Are We Having Fun Yet?

Hi everybody. I'm a neophyte at this pacemaker thing, but 11 months ago I was a nightly visitor on a similar site for knee replacements. I'm allergic to pretty much all pain meds, and nights are long without them.
So, here I am at 3-something in the AM only 3 days into my electronically adjusted life, and I'm trying to figure out if what I am experiencing is normal.
It's been a strange saga from my sudden April 16 takotsubo heart attack (during a poetry workshop where I passed out, came to, stayed like an idiot, and drove home) to my bad reaction to beta blockers three weeks later (passed out in the Toyota waiting room while they were fixing my recalled Prius-seriously!) Then the two weeks of syncope and presyncope, and now the pacemaker.
Here's what's happening. I have the normal soreness in left chest, but I feel like I fell off my horse in the sternum area. Does the insertion cause pain all around the chest area? And I have pressure in my neck, especially when I lean over to pick up someting. My temp last night at 9:30 was 99.4 - not terrible, but the wound area itself is kind of scary. It's dark reddish brown (bruising?) and there are all kinds of scaly red patches (could that be from the pre-surgical scrubbing and tape?)
I do already feel better just finding all of you and reading your stories, but if anyone has time to comment, I am all ears!
A million thank-you's.
Peg O My Heart

4 Comments

Roughin' Us Up

by Peg 0 My Heart - 2010-05-27 05:05:49

traceyE, cruz and travlin 50,
Many thanks for the quick responses. I was indeed awake for the entire procedure and felt all the pummeling.
I will call the doctor. Even though my temp was 97.9 when I took it around 3pm, I had chills.
No, I wasn't prepared for the physical results of this "simple" procedure. Only on this site did I find actual help.
I'll go call. Better safe.
Peg

Call your doctor

by cruz - 2010-05-27 08:05:08

Welcome..and sorry you are having problems. It's been 12 weeks since my new hardware experience. Because my EF is so low, the anesthesiologists always have a hard time balancing how "out" I am. I woke up during the procedure at a time when it was painfully (no pun) clear that this is not as delicate and easy as we think to get these leads in place. As soon as they were aware that I WAS AWARE, I was blissfully back out of it. When I would bend over to pick something up, it was painful and I felt as if something really heavy was clunking around; same feeling when I tried to turn on my side. I still occasionally have the type of stetching and tightness in my neck when I reach for something far away and a type of pulling. From this message board, I learned that this is pretty normal and will go away. It is slowly subsiding. I don't have any experience with the discoloration but there was a roughness (maybe scaly ?) which has now gone completely away. I would be worried about the color, if you're not sure it's bruising and about the temperature. The doctor or his nurse will call you back right away so don't hesitate to make the call and you'll have at least alleviated your fears and any possibility of an infection. This procedure is not really the piece of cake you are told it is, but since it's a lifesaver, and because eventually these worrisome things clear up, just hang in there. It does get better...but make the call.

call

by Tracey_E - 2010-05-27 08:05:13

Call your dr. Low grade fever can be a sign of infection. If it is, you need to nip it in the bud so it's important to get it looked at quickly.

Everything else you listed sounds normal, though you might be allergic to the tape. I never was before but developed a sensitivity with my last surgery and got the scaly red patches also. I used aloe on it, but don't use anything at all until your incision is closed.

The soreness all around the chest area is normal! Were you awake for your procedure? If not, the leads do not go as easily as we'd like to think they do. After my first one (I'm on #4 now), I had fingerprint shaped bruises all over my chest. I didn't really think it could be fingerprints so I asked the dr what it was. He said, er, it's fingerprints.

Welcome to our club! If you have questions, please don't be shy.

Yes, call your doctor now

by travlin50 - 2010-05-27 09:05:53

I agree with calling your doctor. I am two weeks with my PM now and starting to feel much better. I agree with cruz that this procedure is a lot more for some of us. I had a huge amount of pain for over a week. My entire left side, arm, shoulder (front and back), chest and especially under my arm. I sort of freaked out because I kept hearing from the doc how minor this was and I should have no problem. I wish he did not tell me that becasue I really thought something was wrong with me. Had mine on Thursday, out of the hospital Friday, started to feel better on Tuesday, then by Tuesday evening I felt horrible with a low grade fever but never went much over 100. I also thought I was getting an infection. Still felt bad on Wednesday but really noticed my symptoms and it felt more like I had a bug than an infection. You know if you want to get a bug - go to the hospital! Went to the doctor on Thursday and had no fever. The 20 something nurse (maybe a nurse) was talking to me in baby talk and told me that I needed to calm down about the pain because I was getting myself all worked up. When I told her the doctor told me I would be ready to go back to work the past Monday and it was Thursday and I still could not put on a bra! She explained that a few days was the "standard" - most people only have a little pain for a few days. That is when I realized she did not have a clue!! Thank goodness I found this site. I have sensitive skin as well and when they pulled the draping off of my chest they took my skin with it. That is all healed now. I would keep a really close eye on your fever and call the doctor, which I am sure they will get you in asap. That is really the only way you will know if you are truely getting an infection. That is something you want to take seriously! Hope this helps and I wish you the best. Hang in there.

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