Received pacemaker Monday 8/5

Well, this is a club I didn't expect to be in at 46 but life is full of surprises!I had surgery on Monday and came home Monday evening. I haven't had problems from the device like others here have seemed to have had. I am mostly dealing with being nervous about moving my left arm and pulling the lead wires out as I was cautioned not to do but also not ending up with a frozen shoulder like I had for a year. Also, my doc has me returning to work Monday! I can't even put a stupid bra on! The pain level is down but the soreness and bruising is not. If I had a desk job I might feel differently but I am in and out of a vehicle all day and walk for about 6 hours of my day. I just can't see it. Am I being a wimp here?

8 Comments

Comfort

by Texas54 - 2013-08-10 05:08:40

The best thing I did and wish I did it sooner was get a Spanx Bra with wide straps. I tried every kind of bra out there and was better of without one but you got have one when you go to work or out in general. It is expensive but worth every penny. I bought four and had a bra fitter size me at the store. Can you take short term disability until you have more time to heal up? I had my ICD put in under muscle and it took awhile to heal enough to do normal things. I also bought a pad at the auto parts store for my seat belt . It helped when driving. Hope this helps you.

Talk to your Doctor

by Grateful Heart - 2013-08-10 05:08:46

Explain you job to him/ her and take the time you need.

When I had my device implanted in December, 2008, no one talked to me about returning to work. I had a business appt. about 3 days later after a major snow storm. Not wanting to cancel the appt., I pushed myself since more snow and ice was coming. In hindsight, it wasn't smart and I should have taken more time.

If you can take more time off, do so. You don't need the added pressure of doing your job on top of trying to recover. It sounds like you are not ready yet physically...we understand.

Grateful Heart

Take time

by Sharecropper - 2013-08-10 09:08:54

Welcome Hardwired 46,

Like you I'm fairly new to the club so all I can tell you are my recent experiences. I received my device July 3, this year and like you was very concerned about not moving my arm. My Dr. told me I needed to move it or I'd end up with a frozen shoulder ( I've had that before too). So I would lift my arm forward and sideways being sure not to lift above shoulder height. I wouldn't move it backwards, pulling the pectoral muscles for a while though.

My Dr. also told me not to drive for 4 weeks ( I cheated a little), but was very careful not to use my left arm when making a sharp turn. If your job requires you to drive a lot, I'd be more concerned with that than anything. We all know how quickly a short drive can sometimes turn ugly and a possible "jerking" of the steering wheel could possibly do some damage to the leads until they've had time to anchor themselves. If your employer will allow you extra time off to heal, take it! You're not a wimp! You've had an important event happen to you and it takes a while to get your body going again. As far as the bra thing, I went without for about three weeks and just chose clothes that would conceal it as much as possible.

Good luck and welcome to the club! Even though we all experience things differently, you are sure to find plenty of great information and advice here. Most importantly, listen to your body! You know it better than anyone.

Sharecropper

You are NOT being a wimp, but.....

by donr - 2013-08-10 10:08:40

.....You are overly cautious about the leads coming out.

If you mean the surgery was LAST Monday (6 days ago), look at the incision to see roughly how the implant points have healed. Actually, it would take quite a bit of work to pull them out. If you had an X-Ray, you'd see a bunch of slack in the leads between the PM & the subclavian vein where they enter near the collar bone. Then (IF the surgeon sutured the leads like he should have at the entrance to the vein) the leads should be fastened at the vein entry point. Get inside the vein on the way to the heart & there is more slack in the wires/ They can flop around pretty easily. Then inside the heart there is slack . The blood sloshed back & forth quite violently as it is pumped, so the leads get flailed around like a seal in the jaws of a Great White Shark. So by this point, if you show a modicum of care, you will NOT dislodge the leads. That is...IF they were implanted properly!

You can move the arm all you want as long as you don't raise the elbow over your shoulder.

STOP worrying about that!

