Brian I trust you remain on the high road to full recovery. I am bound to remark that I would prefer to find another dieting technique! Best regards Graham Naisbitt Email: [log in to unmask] Phone: +44 (0)12 5252 1500 Web: www.gen3systems.com On 31 May 2009, at 18:04, Brian Ellis wrote: > If you insist: gory details (not for the squeamish!): > > In January, had the old pacemaker exchanged after 11 years of > faithful service. Unfortunately, the old one had strong adhesions > and the surgeon took ~50 min to get it out (ouch! under a local!). > The brutality required caused a massive haematoma under the new > gizmo and it didn't resorb. For security, I went through 4 courses > of different antibiotics (oral). About a month ago, it started > becoming sore and it was decided that it must be infected with a > resistant bacterium and went on a course of an antiobiotic designed > for hospital-resistant staph and was told that if that didn't work, > then a few days hospitalisation for IV antibiotics may be necessary. > I had a follow-up appointment on 9 May. In the meanwhile the skin > under the gizmo site was red, assumed to be friction with clothing, > as the whole affair was proud of the chest by a good 15 mm (new > boob!!!). > > On 9 May, while drying myself after my shower, I saw that there was > a small wound under the gizmo and about 3 cm3 of serum was expelled > when I gently pressed on the gizmo. Went for my appointment and the > pacemaker surgeon took one look at the site and immediately sent me > to A&E for immediate admission to the cardiology ward, no messing! I > was immediately put on 4 different IV antibiotics, with a little > improvement, but the wound under the site was getting bigger and > blacker and the edge of the gizmo became visible, which worried > them. On 18th, I got up at 0530 for a pee, no problem. At 0700, I > got up to wash and felt faint, so I sat down on the bed and put my > hand on the dressing and everything went back to normal. Got up > again a few minutes later: same result, but the wireless EKG monitor > I had on sent alarm signals to the nurses' station. Within 10 > seconds, 3 nurses (pretty!) round my bed with the heart failure > crash cart (bravo for their prompt reaction!). I was hooked up to > the mobile EKG and given oxygen, double fast. The screen showed > normal atrial pacing but only occasional ventricular pulses. No > further messing: immediate transfer to cardiac ICU (other end of > hospital, accompanied by 2 doctors and 2 nurses). When I got there > (still in my own bed) and transferred to a new bed, they removed the > dressing and found something they had never seen before: the > pacemaker had fallen completely through the hole, hanging by its > leads. Fortunately, the atrial lead was bipolar but the ventricular > one was unipolar and needed the body fluids to complete the circuit. > > I was in theatre within the hour and suffered nearly 3 h of torture, > again under locals, implanting new bipolar leads from the other side > and a new gizmo on the other side, having stuffed the older new one > back in the hole and taped it down to provide pacing, thus avoiding > a catheter from the groin. Having done that and sewn it up, they > then tackled the old side and opened it up top and bottom, scraped > it out and cut away all the necrotic tissue and (hopefully) any > remaining traces of bacterial infection. They then removed the old > leads. Loads of IV antibiotics in ICU since + 5 days in a private > room in cardiology. > > The food was the WORST I've ever had in any hospital, but the staff > seemed competent and pleasant. > > BTW, I've lost 13 kg since January, of which 6 kg in the past 3 > weeks. I had a nurse use a sterile scalpel to make a new hole in my > belt; otherwise, I would have left the hospital with my breeks round > my ankles! > > Brian > > Inge wrote: >> If you need chat anything else than techy things, I'm ready. When I >> was ill a couple of years ago in cancer, I valued much somebody to >> talk to. About everything. >> Take care, and take it easy the rest of the summer . >> Gesundheit! >> Inge >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Ellis" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: <[log in to unmask]> >> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 7:15 AM >> Subject: [TN] Absence >>> Have been hospitalised for 3 weeks and thus unable to keep up with >>> the >>> IPC forums. As there are 530 accumulated messages in TN alone, you >>> will >>> understand I'm not going to read them all or respond. I'll treat >>> them >>> all as read, and re-start from here. If anyone has sent a message >>> aimed >>> at me, since 8 May, please resend it, if you want an answer. >>> >>> Thanks for your understanding. >>> >>> Brian >>> >>> --------------------------------------------------- >>> Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following >>> text in >>> the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet >>> To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail >>> to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) >>> To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask] >>> : SET Technet Digest >>> Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives >>> Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 >>> for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] >>> or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 >>> ----------------------------------------------------- > > --------------------------------------------------- > Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 > To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following > text in > the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet > To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask] > : SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) > To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask] > : SET Technet Digest > Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives > Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 > for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] > or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 > ----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 -----------------------------------------------------