pain

I am 6 wks post op for my PM. I am experiencing chest discomfort. The doctors can't find anything wrong. Is this part of the healing process? How long does it take to heal? My lower lead is placed wrong. Could this cause the pain? the doctors are leaving it up to me to have it removed or not, since I don't use it. They say its more serious to take it out than just leave it. Has this ever happpened to anyone? I use the PM top lead about 28% of the time. Also, I get very tired after minimal exercise, is this normal?

3 Comments

Hi debbie54

by Gellia2 - 2008-08-10 08:08:03

I'm not really sure why you are having chest discomfort, but I did want to address your lower lead wire.
I have a ventricular wire that scarred over and no longer worked. As I am PM dependent, I had to have a new one placed (1982). The old wire was sutured in place and left there. It has been there for 33 years even though it dropped into my ventricle in a large loop. It hasn't bothered me at all.
My EP said the same thing. All my wires are too old and fixed in place to even try to remove. It is safer to leave them alone.
Don't worry about your wire. If the drs think it won't bother you, don't bother it.
I do hope your pain will go away shortly. Many times with a sub pectoral implant, if this is what you have, the discomfort takes quite some time to go away.
Best to you,
Gellia

what kind?

by Tracey_E - 2008-08-10 08:08:08

Unless they think the lead is causing pain- which I doubt because leads are really thin- I'd leave it be.

What kind of pain and where is your pm placed? If it's pressure and a squeezing sensation across your chest, go back to the doctor! If it's shooting pain and the occasional twinge or ache around the implant, that's just things settling in and continuing to heal. You can get that up to 3 or 4 months.

Is your rate going up when you exercise? Part of the fatigue could be just recovering from the surgery, though at six weeks you should be able to start doing more now. Or more likely, your settings might need adjusted. A lot of pm patients are not active and their settings are very simple. Those of us that are active make the pacer work harder and sometimes require more fine tuning in our settings. If they can't figure it out just by looking at your reports, ask about a stress test to see what's going on when you get tired.

Pain

by 60bpm - 2008-08-22 09:08:21

Hi Debbie,
I'm having alot of pain and discomfort too. It feels as though it's pulling down from my collarbone and from the side where my arm meets my chest. I also feel like the pm is moving all the time. I had a ultrasound yesterday which didn't show anything. Tomorrow I'm having a CT scan. I'm praying they find a reason for all this discomfort. At this point, I don't think I can stand living like this very long. Is there any hope tht this will go away....

You know you're wired when...

You’re a battery-operated lover.

Member Quotes

I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.