Pain

Hi! I'm twenty years old and am having problems with my pacer. It is a dual chamber, but not a defibrillator. I had the pacemaker implanted in January of 2006. After a lot of pain, I had it relocated to be deeper under the muscle in November of 2007. I was doing okay for a while, but now it's coming back, worse than ever. I have an awful pain on the left side of my chest above my breast where the cite is. The pain also goes right below my underarm on my left side. The pain has recently been radiating down my entire arm to the point where my arm feels week and slightly shaky. When I talked to my cardiologist, he said he couldn't do anything for me. As a waitress, this has been putting a lot of stress on my job since my entire arm is in bad shape. Has anyone else had this problem before?

2 Comments

Pain

by SMITTY - 2007-07-14 11:07:12

Hi Lelia,

Welcome to the PM Club.

When I read "When I talked to my cardiologist, he said he couldn't do anything for me." my first thought was wouldn't I like to shake some sense into that clowns head. But since that is not possible, I hope you can tell that cardiologist that he will do something to help you or he will get to talk to your attorney and soon.

A doctor that implants a pacemaker should not have the option of saying there is nothing they can do to help when the patient has a problem with the PM. That doctor just implanted a foreign object in a person’s body that is supposed to help them. When there is an issue with the surgery, or the device, a good doctor will move heaven and earth to find a solution, not say “I can’t do anything”

I have seen a few people post messages here about having pain around the implant area and I’m sure you will be hearing from some of them. In the meantime, I’ll throw in my two cents worth. A pacemaker should not be painful. Anyone that has pain from a PM and has a doctor tell them "he couldn't do anything" has, in my opinion, been unlucky in getting a very poor doctor to provide their health care.

It just infuriates me to hear of something like that because I had so many problems with my PM and ran into about the same thing. My problem was of a totally different nature from yours and I did eventually get it solved. I guess if I have any advice, it is to forget that poor excuse for a doctor said he couldn’t help you and continue to call his office every day, or until you get help. Many times those of us that get pacemakers and have a problem have to use the “squeaky wheel gets the grease” option to get help. I’ll stop my ranting now.

I wish you the best.

Smitty

sounds familiar

by mike_lori85 - 2007-07-14 11:07:57

Hello- I am 48 years old and had a pacemake/defibrillator implanted in March of 2007. I noticed after 2 months after the surgery the pain to my chest and left arm was still prominent. Although I considered this as part of the recovery process the effect to my arm was getting worse. The pain began to turn into spasms of pain in my upper neck/shoulder through my biceps and sometimes numbing my finger tips. As to date I am having rehab done to my arm and they think I have developed a frozen shoulder due to my minimal use of that arm. I am a lefty which complicates things even more so and it is starting to effect my job performance also. As an interest to your symptoms I was thinking about having my pacer relocated because of the constant tightness and pain around that area which I suspect contributes to the problem I am having with my arm though my doctor thinks otherwise. Did your decision to relocate your pacer due to problems with movement and tightness and altogether just an uncomfortable feeling? Reason I ask is that I will be seeing my cardiologist soon to discuss this very problem(s) and I was thinking of suggesting to relocate the pacer to see if that may solve anything. Can't believe your cardiologist will not recognize the pain and discomfort you are experiencing. I once was told I would have to live with these ailments and that maybe in time they would go away. But like you it's not getting any better.

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