Thank you all for replying. I just wish someone knew the answer to my question!
Well maybe I had some pacemaker operating when I was in surgery, Of course don't know anything about what went on in there, thank god, the anesthesiologist kept me under the whole time.
My surgeon/hospital was all for back on your feet and I was sitting up in a high back chair within a few hours after surgery. I had several catheters hanging out of me and was hooked up to heart monitoring equipment. When I talked with the surgeon I got all happy answers, no problem, no blood transfusions, yes he was able to repair my valve, yes I was in normal sinus rhythm. I was conscious (other than sleeping) from then to the time I went home and I remember the stuff being pulled out, no wires. The worst things I can remember was being rolled into surgery and getting the breathing tubes removed afterwards. Some catheter removals were not pleasant, but it was fast. Other than that it was an easy recovery. Unfortunately, I returned to AFib.
It would surprise me if you didn't have an external pacemaker at the beginning. I belong to another forum on heart valves, and everyone mentions having had one.
I can't add to your answer, but being a "fellow valvejob" myself: Mitral Valve repair in Nov. 2007, I have a annuloplasty ring in my heart to reduce the opening of the mitral valve. I can say I don't remember any pacemaker. I am sure there was not one in my when I came out of surgery. I know I had lots of tubes and monitors, I wore a heart monitor (wireless after the first 24 hours) to send my heart vitals to the Intensive Car Unit desk, but I don't recall any mention of a pacemaker.
Did you have some special need, or maybe it is my poor memory?
No. Not only was this in 2005, but this was for an external pacemaker which is used for a few days in the hospital. The leads are generally removed before the person leaves the hospital, but one of mine could not be removed. It is dangerous to forse it, so in a case like that they just leave it in. In any case, I am sure that even today they do not use those new special leads for a temporary external pacemaker.
Do you have the new MRI approved leads? They were just recently approved, within the past year I think.