Pacemaker. Check.

So I got it. It's done. I now have a titanium Guidant pacemaker installed in my left shoulder. (It's better than a hamster on a wheel, right?)

Sorry that I haven't written until now, but it's been painful, and I'm sick of typing one-handed. So this will be short and sweet. Or bitter, maybe.

I'll spare you the details of the surgery/procedure, for now. It'll take too long to type it. Maybe next time.

It wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I had expected. So that's good, I guess. My left shoulder hurts, and I can't tell if when I touch it I feel the pacemaker, or the swelling. Maybe it's both. Either way, it grosses me out. The area surrounding the incision (the "pocket" they created in which to place the pacemaker) is very colorful. I didn't know that my skin could bruise the colors of the rainbow so brilliantly.

Hey - please wish me luck with wearing a bra tomorrow. Shoulder incision + bra strap = OUCH!

I'm under restrictions - I wasn't allowed to shower/get the incision wet until today, so I worked from home. (Since I haven't showered since 3:30 Friday morning, I'm guessing that my colleagues are thanking me for this courtesy.) I'm waiting to shower until RobbieMax comes home, in case I need help. (Smart thinking, huh?) And how does one wash their semi-long hair one-handed?

I can't drive for 10 days (well, 8 days now), I can't lift my left arm up past my shoulder and I can't lift anything more than 5 pounds for 4 weeks. The healing scar tissue needs to heal the leads in place. Sounds nice, huh?

Well, it's taken me almost an hour to just type this little bit, and the fingers on my right hand are numb.

I'm just waiting to take my shower. The next time I post later on this week, I'll tell the story of my pacemaker implantation, and smell much better.