I bring this up because almost eight months post-op, the swelling has subsided, but the wires are poking through. The third wire juts out right along the new scar and then disappears under the my chest muscle and sternum and reemerges on the other side. I feel like a doll or a stuffed animal who's exterior has been worn down to the core. My stuffing as been slowly seeping out and my wires are protruding. Even though the wires are new, it makes me feel old, like I'm falling apart and here are the nuts and bolts that are holding me together.
As of right now, I have four different metal devices keeping my heart working: a biventricular ICD, a mechanical aortic valve, and two titanium VSD occluders. Not to mention the three wires.
VSD occluder- a small metal device used to plug up a ventricular septal defect
ventricular septal defect- a defect in the septum between the right and left ventricles; commonly called a "hole"; most common heart defect in a newborn (www.americanheart.org)
Sometimes I just feel like a robot.