Pacemaker site twinging

Hi,
I have had my pacemaker since 2010. I had heart block during hospitalization after being hit by a car. No other heart issues prior to that incident. I had pretty much adjusted to having a pacemaker, but since yesterday, I have been experiencing discomfort/pain in my left pectoral (the side that the pacemaker is on) when I exert some force with my left arm. For example, last night I was scrubbing a pot with my right hand and bracing the pot with my left. That made my pacemaker site twinge uncomfortably. I was hoping it would go away, but today it is still there when I lift things, pull things, etc., with my left hand. Is this a sign of something serious, or just a passing phase? I have a volleyball tournament tomorrow, and am concerned.

2 Comments

Lead insulation

by Selwyn - 2014-06-15 02:06:12

It sounds to me that you may have a lead insulation leak. The PM pulses then cause twitching of the muscle locally at the leak site or beyond. Being very active may encourage lead insulation fracture. Movement of the shoulder may open up the leak site.

I think I would give volleyball a miss, and seek some further medical advice.

I had terrible twitches around my chest until I was switched from unipolar to bipolar lead pacing. It was strange, because I had had my PM in for some time before this became a problem.

I'd be grateful to know the outcome.
Thanks, Selwyn

Update

by kermiehiho - 2014-06-20 09:06:44

The technician checked my device, and saw nothing wrong. My cardiologist ordered some blood cultures to check for infection, but doesn't think it's infected because there's no swelling or redness. The pain has slowly been becoming less severe/frequent. My mom thinks it because I was lifting a lot of stuff on Thursday (moving classrooms), and Friday (went shopping at Costco). It was too late to call my cardiologist's office by the time I was really doubting whether I could play on Friday anyway, so I just went ahead and played in the Saturday tournament. I figured I had recruited six other people, so if I really didn't feel up to playing, the seventh player could sub in for me, but I actually felt OK playing from 8am to 4pm with all seven of us rotating. I guess it's a different motion I use playing volleyball and therefore a different muscle group.

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Member Quotes

It may be the first time we've felt a normal heart rhythm in a long time, so of course it seems too fast and too strong.