PM bulge

Hello all,my PM is now two months old,I am surprised at how prominent it seems.The site is just below the left collarbone and I would think any swelling after implantation is now long gone. I am,I suppose,rather spare in build so maybe there is not much to bury the device in! Has anybody else felt the PM seems to be just below the skin? I think the ladies may have the advantage here as there may be a bit more to tuck the PM into.:-) My neighbour has a PM but hers is nothing like as prominent.Certainly being a passenger in the car puts the safety belt right on the bulge,as a driver no problem,strap is over right shoulder(right hand drive).Carrying a camera bag on the left shoulder looks a bit uncomfortable,I think I am past the backpack stage but that would be also uncomfortable.
Any tips or comments?
Roly.

13 Comments

no fat there

by aldeer - 2008-04-25 01:04:03

My pm is just under the skin lower in the chest area. Just one corner is out a little, but can hardly detect it. However the lead wire is very prominent and can be seen and felt (with a little coil) just under the skin and is quite sensitive with straps. The seat belt is very uncomfortable as are swimsuits with elastic in the strap. How found two very comfortable suits, so problem solved! My pm is eight months old, but other then that I hardly know it is there.
aldeer

The Same

by Jules - 2008-04-25 01:04:38

Hi I have now had my pacemaker for 14 weeks and counting. I to find that the pacemaker protrudes and is very noticeable. I was told that I needed more fat around my chest area.

How inadequate does that make one feel.

Anyway, I think there are a few of us that are the same.

Jules

ICD bulge

by Smart Redd - 2008-04-25 05:04:32

I got mine 3/18/08 and the DR still is insisting that the 'swelling' will go down and settle somewhere behind the breast area. Ha! I don't think so.

I am a moderately overweight woman. There should have been plenty of tissue to work with and position the unit behind. Now, 20 pounds lighter since the surgery and I can't believe the bulge is going to get any better.

Just days out of surgery I swear I could feel the unit slipping in and out from behind the collar bone. DR poo-poo that idea (and the sound that went with it) early enough that we could have done something and kept it back in its 'pocked'. Now that everything is pretty much healed, it seems to me that my ICD is sitting 'ajar' with the top right corner just below the skin and is easily felt and outlined. The bottom left corner is hidden well behind and under the skin quite suitably.

Redd

My bulge

by susanspurs - 2008-04-25 08:04:33

Hi Roly

It'll be twelve weeks on Monday since my implant and the area around my PM is no longer swollen. But the shape of the PM is visible all around and the side nearest my left arm sticks out quite a lot and when I touch that side it feels like I am feeling all the wire connections.

I am a quite well covered female and I really didn't expect the PM to be so visible. Got the impression from the docs that "you won't even know it is there". Well it can be seen and it feels like a hard lump of metal covered by a thin layer of skin. So I do know it is there. Mine isn't even an ICD and it shows quite a lot!

Like you I am fine when I am driving but am quite uncomfortable with the seatbelt as a passenger. But I am hoping that will improve as I am still a bit tender around the PM site.

Good luck with your new PM.

Sue from London

PM Bu;ge

by MHCHAMPION - 2008-04-25 10:04:21

MY PM is also just under the skin and just below my collarbone. I have the same problem with the seat belt as you especially if I drive for a long while. I do have a
padded seat belt fleece that I wrap over the seat belt then.
I asked my Cardiologist what should I do if I'm ever in an auto accident and the seat belt stops me. He said, "Get to the ER ASAP!"
Margaret

Depends on the device/person

by turboz24 - 2008-04-25 11:04:29

It seems to all depend on the person, device, and implant location.

When I was in for my EP study/ablation, I had the nurse take a look at mine ICD site, since it occassionally hurts. Her comment was that they just don't fit if you are thin or have any muscle at all. I have an ICD, which is much larger than a PM, but yes, it does stick up in full relief. I can't carry anything over my shoulder on that side, but the seatbelt doesn't bother me.

If it bothers you, when it's time for replacement, you can ask for them to place it under the muscle, not just under 1/16" of skin. If I have to replace it, I will demand that next time. Until then, I just don't wear anything that's snug on my chest and don't go shirtless.

Bulge

by ElectricFrank - 2008-04-26 02:04:19

Mine is very obvious and in the same position as yours. It has been 3 1/2 years now. I am happy though that it doesn't bother me in any type of activity. I find it an interesting conversation starter when I don't have a shirt on.

frank

PM Bulge

by marg - 2008-04-26 02:04:26

I have had my pacemaker since July 2004 and have had no problems. Yes, it is pretty wierd looking, as it does really bulge out - but then it is supposed to. I can feel all the external parts. It is a single lead since I had an AV node ablation. I agree with everyone else, seat belts feel like a torture device - very painful. On this site at one time I saw an ad for something you can use on the seatbelt. One of the above comments states that individual uses a thick fleece, padded cover that fits over the seatfelt. Now - I don't want to drive anywhere without it!
Good luck!

me too!

by dw5281 - 2008-04-26 04:04:42

I got my PM in Feb this year & was surprised by how much it sticks out after being told that you wouldnt be able to tell! i am slim so i just put it down to that - it does cause me pain sometimes but I just think myself lucky thats theres this bit of kit that keeps me alive! & as I'm only 27 its on show often with t-shirts & vests etc. especially if I'm going out - great conversation starter as frank says!

skindeep pm

by radhakrishnan - 2008-04-26 05:04:04


i am radhakrishnan,I got my dual chamber PM implanted during june 07.My physician is of opinion that it could have implanted a little deeper as the upper part of the same where the leads are connected protrudes causing much discomfor in wearing shirt .The suggested alternative is to pad the place with graft. I am very slim and is only 48 kg,age 60. I beleive the problem is with the body stature.But hope I can pull on with it.

Bulge

by diranslow - 2008-04-26 08:04:06

I am a very thin person and my ICD protrudes also (had my placed back in Sept. of 2006). Until reading this I didn't know that was normal I am glad I read these comments. I did get one of the seat belt pads and it is great. I wouldn't drive without it. I know the ICD is very noticeable, but with 6 heart surgeries plus the ICD placement, I think that saving my life is much more important than how it looks. I thank god everyday for the technologies of today that can save our lives. I know it is very had to get used to, I was at first very uncomfortable when people notice my scars, but now I am so used to it that I don't even notice it anymore.

Good luck to everyone!!!

Diane

Soft Touch Product

by lweiser - 2008-04-26 11:04:02

The affiliates site has a strap that attaches to your seat belt and raises the belt off of the pm site. This sounds like something that might help make driving a little more comfortable. For the ladies they also have a pad you can attach to your bra strap to prevent irritation of the pm incision. I hadn't considered the purse on the shoulder problem. I guess I'll have to get used to carrying it on the other side...one more adjustment but worth it as long as my heart keeps beating:)

You are not alone...

by jennypacer06 - 2008-04-26 12:04:23

Received my pacemaker in February of 2006, at the ripe age of 31 and I too have "issues" with the bulge..for me being a female is a disadvantage because many bras are horrible and have a little adjuster right over my pacemaker, which I feel protrudes quite a bit.....days it bugs me I just look at my two little children & am glad to be here with them & my hubby...I do plan to make sure when I need it replaced that this doesn't happen again..I also feel I've lost range of motion in my arm/shoulder because of where it is placed. Best wishes,
Jenny

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