Just had mine put in.

Hello all,
I am so glad to find this site.
I just had a pacemaker put in 8 days ago. I am surprised of how I am feeling I keep hearing stories of people who got one and they say they feel great it is the best thing ever. For some reason I thought I would be so happy. Now I am very happy to not have skipped beats and total heart block any more but there is some part of me that feels kinda sad and a little scared that a batterie and leads is what is keeping me alive. So I feel bad for not feeling more happy. I was wondering if anyone went threw this kind of thing?
Also how long will it still hurt? The area feels a little better every day but still sore. I do special needs and child care for my job. Is it true I really can not pick up a baby for 6 weeks?
Thanks again for this site I know I will be reading on here all the time.
Lori

5 Comments

New Pacemaker

by SMITTY - 2010-10-31 01:10:19

Hi Lori,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club,

Not all of us feel our best for several weeks after getting a pacemaker. There are several reasons for that, such as the implant site having get totally well and that takes longer for some than others. I think 4 to 8 weeks is more normal for total healing time. In addition, more often than not the settings on our new pacemakers have to be tweaked for it to be at its best. When it is implanted the doctor takes his best guess and lots of times that is good enough, but for many of us it may take 2 to 5 tries to get things right.

As for being scared about being battery powered that is a load you should not be carrying. Even with total heart bloc, you were alive, but not feeling well, when you got your pacemaker. That means if your pacemaker totally quit today, your heart would simply revert back to being the way it was before you got the pacemaker. Few people, including those that are 100% dependant on their pacemaker, could not live at least a while without their pacemaker. The heart has a natural pacemaker which your pacemaker is assisting in keeping your heart functioning as it should. However, the heart also has a backup natural pacemaker in case of an emergency. So should that manmade device quit, the backup natural pacemaker will keep you going for some amount of time. Sure you will be sick, but not too sick to get help.

As for picking up babies, since babies come in different sizes and you will have weight limits on what you can pick up for a few weeks to a few months to give the leads time to get "settled" in, you will need to discuss that with your doctor. He is the one to tell you the weight limits and time for this. For example I was limited to ten pounds for about a month.

So give yourself a little time to get well and adjust to your new life. After that you should fine that often times you are not even aware you have a pacemaker.

Good luck,

Smitty

Hi

by dad4dds - 2010-10-31 01:10:49

You can not lift with the left arm for 6 weeks. I was sore for months. The Dr said it could take up to a year for the muscles to grow around the PM. It did not take that long. I am back to doing eveything I was before the PM was put in.

We are here for each other.

Brian Elliott

Hi Lori and welcome to the club!

by Hot Heart - 2010-10-31 05:10:21

You are still in very early days at the moment. It takes the body and the mind some time to adjust.

I was one of these people who had no idea that there was anything wrong with me and I went into total shock and terror when it happened.

I've been pacing 2 years today. I hardly ever think about it now. I am far too old to have a baby to pick up but have a very naughty dog who constantly escapes, I have to run round the estate after him and when I catch him put him under my arm and hoist him home! lol.

Just give it time, follow the instructions of not lifting your arm for the first few weeks, this is only whilst the wires bed in. Good luck.

HH

Welcome

by ElectricFrank - 2010-10-31 12:10:35

Welcome to the site. I'll try to answer some of your questions from my perspective.

How you feel after getting the pacer depends a lot on what sort of problem you have, and how long you went needing a pacer before getting it..The pacer has only one ability which is to correct an electrical problem in the heart. If you have other heart problems the results may not be so dramatic. Also, if you needed the pacer for some time before getting it your body has likely been experiencing a lack of good blood flow to your brain and organs. It may take some time for them to heal.

How long it is painful depends partly on the placement. For those of us with it just under our skin healing is fairly rapid barring an infection. If your was implanted deeper for cosmetic reasons there was more disturbance of tissue and like any major surgery takes longer to heal.

As for picking up a baby the issue is really one of not raising your arm above shoulder level which can pull on the lead wires. Again placement of the pacer would determine what motions are a risk. My guess is that they restrict picking up a baby because there is too much risk you will forget and lift too high with a little feller squirming around.

You will likely get a wide range of comments and experiences about feeling sad and scared. As far as the risk of a small electronic device keeping you alive keep in mind that every time you take a flight on an airline there are a number of computers that must work or you will fall out of the sky. It is part of our modern society.

You will find a wide range of experiences amongst folks on the site as far as feelings after getting the pacer. I'll let others comment on that one. Personally, I was very happy to get it and get back to life.

again welcome and visit the site often

frank



Picking up is a no no

by cruz - 2010-11-01 02:11:00

You can't pick up anything over 5 lbs. The weigh can cause the leads to be fractured. While they are bonding they suggest you not do any stretching, reaching over your head and picking up anything over 5 lbs. Check with the doctor's office. They should have given you some paperwork before they released you from the hospital.

You know you're wired when...

You have a shocking personality.

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Pacemakers are very reliable devices.