Bruising - ah, GRAVITY!!!!! You may have a fair amount of blood that was released in the pocket. It has to go somewhere & there are all sorts of little nooks & crannies throughout the body between muscles, Gravity takes over & pulls that loose (extravasated, or extravascular are the fancy medical terms for it) blood toward the center of the Earth. So expect it to show up as painless, though UGLY) bruises somewhere between the pocket & the center of the Earth - You sleep on your back - look for it to show up in your armpit. It will flow down your chest from standing. I'll let YOU figure out where to find it if you are capable of sleeping on your belly.

We all heal at different rates & the soreness depends on the skill of the surgeon & how your body handles it.

If you have no infection You will heal faster.

No, you are NOT a wimp. I'd say you need a week or so of "Light " duty till you are back into the swing of things.

Don

ditto

by Tracey_E - 2013-08-10 11:08:35

Ditto what the others said. You are not a wimp and the leads aren't going anywhere. Minimal problems recovering is actually the norm, though it doesn't seem that way after reading the posts here. For every person with a complication who comes here for answers, there are thousands like you out there who heal and get on with their lives without an issue.

Monday seems a little premature to be going back to work. Just because the doc said you CAN go back doesn't mean you should. I found it hard to ride in the car a lot for the first few weeks, the road vibration made the pocket sore.

I wear the tank tops with a built in shelf bra rather than a regular bra for a few weeks after a pm surgery.

Btw, I'm 46 also but I'm on #4 now. Once you heal you'll find it doesn't keep us from doing anything we want to do.

Not a whimp

by golden_snitch - 2013-08-10 11:08:48

Hi!

You're definitely not a whimp. I could not imagine doing the job you do just one week after the first pacemaker implant. Not only because of getting in and out of the car all the time, but also because of the seatbelt rubbing over the still healing pacemaker site. Have you tried that, yet? If you cannot put on a bra, a seatbelt might be even more discomfort. I usually take two weeks off after a pacemaker surgery.

Don is right, don't worry too much about pulling the leads out. Most leads that need revision are not being pulled out, but were just not placed very well right from the beginning. You can and should move your arm as normally as possible. And it's ok to take painkillers for a while; better that than being in pain and ending up in some kind of relieving posture.

You should talk to your doctor and, if you haven't yet, give him the details of what your job includes. I don't think that getting another week off should be a big problem; you're not asking for months off, just five more days.

Good luck!
Inga

Another point of view

by IAN MC - 2013-08-10 12:08:31

Hello Hardwired If you don't feel up to working don't ! ....... but, I can only be honest with you and tell you my own experience. I drove 700 miles on Day 7 and several miles every day in week 2 without any problems whatsoever. I was very happy getting in and out of a vehicle in week 2 . I was also very happy walking a few miles every day. I know nothing about bras ( well a little bit , I am married ! ) but I had no discomfort whatsoever being in cars.

Everyone is different and maybe your Dr is right in encouraging you to lead as normal a life as possible as soon as you can.

I think some people are over -cautious after what is a minor operation, BUT we are all different.

Best of luck

Ian

Same Day!

by RosyEatWorld - 2013-08-14 04:08:02

Hi,
I also had my PM implanted on 8/5. I asked my Dr is there was any way he could hide my PM because I worried about looking at a PM for the rest of my life (I am only 29). Plus, my breasts are a little on the large side and didn't want them weighing down on a scar. He was able to implant it in the crease between my armpit and chest. He said he had only done it this way a few other times before. Hopefully this helps with bras and seat belts, etc. I still have the incision bandaged and I can't even feel the PM at all. I should see the scar today maybe since I have my first check up this afternoon. I hope I can find a bra that works for me. I never used the sling and am moving my shoulder plenty, probably too much. My Dr. also wanted to send me back to work one week later but my Department didn't let me, I'm a Correctional Officer and need to be able to restrain when necessary. Hopefully I can get a better note today when I see him. Good Luck!

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