Swelling

I got my Pm replacement on 13/5/2010 i wanted to know how long will it take for me to get back to normal i feel ok no pain but i feel a little tight where the pm is and tender and hard to sleep with it just now. just wanted to know how long does swelling usually take to go down?

4 Comments

Pacer discomfort

by ElectricFrank - 2010-05-22 10:05:00

A lot depends on your build and where it is implanted. An implant directly under the skin on the chest just below the clavicle seems to be the quickest to heal. Implants under muscles or breast can take quite a bit longer.

My experience is with the directly under the skin location. Within a couple of weeks I didn't find it limiting other than not raising that arm above my shoulder. From then on it was only tender to stretching movements or when I reached across my chest with the arm. Somewhere around 3 months it reached a point where I only noticed it when I was answering questions here. (:G

The real issue is the tissue damage from making the pocket for the pacer. No matter where it is implanted it will cause stretching of the skin for a while. By the way are you having swelling or just the bulge of the device under your skin?

frank

Your pain

by jimkirschvink - 2010-05-23 01:05:44

You'll get over it quick, just make sure you don't have an infection. Mine was put in 3 years ago, and I hardly notice it. what a miricle to live in a society where thing like that can be fixed!

You'll get used to sleeping, just experiment with pillows, and you'll figure it out.

Male or Female?

by travlin50 - 2010-05-24 12:05:22

I got my PM installed 5-13-2010 and went back to work today. I am not an expert but my doctor told me it takes longer for women than men to recover due to our breasts. ( I mean recover from the pain.) I don't know if you are a man or woman but a woman with larger breasts (and older) with our "perky" melons heading down south like a heavy sack of potatoes, it is hard on the incision site. Finding the right bra really makes a difference and that is the only reason I am sitting here at my desk. Even with a the bra on I still fell pain and pulling on the incision, but it is so much better than it was. As far as sleeping, try and put a pillow under your left shoulder area and sleep slightly turned on your right. That worked for me, it took the pressure off my left shoulder. Of coarse I would toss in the night and wake myself with the pain, but was always able to go back to sleep. I noticed a slight improvement everyday. I was actually able to walk into work without feeling like I was going to pass out! Yippee for my PM.

swelling at site

by Marilyn Guzman - 2010-06-02 11:06:50

Had my PM installed Nov. 09, the swelling is still there a bit near the incision and it is painful for some reason under the left breast at times - don't know the connection - from all I've read it will take a full year for everything to stay put, because my pocket shifted (which no one told me would happen) and the PM moved - am told it will take up to a year to settle in) therefore the swelling, occasional pain in the left arm, left shoulder the of course the incision site, is still there, not as much as before but still there. I agree sleeping is difficult - I found that putting a pillow to my right, sleeping on my right side and resting my left arm on that pillow gives me a lot of relief during the night. Some people put a towel or small pillow under the left armpit to give relief. I've found it impossible to sleep on my left side as I used to - hurts too much I guess because there is pressure on the PM.

Marilyn

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Member Quotes

I have a well tuned pacer. I hardly know I have it. I am 76 year old, hike and camp alone in the desert. I have more energy than I have had in a long time. The only problem is my wife wants to have a knob installed so she can turn the pacer down.