Tony, you took the correct course of a action by going to the "Doc In A Box", which in most instances is a great place for a quick diagnosis and they provide much better service than walking into a hospital emergency room. These guys see more cases in a day than most docs see in a week, and they see a diversity of problems that some docs never encounter. I must applaud them for their work.
Pacemakers have come a long way since I helped implant the first ones at University of Maryland Hospital way back in 1963. At the time, they were the size of a hockey puck, batteries only lasted about a year at best, and replacing them was a big deal. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. And, back then, they were not defibrillators - just pacemakers. Better bang for the buck now.
Recovery time ranges 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the patient and how smoothly the procedure goes. It's a fairly benign procedure with very very few side effects, though infections can occur if the surgeon/cardiologist does not utilize good sterile technique. If you get an infection, kick him in the balls as hard as you can - he deserves it!
Good luck, and I sincerely hope everything goes well for you,
Gary
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