Pacemaker

While reading these postings about what everyone had to deal with I decided to throw in my situation I have been dealing with for quite some time. My first pacemaker was in 2003 and 53 yrs old. It was a Medtronic. When I moved some years later, the new doctor decided to put a Boston Scientific pacemaker in. A few years later it was recalled and and had to be replaced. The one before that, in my opinion, caused an awful odor like chemical or metal under my left armpit but all my doctors and Boston Scientific say they never heard of such an issue before.

My question is, has anyone on here ever dealt with anything like this with having a place implanted for a while?

 

3 Comments

Doctors

by Tex61 - 2024-08-21 09:09:37

Yeah. I love it when I'm told something is impossible and never happens.   Trust your gut.    One arm pit for and not the other.   Weird 

Might be worth finding out which recall it was under

by crustyg - 2024-08-21 10:56:43

BostonSci had a very large recall a while back for a gas problem which could cause premature device failure.  While I know and accept that PMs are meant to be hermetically sealed I *wonder* if they can in fact outgas, although that does seem extremely unlikely.  Just because someone has never heard of <a> doesn't mean that <a> doesn't happen.

My approach to Impossible Things is to keep an open mind.  Decades ago a very smart colleague reported his observation with a system that I'd designed and built.  I knew what he described couldn't be the cause of the observed issue but I investigated it anyway, and he was correct.  The tech docs said that <x> would prevent <y> from working while it was carrying traffic.  Another learning experience.

In Medicine we all learn (very quickly) that there is no Never, or Always.  If you *really* know a disease then you know that there are exceptions.

Recalls: check FDA at

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfres/res.cfm enter LWP in Product Code, and Boston Scientific in vendor, and search.  For Accolade etc. there was a big recall on 3rd June 2021 which was about H2 damage.  Search for the serial number of your device.

'Funny' smell from pacemaker

by Selwyn - 2024-08-23 12:13:28

Never hearing of something is no excuse in medicine as no doctor can know everything.

Pacemaker allergy is recognised.  You can be allergic to almost anything- certainly nickel, epoxy resins, plastics.

I would suggest this could be your problem... perhaps?

 See> HeartRhythm Case Rep. 2022 Jun; 8(6): 410–414.
Published online 2022 Mar 10. doi: 10.1016/j.hrcr.2022.03.003

Of course, having smelt a few arm pits in my time, it is not uncommon to get deep seated gland infections that smell and are very difficult to eradicate- see Hidradenitis suppurativa. ( https://dermnetnz.org/topics/hidradenitis-suppurativa). Mild cases often go unrecognised.

There are rarer causes of smelly armpit (s) such as inborn errors of metabolism, something more likely in kids.

Whilst appreciating your problem,  I can't help myself with remembering the old joke ( no offence and apologies to yourself):

A little old lady goes to the doctor and says: “Doctor I have this problem with gas, but it really doesn’t bother me too much because they never smell and are always silent. As a matter of fact, I’ve farted at least 20 times since I’ve been here in your office.”

The doctor says: “I see, take these pills and come back to see me next week”.

The next week the lady goes back to his office. “Doctor,” she says. “I don’t know what you gave me, but now my farts, although still silent, stink terribly!”

The doctor says: “Good, Now that we’ve cleared up your sinuses, let’s work on your hearing”.

( Apologies again for the funny).

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Member Quotes

As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.