Aa
Pacemaker changes under sedation
The first pacemaker was implanted under a local anesthetic. It was very painful. I refused to have anymore for the rest of my life.
Few years later, it came up that I need another type of pacemaker. The doctor offer a general anesthetic for the rest of life whenever it needs a pacemaker change.
Last few years, I went through a lot of sedations when I have gastroscopy and colonoscopy. I didn't feel a thing, I slept through the whole procedure.
I wish to ask, if anyone has a pacemaker implanted under the sedation? Did you wake up in the middle of the procedure? Did you feel pain or uncomfort during the procedure? Or you slept through the whole procedure without knowing anything?
Why they only let me choose from either local or general anesthetic? Is there a sedation performed during this kind of procedure?
Few years later, it came up that I need another type of pacemaker. The doctor offer a general anesthetic for the rest of life whenever it needs a pacemaker change.
Last few years, I went through a lot of sedations when I have gastroscopy and colonoscopy. I didn't feel a thing, I slept through the whole procedure.
I wish to ask, if anyone has a pacemaker implanted under the sedation? Did you wake up in the middle of the procedure? Did you feel pain or uncomfort during the procedure? Or you slept through the whole procedure without knowing anything?
Why they only let me choose from either local or general anesthetic? Is there a sedation performed during this kind of procedure?
Please let me know what your EP said. I've seen my cardiologist not long ago. I raised 2 questions then he commended me "ANXIETY"!
I'm not sure we are communicating.
What they call "conscious sedation" most certainly DOES NOT leave you conscious. You are most definately in the twilight zone. But you don't know it. It's kind of like somebody hits the "pause" button and then hits the "play" button later. You have absolutely no awareness for the time frame of the sedation. I do not have really clear memories of either the day of the ablation or the day of the implant. I remember a couple of details but it is quite fuzzy. The advantage of conscious sedation is that you are not under what the medicos call "general anesthesia". That means you do not have the risk for pneumonia that always accompanies general anesthesia. You are sedated not anesthetized. Think of it as yo being in a really deep, dreamless sleep. Youare so asleep you don't know anything till you wake up.
I strongly suggest you google "conscious sedation" and "general anesthesia". See which one you like better. It is an individual choice.
Good luck either way.
Bionic Bill
I saw the link and did some research. I am being paced in the right ventricle. I am not sure what the risks might be but I see my EP in a couple of weeks and will definately bring it up. Plus there was simply no alternative to AV node ablation and full time pacing for me. I could not continue to exist as I was before. I was not really living merely existing. It was miserable.
Sorry you react so strongly to surgery. I don't like it but I understand its occasional necessity and so don't get terribly upset. I do wait until I am absolutely certain that the condition is worse than the corrective action.
What they call "conscious sedation" most certainly DOES NOT leave you conscious. You are most definately in the twilight zone. But you don't know it. It's kind of like somebody hits the "pause" button and then hits the "play" button later. You have absolutely no awareness for the time frame of the sedation. I do not have really clear memories of either the day of the ablation or the day of the implant. I remember a couple of details but it is quite fuzzy. The advantage of conscious sedation is that you are not under what the medicos call "general anesthesia". That means you do not have the risk for pneumonia that always accompanies general anesthesia. You are sedated not anesthetized. Think of it as yo being in a really deep, dreamless sleep. Youare so asleep you don't know anything till you wake up.
I strongly suggest you google "conscious sedation" and "general anesthesia". See which one you like better. It is an individual choice.
Good luck either way.
Bionic Bill
I saw the link and did some research. I am being paced in the right ventricle. I am not sure what the risks might be but I see my EP in a couple of weeks and will definately bring it up. Plus there was simply no alternative to AV node ablation and full time pacing for me. I could not continue to exist as I was before. I was not really living merely existing. It was miserable.
Sorry you react so strongly to surgery. I don't like it but I understand its occasional necessity and so don't get terribly upset. I do wait until I am absolutely certain that the condition is worse than the corrective action.
No! I don't want that "conscious sedation"! I think about the "Happy juice" or sedation that will send me to the twilight zone. Otherwise I stay to the offer of general anesthesia.
Even a sore throat, they postponed my procedure because they said the tube will bring all the bacteria into my lungs.
