Pacemaker

[nohorn]

My daughter had a pacemaker installed in late September and is under medical care, the incision healed fine. However , she did develop clots in her arm, which accordinding to med. info on internet, can happen in some instances. Has anyone out there had experience or any other serious complications? If she is treated appropriately will she be fine? Any experiences ?

[Sqad]

I have not had a Pacemaker fitted and your search of the Internet will give you a run down of the early and late complications of having a pacemaker, but to answer your question re,clots, they would almost certainly be on the venous side akin to a DVT. With early diagnosis, as seems to be in the case of your daughter, there should be no long term or short term complications.

[Bbbananas]

No personal experience of a pacemaker - but am listed for a heart op early next year, in which I have been warned the worst case scenario (other than death, obviously) is the insertion of pacemaker if a certain nerve is damaged. So I am interested in any answers you get to this nohorn (nohorn??? really??!!)

Anyway - how old is your daughter may I ask?

[Sqad]

salla....morning. Two different things here.........insertion of a pacemaker does not involve arterial puncture.

You procedure (I presume) will be feeding a catheter into your femoral vein and slipping up the venous system into the heart. During this procedure, the Femoral Vein ( in the groin? is at risk. These boys are pretty good today, so this is unlikely.

[Bbbananas]

Oh I know sqad - I'm not unduly worried about the likelihood of a pacemaker. I just wanted to know the worst case scenario, and he was very honest. To me - my worse case scenario would be mortality, fatality, death.... so to be told that the worse that could (should) happen is the likelihood of a pacemaker was quite reassuring!!
I will indeed be having the catheter into the groin & up the artery, but he said the danger is in the bit where they zap one nerve, which is perilously close to another - the one which, if wrongly zapped, could result in the pacemaker. He did say this was extremely unlikely.

[Sqad]

Sorry salla...Femoral Artery and up the arterial system to the heart.

[Sqad]

Right salla....in which case that would be the vagus nerve.

[Bbbananas]

My only concern was that of death.... and now that worry has been wiped from my mind (well, as much as it possibly can be, as there are never ever any guarantees as you know) - I'm not too nervous or concerned about the op. I will be awake under local anaesthetic and can watch the procedure on the screen - so maybe I shall be floating on euphoric air watching myself on screen, absolutely fascinated.
The fact the consultant is a dead ringer for Mr Bean does not put me off....! He's one of the best in the business and he has assured me he himself is doing the ablation bit.
hey - if I do end up with a pacemaker, I'm sure I will cope.

[Sqad]

salla.....great philosophy my love.

[Bbbananas]

That's the best way to be - there are many many people worse off than me, with terminal or debilitating illnesses for which there is no hope of recovery, or are in constant pain. (Including a few people on here, so I really don't like complaining or feeling sorry for myself - there is no need).

If my procedure is successful, I can come off medication completely.
if I have a pacemaker - I shall have great fun at airports...!!
If I don't die at 48, but am given an extra 40 years (I've always said, since I was little, I was going to live until 88 - don't ask me why, I just KNOW..!) then I will be a happy lassie.

[nohorn]

Thank you everyone! As I write this she is in hospital were they will try to break up the clots, one of which is very big. They said the older they are, the harder it is. One to two months, they thought would be no problem. After the placement of the pacemake, she went back to the doctor was unable to see him, but did see a nurse practioneer, who said well, put heat on it. Which she did for a couple of weeks, things only got worse. She went back to her GP, who said take a couple of Ibuprophen, my daughter insisted on an unltra sound. I then got very suspicious of this treatment, I called a vein surgeon, who happend to have one appointment open due to a cancellation.l They made their own ultrasound and immediately put her in hospital to dissolve the clot and clots. They said the older they were the harder they were to dissolve. Also, they are in a vein rather than an artery. She will be in hospital for 2-4 days, lying very still. Thank you for the information. It does take my mind off of worrying for a few moments. On yes, she if 50 y.o Us mums never stop worrying about our kids.

[Sqad]

nohorn, thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

She may well be on long term anticoagulants but the bottom line is that under the expert care that she is having, she will be fine.

[Bbbananas]

Moring nohorn (should have guessed you were female....!!)
I'm sure your daughter will be fine, but not a very pleasant experience for her. She is only 2 years older than me, so that is a bit worrying at this tender age!
Good on your daughter and yourself for refusing to accept the very simple Ibuprofen + heat advice, and insist on an USS and vascular opinion - sometimes you have to be insistent and pursue things yourself.
You are right - we never stop worrying about our kids, and our parents never stop worrying about us.
GOod luck to your daughter xx