Fast-Acting Care for Pacemaker Infection [Robert Pierce]

I'm Robert Pierce, and I'm from Arlington, South Dakota. My hobbies are basically working on model trains and doing puzzles, I love them both.

How did you discover you needed a pacemaker?

I worked on airplanes and it was a hot day, and I walked out to the airplane and I couldn't walk up the stairs. I had to sit and catch my breath. And so, they tried a few things and then ended up putting a pacemaker in with a defibrillator, so...

When were you first concerned about your pacemaker?

I noticed a spot below my pacemaker that didn't look right, and the pacemaker area was a little swollen too. So, I sent pictures to the heart doctor down in Avera, and he thought it was just a cyst, it wasn't any of his concern to just go see my primary. And so I called the primary right away, and they got me in, in Arlington, a wonderful place. The clinic there is awesome. And she took one look at it and said, "That's not a cyst, we need to do something more."

How was your experience with the imaging staff?

They called up and said, "You can go in at this time." And I came over here, and those people were just awesome too. They explained everything, what they were gonna do, how they were gonna do it. It made me feel real comfortable. So, you know, they were doing what they were supposed to do and it felt really good, so...

Why was timeliness important to you?

To me, it was quite a relief, and I think to my wife, it was even more of a relief, so at least we knew that something was going to be done. And after the CT results came in, which were very quick, I didn't have to wait a week. It was like, you know, hours, called the heart doctor, I'm on my way to the heart doctor the next day. And then shortly after that, the pacemaker was removed because of infection.

What was your diagnosis?

They just showed that there was definitely something around the pacemaker and that it was indeed infected and it was not a cyst. And the treatment was pretty much go down to the heart doctor and have him remove the pacemaker. And then we had my wound care vacuum put on.

How did the wound vacuum help your recovery?

It is to help it heal from the inside out. So you don't... If it heals on the outside first, you can form another pocket in there where you could get infection again. So, that's what this is all about. They have to change the dressing. It's an internal dressing where they have to actually put something in there to help it heal. And they're very good at it.

Why did you choose wound care at Brookings Health System?

The main reason we came here to the wound care center was because I didn't want to drive to Sioux Falls every other day. So, this is a godsend. I mean, these places close to home is just unbelievably nice. I mean, I can't ask for anything better, I mean.

How was your experience with the wound care team?

Oh, the wound care team? They are awesome. They are just the sweetest ladies I ever seen. They care about you, they're really careful. I mean, they've got to do things that most people don't have to do with wounds, and they're very, very delicate, and they make you feel real comfortable. And the nice thing is, they explain it to you. They tell you what they're doing, you know, so that's really good. I would highly recommend if you need it, this is the place to come. I can't imagine anybody else being as nice as they are.

How was the communication between your medical providers?

That was amazing too because a lot of times they don't like to do that, they don't like to share information. But with the portal that we have, and the team that, they all seem to work together. I mean, even the nurses in the clinic in Arlington work with the nurses over here. I mean, I can't even tell you how I appreciate that. And how they keep everything going. I mean, it's amazing, there's a lot going on.

Would you recommend care at Brookings Health System?

You have the facilities, you have the people, you have the technical ability to do things. I mean, it's nice to have everything you need right here. I mean, you don't have to jump around town all over the place. It's nice, it's really nice. But the people are what makes it, I mean, they are all awesome, and everybody is unbelievably professional. I mean, down to everything. I mean, they care about you, you can feel they care about you. I don't know how you care about that many people, but they care, you can feel it. That would almost be a moving point for me if I didn't have a clinic there to have to go somewhere else all the time.

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