Twinges a year post PM

Hello to all. I've only had"internal", if you will, heart-related questions about my PM and me, installed January 2019. Happenings like PVCs, atril fib (what are those, why, why, why are they happening suddenly to me when I have a computer running things in my heart, etc.)--the usual questions no handbook you ever received addressed!

All that's going ok, no real active issues. My question now is about twinges/pulls that have started recently in the area where the PM is. It's somewhat like I'm recovering from the actual procedure and my body is getting used to having a foreign object in a pocket of skin (thin build, super visible), except I'm not--that went as expected a year ago. I haven't had a twinge for 6 months and, all of a sudden, it's like I got it a month ago. Not pain, just a feeling like something is adjusting to a change. Didn't recently do any of the usuals things that one is initially advised against (lifting something super heavy, trauma to the area, fiddling around with it externally, etc.). All 3 leads ok at EP visit some months ago.  

Any thoughts or did anything like this randomly come up for anyone else, well after healing was complete? I thought I was supposed to forget this thing was in me! I really could stop having new questions any time now.

Thank you to a group of lovely supportive people. 

2 Comments

Twinges and questions

by Gotrhythm - 2020-02-22 14:41:46

I've had my pacemaker for nine years now. To date, I haven't found the end of questions. Somenow, they just keep coming.

Why? You keep having new quesions because as you have seen, your body/heart keeps changing. And yes, you feel your body adjusting to the change. Even after nine years, I occasionally will have itching and/or pulling in the pacemaker area.

As for computer in your heart running things--that's a misunderstanding of how a pacemaker functions. The pacemaker does not take over the running of your heart.

Even with all the fancy bells and whistles, basically a pacemaker only does one thing. It stimulates your heart to beat just one beat anytime you heart doesn't beat on it's own. Then it waits to see if your heart will do the next beat. When your heart does beat by itself, the pacemaker does nothing. If your heart doesn't produce a beat, the pacemaker will pace.Then it waits...etc.

PVCs, afib, etc., are all ways of contracting that your heart does by itself. Since the pacemaker only acts in the absence of your heart contracting, it can't do anything to stop PCVs etc from happening. When your heart does nothing, that's when the pacing will kick in.

Keep asking those questions. The more you know, the better you understand what your pacemaker is doing the better questions you will ask and the better answers you will get.

Twinges

by Theknotguy - 2020-02-22 20:49:16

I'm six years out with my pacemaker.  I think for the first two years I had occasional twinges, stretch feelings, and other pains.  All due to my body adjusting to having the pacemaker.  

At nine months to a year I went back to working in a charity woodshop.  I usually didn't have any problems while working, but the day after it would feel like someone had wrapped my pacemaker in sandpaper and scrubbed it around.  Sometimes I would have severe itching in the pacemaker pocket.  Other times I'd have a sharp pain that would last for a few seconds.  None of this was recorded or talked about so I felt I was on my own.  

Every year the twinges and pains decreased.  Eventually they quit all together.  Now, at six years out, I don't have any problems unless I do something I shouldn't.  

Hopefully this will be the same for you.  I hope you have a good adjustment to your pacemaker.  
 

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