They didn't tie me up. I asked a lot during the Cardiac catheterization. I want to wee after they inserted the cath at my groin. Take a long time in that drama. I told them I can't wee when so many pair of eyes staired at me. I want them all out. Of course they won't. They pushed in some drugs that I can't move or complaint but I was concious. Then they put a lot of towels under as a nappy. Finally, I wee when I wheeled back to the ward.
This time was first pacer implant. When they ready wanted to cut the incision, I tried to grab the doctor's knife. Again I'm not listening the commands. I grabbed everythings beside me.... and hold very very tight. The doc yelled very loud this time, "Put your hand down!" I asked him, "which hand?" ......... I told him I changed my mind, I don't want a pacemaker now. I want to go home!
You definitely has gone through a lot. I posted a link about the "left ventricle pacing caused heart failure" in your previous thread. If you unable to find it, please let me know. I can re post it here again.
Take care.
Even a sore throat, they postponed my procedure because they said the tube will bring all the bacteria into my lungs.
They didn't tie me up. I asked a lot during the Cardiac catheterization. I want to wee after they inserted the cath at my groin. Take a long time in that drama. I told them I can't wee when so many pair of eyes staired at me. I want them all out. Of course they won't. They pushed in some drugs that I can't move or complaint but I was concious. Then they put a lot of towels under as a nappy. Finally, I wee when I wheeled back to the ward.
This time was first pacer implant. When they ready wanted to cut the incision, I tried to grab the doctor's knife. Again I'm not listening the commands. I grabbed everythings beside me.... and hold very very tight. The doc yelled very loud this time, "Put your hand down!" I asked him, "which hand?" ......... I told him I changed my mind, I don't want a pacemaker now. I want to go home!
You definitely has gone through a lot. I posted a link about the "left ventricle pacing caused heart failure" in your previous thread. If you unable to find it, please let me know. I can re post it here again.
Take care.
When I had my device implanted a few weeks ago they used what they call "conscious sedation". I got a shot of something like versed pre-op and then they gave me something in the cath lab just before the procedures (I had an ablation just short of 2 weeks prior to the implantation of the pulse generator. I did an immediate fade-to-black just like the movies and came to in my room.
Generally my motto for surgery is "Wake me when it's over." but I have been awake for a major procedure. It was not pleasant. I had an appendectomy done under spinal anesthesia. It was a horrible experience. To begin with the Nurse Anesthetist gave me the option of either spinal or local. When I told her my motto she advised me that general anesthesia was contraindicated so soon after pneumonia. Since to my knowledge I had not had pneumonia since a bout 2 years prior it came as a shock to find out I'd had pneumonia 3 weeks prior. Seems the Air Force Dr. told ME I had bronchitis and sent me back to work - didn't even put me on light duty! Then in the OR they had trouble getting the needle in to give me the spinal. Did I mention that they go in between L4 and L5 for that and that I had smashed L5 in a plane crash in 1970? It was SOOOOOOOO much fun with the big burly OR tech - one arm behind my neck the other arm behind my knees - folding me in the middle so the NA could get the spinal injection.
Then in the OR I was laid out with my arms strapped to some sort of boards and stuck out perpendicular to my body (in your basic "This is a hell of a way to spend Easter" position" getting to listen to the conversation. They had a kind of curtain hung so I couldn't watch (guess they didn't want me to kibitz) but I could hear everything. I kept asking how it was going and kept getting reassurred all was OK. One time I asked when it was going to be over and the surgeon replied "I'll take it out as soon as I can find it." I did not take THAT news well as you might imagine. Seems I had hidden my appendix in a VERY out-of-the-way place - tucked up under my diaphragm and behind my liver - and he was having the devil's own time locating the organ. He had opened the normally approx. 4 inch incision to around 8 inches and had his arm up to his elbod in my gut feeling around for my appendix and - I found out later - getting a bit concerned. Then he found my appendix and squeezed it. Unfortunately, it was above the anesthetized area and I screamed. I screamed loud enough that just about everyone in the whole hospital heard me. Then he squeezed my appendix again. Same result. At that point he told the NA "Pneumonia or no pneumonia put him out!" I said "Thank you, God" and faded out. Coming out of everything was real fun, too. After they got me knocked out he made a huge incision - same kind they do for a gall bladder operation - higher, went in and took out an appendix the size of a jumbo hotdog. When I woke up I had TWO incisions that put end to end would have reached from my belly button PAST my spine. Plus I got the fun of coming out of the spinal which is like having the entire lower half of your body fall asleep.
