PAIN

Wound Care

by Gemita - 2022-07-02 13:21:31

Timmy you should have been given wound care instructions following your pacemaker implant which you should follow?

Don't apply a frozen ice pack directly onto the wound.  Wrap the ice pack in a cloth or towel and then lay gently on the wound for short periods only (like 10 mins at a time I was told).  

Any swelling, inflammation, pain should slowly subside after 7-10 days (or earlier for some).  A few of us may have longer term pain.  Follow any instructions you were given about when to shower again, to keep the wound dry and clean and to report any oozing coming from the wound or any sudden increase in swelling and redness, although some swelling and redness is normal.  Bruising can be very common too and may take a couple weeks to resolve.  Please speak to your doctors for adequate pain relief.  I wish you well

Wound care

by AgentX86 - 2022-07-02 13:50:03

Gemita is right about all but I wanted to emphasize just how important wound care is.  It is serious stuff and you should follow your medical team's instructions to the letter.  Beware of anything that looks like an infection and if the wound opens, even a little, call your doctor's nurse immediately.  If you weren't given instructions (should have been verbally as well as written down and give to you in your discharge papers) call them and get wound care instructions.

This is serious stuff. Pain is incidental in this context.

Welcome aboard

by Lavender - 2022-07-02 16:01:02

Sorry to hear of your pain. I was too cautious about anything touching my pacemaker site early on. But, I found that applying ice on my back shoulder, kind of just opposite the pacemaker area, really helped. I would do it 20 minutes on, followed by 20 minutes off. 
 

Healing times are different for everyone but in time you will be fine. Mine just looks like a white thin line where they went in. At first it was a red raised thick looking cut with swelling and bruising around it.