new PM questions

greetings all. i want to thank you all for your great information on this site, it has been invaluable to me since my 12/14/07 implanting.
i am 2.5 weeks into recovery and am doing all that is asked of me in regards to lifting etc. my PM is just below the collar bone which seems normal from reading this site but it feels like a 5 pound rock! is this normal and if so how long can i expect to feel this way? i am following the movement restrictions but every movement of the arm creates a feeling of tension on the PM area-a tightness or "full" sensation that feels as though it will inhibit my left arm motility. is that normal and if so will i ever have "normal" left arm movements such as lifting the arm straight above my head or reaching over to the far right side of the body?
also have been having some "blue" days as the feeling of vulnerability-breaking leads,pulling wires,etc seems all to real at this point in the process.
i appreciate any words of wisdom!
thanks.

4 Comments

Normal

by hooimom - 2008-01-02 07:01:11

Everything you are feeling is normal....at least that is what I felt and what others on this site have said. When I would try to take a walk after my PM surgery I couldn't even go 2 oe 3 blocks simply because my PM seemed so heavy and felt sore. That improved greatly in the weeks that followed and soon I felt normal again.

My PM is right under the collar bone and still gets sore from time to time when I lift heavy objects. I have had mine since 7/06 and most of the time I don't even think about it. You'll figure out what makes you uncomfortable as you go along and you just learn to avoid those things.

As far as the vulnerability and "blue" days, they are pretty common feelings. We have had to face major life changes and that warrants some "blue" time I think. That too gets better with time. You are still very new into this. Like Cathryn said, you are safer now than you were 3 weeks ago. You'll learn to trust your PM and it becomes just another body part.

Get plenty of rest and take care of yourself. You'll feel better every day. It just takes a little time. Ask any questions or just come here and share what you are going through. Everyone on this site understands what you are going through.

Michelle

Hi and Welcome

by TexasAngel - 2008-01-02 07:01:46

I remember feeling like I had this foreign thing in my body helping to keep me alive. It was extremely overwhelming and I noticed how "heavy" it felt" at times. You won't notice it after a while. Right now everything is pretty sore from being moved around and poked on, etc. Give it time. It took me about 6 weeks to feel "normal" again and even after that I was very, very cautious about using my arm. LOL I was a tad bit paranoid actually. I got over it. I have had my pm since September 10, 2007.

You have gotten some great advice and words of wisdom already but I figured I would add my two cents. :-)

I slept with a sling the first few weeks to remind myself not to put my hand over my head. I also wore it some during the day when I got to feeling better to remind me not to raise my hand above shoulder height! LOL It also made people aware of my shoulder area and they were more careful not to "bump" me (like at the mall or grocery store).

I remember the blues too. That is perfectly normal and understandable. I laid in bed and cried all day for some crazy unknown reason one day a couple of weeks after my surgery. It went away (thank goodness).

Sounds like you are right on track to being a new normal. :-)

Best wishes!!

Michelle in Texas

Hi

by TKS - 2008-01-03 12:01:03

I just had to jump in here..

I had a terrible time with the blues after my PM implant (6/06) and an ablation two weeks following. Six months prior to my implant I lost my mom to cancer. While she was ill I was dealing with tachy/brady snydrome and meds and I was trying to help my sisters care for my mom at home. I was also working full time and going to school. To top it all off we also found out right after my my mom died that my husband had a brother who had placed for adoption at birth. He found us and that's a whole different story...LOL.

Anyway, I was so blue I got counseling through my employer. I cried all the time. The counselor helped me realize that I had such a full plate and had been through so much emotional stress that this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She made me realize that no matter how crummy I felt, the technology was enabling me to live a better life. Yes, I hurt! My legs were brusied, one to the knee and one to the ankle from the ablation. My pacer felt like a ton on my shoulder. But in time, it all got better and I feel so much better. My pacer still gives me twitches and twinges now and then. I don't have much fat in the implant area and the site will always be a little touchy for me.

I still have an open heart surgery to face in the next year or two, but I know in the long run I'll feel better and will be here to see my grandkids grow up.

Everything I experienced I have seen someone else post about, so much of what you are going through appears to be normal and natural.

Keep your chin up and be patient...it will get better! :-)

Hugs!

Theresa (from Iowa)

thanks!

by sugarmagnolia - 2008-01-04 07:01:00

i appreciate all of your advice. new years day was the worst- PM weighed a "ton," area tight and sore, mood down with our old friend vulnerability. but all is much brighter today. the incision is healing nicely, getting used to the tight feeling of the PM under the skin (i am somewhat thin and the PM is visible under the upper chest skin). i have been walking more and more and will return to work in a few days. i am a retail pharmacist-anyone else?- and have some trepidation about the first few days back since still getting used to feeling better.
to theresa-i grew up in iowa (west des moines) and went to school at U of Iowa and now live in arizona.
keep on the beat,
steve

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