You might enquire about "conscious anesthesia". I had never heard of it before having my 1st cardioversion 6 years ago. But it is good stuff. Woulda been great except that I started coming out of the happy juice just as they hit me the 3rd time (over here for a cardioversion they hit you 3 times) so I heard a loud bang and felt somebody kick me in the chest. I also heard my Cardiologist say "And another successful cardioversion!". When I went in Monday after last Thanksgiving, I told the Cardiologist about the 1st one. His nurse turned six shades of purple trying not to laugh and he got the strangest look on his face. I am happy to report that I did NOT come to until well after the 3rd shock.
Ask about "conscious sedation" as an alternative to general anesthesia. Swapping out an implant takes less time than preparing the patient for the procedure and general anesthesia carries a significant risk for pneumonia. Plus if you get pneumonia in a hospital it could end up being one of those REALLY RESISTANT bugs that are found in hospitals. The pneumonia would almost certainly be worse than the device swap even under local.
Good luck,
Bionic Bill
Generally my motto for surgery is "Wake me when it's over." but I have been awake for a major procedure. It was not pleasant. I had an appendectomy done under spinal anesthesia. It was a horrible experience. To begin with the Nurse Anesthetist gave me the option of either spinal or local. When I told her my motto she advised me that general anesthesia was contraindicated so soon after pneumonia. Since to my knowledge I had not had pneumonia since a bout 2 years prior it came as a shock to find out I'd had pneumonia 3 weeks prior. Seems the Air Force Dr. told ME I had bronchitis and sent me back to work - didn't even put me on light duty! Then in the OR they had trouble getting the needle in to give me the spinal. Did I mention that they go in between L4 and L5 for that and that I had smashed L5 in a plane crash in 1970? It was SOOOOOOOO much fun with the big burly OR tech - one arm behind my neck the other arm behind my knees - folding me in the middle so the NA could get the spinal injection.
Then in the OR I was laid out with my arms strapped to some sort of boards and stuck out perpendicular to my body (in your basic "This is a hell of a way to spend Easter" position" getting to listen to the conversation. They had a kind of curtain hung so I couldn't watch (guess they didn't want me to kibitz) but I could hear everything. I kept asking how it was going and kept getting reassurred all was OK. One time I asked when it was going to be over and the surgeon replied "I'll take it out as soon as I can find it." I did not take THAT news well as you might imagine. Seems I had hidden my appendix in a VERY out-of-the-way place - tucked up under my diaphragm and behind my liver - and he was having the devil's own time locating the organ. He had opened the normally approx. 4 inch incision to around 8 inches and had his arm up to his elbod in my gut feeling around for my appendix and - I found out later - getting a bit concerned. Then he found my appendix and squeezed it. Unfortunately, it was above the anesthetized area and I screamed. I screamed loud enough that just about everyone in the whole hospital heard me. Then he squeezed my appendix again. Same result. At that point he told the NA "Pneumonia or no pneumonia put him out!" I said "Thank you, God" and faded out. Coming out of everything was real fun, too. After they got me knocked out he made a huge incision - same kind they do for a gall bladder operation - higher, went in and took out an appendix the size of a jumbo hotdog. When I woke up I had TWO incisions that put end to end would have reached from my belly button PAST my spine. Plus I got the fun of coming out of the spinal which is like having the entire lower half of your body fall asleep.
You might enquire about "conscious anesthesia". I had never heard of it before having my 1st cardioversion 6 years ago. But it is good stuff. Woulda been great except that I started coming out of the happy juice just as they hit me the 3rd time (over here for a cardioversion they hit you 3 times) so I heard a loud bang and felt somebody kick me in the chest. I also heard my Cardiologist say "And another successful cardioversion!". When I went in Monday after last Thanksgiving, I told the Cardiologist about the 1st one. His nurse turned six shades of purple trying not to laugh and he got the strangest look on his face. I am happy to report that I did NOT come to until well after the 3rd shock.
Ask about "conscious sedation" as an alternative to general anesthesia. Swapping out an implant takes less time than preparing the patient for the procedure and general anesthesia carries a significant risk for pneumonia. Plus if you get pneumonia in a hospital it could end up being one of those REALLY RESISTANT bugs that are found in hospitals. The pneumonia would almost certainly be worse than the device swap even under local.
Good luck,
Bionic Bill
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
