Pacemaker recipients: Looking for support from others

@brightwood
I just wanted to add. I have PTSD anxiety/panic disorder. On a post on a different subject my urologist wanted to do a transrectal biopsie because I had heart failure. I DID NOT want that done under local anesthetic not only from the stress of being awake but the increase in infection rate. So I had my HF doctor communicate with my urologist my heart failure was NOT and issue with using general anesthesia.

Now on subject of ICD/Pacemakers. I am on my 3rd one. I can emphaszie with your anxiety over getting one. What I can tell you at Mayo Jacksonville my EP gives a tranquilizer that is quite powerful and you relax. He then does the drug called propronol. That is a sleep inducing drug and but you are in the light sleep mode but not in a deep sleep. An anesthesiologist is there to monitor you but your are not under general anesthesia.

I am not sure where you are going for you pacemaker but check with them about what they do for the procedure. I can only speak for myself but after three of the procedures. I have no anxiety over doing another one as I felt nothing, and don't remember any of the procedure as that is what the propronol does.

I think the term local anesthetic indicates just getting a pain medication at the site. This is not what Mayo Clinic does. And I like you would not havae it done that way. You can always go to Mayo or Cleveland to have it done and then have your local cardiologist or EP take over after that. That is offered at Cleveland and Mayo.