Surgery Update

I will be heading to Duke on Wednesday for my pre-op anesthesia consult and having surgery for my AICD implantation on Thursday, I will know specific times on Monday once the operating room scheduler calls me with all the details. So basically I will have the best of both worlds with an AICD; a pacemaker and defibrillator in one unit. As long as everything goes according to plan I will be discharged from the hospital on Friday. I will not be able to lift for 6 weeks so I will be resting as much as I can so that my recovery will go as smoothly as possible.
An AICD is a device that monitors a person's heart rate. They are generally implanted into heart failure patients. The device is programmed to perform the following tasks: speed up or slow down your heart, depending upon the heart rate. The AICD gives your heart a shock if you start having life threatening arrhythmias or an abnormally high heart rate. Arrhythmias occur when your heart does not beat normally. Some arrhythmias can cause the heart to completely stop beating. The shock given by the AICD can make the heart start beating normally again. An AICD can also make your heart beat faster if your heart is not beating fast enough. The surgery I will be having is called Implanted Cardiac Device Lead Extraction. Years after implantation, some cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator leads (wires) may need removal or replacement by extraction. This is because implanted cardiac devices (pacemakers and or ICD's) can be subject to infection, malfunction, or fracture. Removing implanted leads is potentially risky and offered only at a small number of medical centers -- many fewer than those offering implantation of these systems. Similar to other procedures, volume matters in terms of success and freedom from complications. Duke has among the highest volume of cardiac lead extractions with laser or other technology in the Southeast.

About 95 percent of patients have their leads removed without the need for open-heart surgery. Duke has an interdisciplinary program in lead extraction using the only hybrid operating room in North Carolina offering state-of-the-art x-ray fluoroscopy in a fully equipped open heart operating theater.
I am very confident in my doctors and surgeons and know that I am in the best of hands. As with any surgery, there is always anxiousness and the fear of the unknown but I can honestly say I am ready to have the surgery and have complete faith in God and know that everything will work out for the best. Thank you for all your love, prayers and support. I really appreciate all of you! I will definitely be keeping all of you updated!

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)