"Endless pain" response

• by Dodiad71
• 2007-06-11 02:06:09
• General Posting
• 1583 views
• 0 comments

Hello again, everyone. Thank you to all who responded. I forgot to mention in my post that my doctor is with a large university medical center, in fact one of the biggest in the country and listed as the "best" in my state. So going to another for a second opinion is very difficult for me, especially as I also rely on public aid (medical) in my state to help me (if they do, that is).

I also have concerns about a possible blood clotting issue because the swelling in my arm just began over the last few months.

To recall, my original email:

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've written and am curious about whether anyone else has ever experienced what I am feeling right now.

I've had two prior pacemakers try to expel themselves from my body. Usually due to infection, an infection could not be found. A third machine was placed on the same side as the other two but deeper down under the muscle--that was in May, 2006. It's over a year later and the pain I began having after that surgery just won't end. The pain is through my whole shoulder and my entire left arm all the way down to my fingers.

In the last 6 months, I had a bout of pain that was absolutely crazy for several days (different from the usual pain--I felt like I was being shot, stabbed and burned at the same time in the armpit) that suddenly disappeared. The other pain, constantly achy, has persisted. My left arm has started showing some swelling. I've begun having terrible bouts of pain in my chest on that pacer side when I take deeper breaths...

The pacemaker has recently shown some movement again, although it doesn't appear to be trying to escape again. The only options I have from my doctor include either going to a pain specialist or having surgery to extract the entire pacer system only to put in a new pacer system in the other shoulder. I am not crazy about the surgery, but this pain seems endless. Anyone else gone through this?

Thanks,
Dodi