A New Pacemaker

I traded in a clunker

My posting today, out of necessity, will be shorter than usual due to tenderness in my right shoulder muscles which, in turn, hampers my typing and my limited expertise in that field does not need any hampering. This story should begin shortly before December 6, 2002 when my doctors decided I needed a pacemaker to keep my heart rate above 60 beats a minute. On that December 6, 2002 I went, as an outpatient, into the hospital and had a pacemaker installed, if that be the right phrase. My "Owners Manual" stated that it was guaranteed for five years but it lasted almost 8 years.

On the morning of September 24, 2010 Norma and I got up early, didn't eat any breakfast (not even coffee), and drove the 20-25 miles to the hospital. We checked into the outpatient waiting room about 6:30 AM. I got all my pre-op work done and was ready for surgery about 8:00 AM but an emergency held things up for a while. About 10:00 AM, or a little before, I was taken into the operating room and about 30 minutes later I had traded in my old 2002 model for a brand new shiny, I guess, 2010 model pacemaker. All that's left to show for it is about a 3 inch incision held together with what looks and feels like 10 to 15 staples. I'll know more about that when I go back to the EKG Department at the hospital in 2 weeks to get those staples out. Maybe that won't be too bad.

Now, as I work on this posting, it has been about two days since the surgery and there is still some swelling and some pain if I move my arm very much but there has never been enough pain that a tylenol wouldn't take care of it.

That should take care of today and give me a little more time to get well and think of something to write about. Sometimes, while watching the news, I think of many things that needs to be wrote about but I've already written about some of them and anyone reading this blog wouldn't want to hear it again so until later, thanks and stay tuned. - William