crap for a while after as well as getting complications for some.

All I can say is that I do hope you recover from this procedure without any complications as in your valve surgery. Will be wishing you well and thinking of you while this is going on.

 

[FredW]

Hi Steve,

Sounds like a good news, bad news routine. It is OK to vent and show concern, for if you can't do it here with your heart valve friends, where can you do it?

I can only image how bummed out you are. I suspect, and hope, the medical people you are dealing with are much better at fixing body things than they are on dealing with emotional feelings of those they are working on.

I fully understand and share your concern about the cath testing. I have had two of them in my life and was not comfortable with either of them. Nothing bad happened, but I did feel like I was being used to experiment on. "Let's see if we can put this probe 'thing-ie' up these here big arteries and see what we can see.. .and, oh, pay no attention to that hot flash we just caused by injecting this here dye into your heart ..." The first test, the only thing I remember good was that they let me choose the music that was played in the room. The second test, they had me drugged too much to find any enjoyment in it. And, BTW, neither cath test results found anything to explain my symptoms , if anything they just raise more questions. So afterwards, I asked myself: "Why did I agree to this?" In your case, I suspect it falls under 'standard procedure' for what they need to do to fix your loose wire.

The reward you may find is peace of mind knowing your electronics are repaired. You may not feel physical different (after recovery), but I'm sure you will feel better mentally. I wish you the best and will be thinking of you next week.

Happy heartbeat,

FredW

 

[epstns]

Well, Fred, I did have a very unpleasant "moment" during my cath prior to valve surgery. At that time, they gained access via femoral artery (or is it a vein they use?). I had already been given the IV sedation, so I was only partly aware of what was happening, BUT when they made that first puncture into my leg to put the catheter/sheath into the artery, my entire body tensed up so much that I popped up about a foot off the table. I remember the solid "thunk" sound I made when I hit the table on the return. Somebody said "wow" and they just kept on working. I'm guessing that they didn't wait long enough for the local to act, or didn't use enough of it. These things bother me - where they hurt (or even harm) the patient, but by the time anyone realizes what happened it is already over and you're left there in pain.

I also worry about "collateral damage" where they say that the procedure "only uses one small incision" but they don't tell you that they will cut and puncture you in 6 other places to get their instruments and probes into place. I'd rather they just came out and told it like it is. At least the surgeon for this op answered me when I asked about other incisions, etc. He said that they would insert small catheters into a vein in my leg and in my arm - for monitors and probes, etc.. He did state that these will be much smaller than those used for the heart cath, and that I will not be immobilized in recovery. Of course, they will take me from the OR to the cardiac ICU, so I may be pretty immobile for a while anyway.

This whole thing became much more complicated when I opted for extraction of the failing pacemaker lead. Had I opted to just leave it in place, this would be about as complex as the original implant procedure was - not that big a deal. But after consultation with my EP, I felt it better to have the bad lead extracted, and then the carnival came to town.

At this point, I just want to get there, get it done, and get on with the recovery. The carnival is getting old.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Steve - I notice you wrote they are doing a CT chest scan so why aren't they doing a CT angiogram ? CT angio is far less invasive than a cath angio.

 

[pellicle]

At this point, I just want to get there, get it done, and get on with the recovery. The carnival is getting old.

thats the Spirit!!

Now while there's nothing wrong with a good vent (and I encourage it) I think there is also nothing wrong with people answering those (often self answered) questions. Earlier you wrote:

When I had valve surgery, I was able to get through it all knowing that after the procedure and recovery, I would certainly feel better than I did before it all. This time, there is no reward for me afterward. I feel fine now

and that's not entirely right ... as you've said you were feeling off and the technician identified the issue and tweaked the machine. So if you aren't feeling off that's because someone intervened and fixed as much as they could without a surgical intervention. Sure you don't feel really ratshit now but then if you did it would bring with it health degradation that takes time (longer time as we get older) to reverse.

I'm just trying to put up some of the bright sides.

Also (speaking for my self more than you I suppose) its easy to get a solid case of "white coat" syndrome after all the hospital and specialist visits and just visiting these places sets up a spring of tension within you. When something like this occurs I then snap into catastrophising earlier than warranted.

 

[Dodger Fan]

Steve,

Have you heard of the Medtronic Micra pacemaker? It just came out. It doesn't require leads. It is implanted inside of your heart through a catheter. I don't qualify because I need a dual chamber pacemaker, but I am hoping for improvements when my battery is low.

I am hoping you have a successful procedure and an ultra smooth recovery.

 

[epstns]

Hi Steve - I notice you wrote they are doing a CT chest scan so why aren't they doing a CT angiogram ? CT angio is far less invasive than a cath angio.

No idea, Anne. I think sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

 

[epstns]

Steve,

Have you heard of the Medtronic Micra pacemaker? It just came out. It doesn't require leads. It is implanted inside of your heart through a catheter. I don't qualify because I need a dual chamber pacemaker, but I am hoping for improvements when my battery is low.

I am hoping you have a successful procedure and an ultra smooth recovery.

DF - I don't qualify, either. I've had a dual chamber pacemaker since my valve replacement, and the new one will be dual, too.

 

[epstns]

pellicle - Once again you have put things back into proper perspective, my friend. It is entirely true that my feeling fine now is directly related to a technician's action a week or so ago. That's just how the mind works. We often forget the reason and only remember the feelings. Hard to stop it, but it does help to be brought back to reality once in a while. And, the bright side is that in a week or so this chapter will be over and I will be on the mend, one way or another.

I guess I should also be relieved that they are doing an angiogram in advance of the procedure. This way they will know the exact "layout" of that portion of my cardio-vascular system in advance of the lead procedure, and they will also see if somehow I've developed any blockages that should be addressed as well (hopefully via stent - don't want to think of another bypass procedure).

Somehow it seems out of balance, though -- almost 3 days of tests pre-admission for a procedure said to take 2 to 4 hours.

 

[RTZdad]

Hey Steve,

I suppose that it's better that they might be "over-preparing" than the reverse. I assume they hope to eliminate the chance of missing something. While I know it sucks from your perspective, let's just pray that if something is amiss they find it now. I'm bummed that this has turned into a much larger situation for you, but I am hopeful that it will turn out much better for you. Still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers until this is over buddy. Take care.

Tom

 

[pellicle]

Hi

...Somehow it seems out of balance, though -- almost 3 days of tests pre-admission for a procedure said to take 2 to 4 hours.

gotta make a buck out of it ...

but I'm cynical

 

[epstns]

pellicle - I hear you loud and clear! They could have fit all of the tests into one day, and so far just for the first day's festivities they have billed my insurance for over $6,000 USD. I can't wait until the boxes containing the final bill for the hospital stay and the main event get here.

I don't care what Mr. President says, I love my group health insurance from work. He can keep his government plans.