1st time pacemaker. Placement?

I received a surprise pacemaker this past Thursday evening after I lost consciousness and had a 20 second pause. I was wearing a holter monitor at the time.

I didn't have a chance to do research, etc as they said a 20 second pause is significant and I believe I have had these types of episodes before.

Anyway, I am 6 day post op and as my wound heals, I notice placement seems awfully close to my shoulder. The edge is literally where my arm and chest meet. Please note they ended up having to place it under the muscle because they said I didn't have a significant amount of fat. They also said while recovery is more painful, women especially are ,ore pleased to have it under the muscle.

I am having issues coping with this in the first place as the surgery was hard on my body. And even though I also have breast implants, having this foreign object in my body has been hard to cope with and no one around me seems to understand. Maybe they don't realize how large this object is. It's a MediTronics pacemaker, latest version that is MRI safe.

I see my cariologist on Friday. He is not the electro physicist who implanted the device.

If I reach my left arm across my body it hits the pacemaker.

Please don't freak me out when replying. My body really couldn't handle another surgery right now, no matter how minor. I have chronic Lyme disease along with a myriad of other issues that come along with it. I am turning 37 next week and have been recovering from this disease after 3 years of being very, very I'll.

Thank you,

Sonya

10 Comments

Read through some posts on

by Mary1998 - 2012-07-05 03:07:09

the shock our bodies go through when we have the PM implanted. You are not alone. You will become more desensitized to it as time passes. Even though you are young for a pacer, you will see many on this forum who are younger. The one thing we all have in common is we do understand the emotional toll this takes on us.

Spend a few minutes, and you'll see many posts on how many of us have learned to handle living with our PM. The one thing most of us realize, life for us wouldn't be very good without one.

I wish you a speedy recovery. I hope your pacer is placed in such a way that soon you will hardly notice it.

Thank you everyone!

by Sonyafly - 2012-07-05 03:07:59

Mary, myheart, Tracey, Natalie,

Ok, so there is some physical recovery time? For the body? I was feeling much better before my episode. I am so afraid of relapsing from the disease I have that the fact that I am not feeling well, etc has taken its toll.

I did go for a walk yesterday and my husband took me to the salon to have my hair washed a blown dry on Tuesday. I need it again today but can't get in so we may just try the sink! Not feeling well enough to go out and about but maybe I'll try it today anyway.

Thank you so much for the support. I know I need to love and appreciate my pacemaker so my body can too. We've given it a name, "Thumper". That's a start. :)

Hi. I have the same pm

by Jax - 2012-07-05 05:07:41

They implanted my pm where my arm and chest meet. There was a little while I had recovery time. I just assumed that was the best place for it. At first I hated having a pm -- but then In a few weeks I accepted it and I felt so good that I love it. No more dizziness. No more fainting. That was such a horrible feeling.

I found this forum after the implant and people here are so are so k owledgeable and so upbeat it really helped this experience with people who understand. There's a whole emotional experience going on, it gets better, give it some time.

Hi. I have the same pm

by Jax - 2012-07-05 05:07:47

They implanted my pm where my arm and chest meet. There was a little while I had recovery time. I just assumed that was the best place for it. At first I hated having a pm -- but then In a few weeks I accepted it and I felt so good that I love it. No more dizziness. No more fainting. That was such a horrible feeling.

I found this forum after the implant and people here are so are so k owledgeable and so upbeat it really helped this experience with people who understand. There's a whole emotional experience going on, it gets better, give it some time.

normal

by Tracey_E - 2012-07-05 08:07:52

It's perfectly normal to take time to get used to the idea of having this thing inside us. Hang out here, you'll see that many people come here saying the exact same thing, then a few weeks or a few months later they are ok with it and offering advice to the other newbies. As you heal and feel better, it gets easier to accept then forget about.

It should settle in and be more comfortable as you heal more.

it will get better

by natandhop - 2012-07-05 09:07:49

Good morning Sonya,
Our stories are similar. I wore a monitor for a week and we found that my heart rate dropped to 30 beats while I slept as well as throughout the day while I sat at rest. At the end of the week, I was at the cardiologist and the next day in the hospital for the implant.

I've never had anything this serious, so we differ in that regard but the sudden decision is the same. I wasn't even sure of what the procedure would be like but I was so happy to know that I was correct about how horrible I was feeling and that there was an immediate solution - I love instant gratification!

It's now been 3 months since the implant and I'd like to say I've felt great the whole time - but that isn't true. Something magical happened in the last couple of weeks, so it peace and comfort does occur - but you won't be certain when it does, you just get to feel good one morning and it lasts all day long!

You're 1 week after implant and it seems like it's not better, but it so does get there! One thing you can rely on now is - your heart! It will never beat less than 60 beats which means your body can now heal with the guarantee that all of your organs/your entire body are/is now getting oxygen rich blood and this will heal you inside and out! It just takes time, so eat healthy, nap whenever you feel the need and take short walks around your home. Also, love yourself, your family and all your friends as you get to be with them for a long long time!

This site is fantastic! Everyone is so knowledgeable, kind and helpful. Ask anything, tell us how you are feeling/doing and you will be heard and helped.

I wish you well today,
Natalie

Adjusting

by kermiehiho - 2012-07-06 02:07:12

I think the placement sounds normal. I used to do arm stretches before playing volleyball, in which I draw my arm across the front of my body and pull. I can't do that much anymore with my left arm, as it feels like I'm squashing the pacemaker, so I know what you mean.
I got my pm in 2010 when I was 25, and I still feel twinges or dull aches every once in a while.

SAME ONE

by SUPERSALE - 2012-07-06 07:07:02

Before i get my pacemaker hospital gave me a monitor that go around my neck so all the doctor can track i wear it before the surgery

i want to be fully sleep while they are insert pacemaker

now i have pacemaker on my upper left

I have the same one

by jessimay - 2012-07-06 10:07:55

implanted a little over two weeks ago. They didn't go under the muscle, I begged them not too. I was having the same problem with it hitting the bone but I no longer feel it. The only problem I am having now is feeling it in my arm pit when I am sleeping on my left side.

My doc said the revo is the biggest pacer out there right now and at this point it was just a matter of getting use to something odd in our bodies. Eventually the body gives up and accepts the fact it needs it!

Give it time and you'll be fine. I went to the doc for a two week follow up yesterday and couldn't believe it. I honestly felt like I got this thing a month ago. Week 1 to week 2 was so incredibly different for me. Hopefully it will be for you as well!

Skin discoloration

by Trebor1 - 2012-07-08 12:07:52

I had my two wire pacemaker implanted on June 29 . I have a lot of skin discoloration (purple color ) not only by the incision, but also under my arm pit!, Also these same discolorations where my heart is located,, as if the leads were placed in that area.
How long will this last and
when will I be able to resume active duties?

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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