pain in left chest and shoulder

I am thankful for a place to share from other who've gone farther down the path after getting a pacemaker. I got mine 6 months ago and what I read on this site made it so much easier.
A couple of days ago I began having symptoms like a pinched nerve coming from above my pacemaker and going into my shoulder in a couple of places. It is much worse when I take a deep breath. The pain moves accross my shoulder to my neck. The muscle from my abdomen to left shoulder has been tender since the pacemaker surgery but I have been in PT for that.
Has anyone experienced this. It came on suddenly while I was sleeping.

5 Comments

OMG ME TOO!!!

by daynanestor1 - 2014-04-18 09:04:05

I got my PM on Oct 22, 2013 almost 6 months ago. I am 43 and was diagnosed with complete 3rd degree heart block--nothing else wrong with me. Every since the PM procedure, I have had a swollen top of my left shoulder(it is visiable compared to my right shoulder), chest pain (hurts throughout the day), muscle spasms in my shoulder all around the shoulder muscle in the back too. I have seen a Neurologist had all the nerve testing and they came back normal, tried chiropractor and that did nothing and now I am also in PT and trying to get pain relief and answers. Still no results. Landed in the ER with bad chest pain/nasty headache (all tests were run, the PM working fine and it was not a heart attack it was the musles in the shoulder/back/neck) this was given muscle relaxer and sent home. NICE still no answers what is causing the chest/shoulder/neck discomfort.

Yes, I also woke up with my chest pain about 2 weeks ago, but I have had the shoulder/neck pain since the surgery. I also started my PT 3 weeks prior to waking up with the chest pain. If I don't do alot, I am ok, but if I sit for a long period of time, the chest hurts along with the shoulder and neck. I am thinking the exercises I am doing for PT is causing it or maybe I slept funny? I don't know.

I have no idea what is going on. If you get any answers please let me know. I am hoping time and the PT helps me to get better. My PT said to not do the exercises everyday, skip a day and maybe I am over doing it because I want to get better quicker and I am using muscles that have not been used in months so it will take time. What does your PT say?

Prior to the procedure I was fine--no muscle spasm issues. I was very active in walking, kickboxing, yoga and running my kids all over. I can barely get through my day with the pain and all I can do for relief is the icy hot creams and advil!

My family doctor gave me Celebrex, but without the ok from the Cardio doctor Celebrex scares me with all its side effects on the heart and its more for arthritis not muscle spasms! So I don't know what to do except the advil and the icy hot creams.

I am so fed up with the medical community and not having any answers for me!

Thank goodness for this website. I have gotten lots of advice and peace of mind. I just want to be my healthy pain-free self again so I can enjoy my family again and be a fun out going mom and wife again!

Keep in touch!

get checked asap!

by Tracey_E - 2014-04-18 09:04:29

You probably slept wrong or something like that, but ANY chest pain should always be checked out. Better to overreact and be sent home with anti-inflammatories for something minor than write off something potentially serious.

pain

by judyblue - 2014-04-18 11:04:18

I got my pm sept. 26th and have had pain everyday since. I went from super energetic, super involved, running, yoga to getting through work and collapsing when I get home. Doctors don't care about pain as long as pm is working. I take 1000mg of naproxen a day. If not the pain is just about unbearable. When I do too much work with my left arm, the pain increases. I put some flowers in with mulch and I am sitting with ice on my pm site. I don't get it. Why do some of us fly through this experience with no problems, and others continue to struggle? I still hope things will get better and I can have my life back. I am only 51. I never thought this could happen to me.
best wishes to all of us!

pm

by ahuett23 - 2014-04-26 02:04:46

Hope this helps I am 23 I had a pm implanted a little less than 2 weeks ago. After being discharged afterwards I had the same thing felt like a heart it wasnt thank,god. Lol if i ever have one,i definitely know which,hospital to go to everyone was wanting to do tests all at once and the doctor actually was standing by my side within 5 10 minutes tops but i had chest pain sometimes both sides of my chest pain radiating from my left and right shoulder they admitted me to do a few tests and everything turned out to be okay also couldn't take a full deep breath in without it hurting but to a point to where i would get light headed not getting enough air it was frustrating but it went away on its own and besides today i have no energy at all,but besides that i feel amazing feel like a damn energizer bunny seriously i keep going and going lol hope everything is going good for you now :)

Resigned to live with PM chest/shoulder pain

by broomfieldbill - 2015-03-30 09:03:54

I received my PM last July...about 9 months ago. The only day-to-day problem for me has been a lingering slight ache around the PM as well in my shoulders. It feels like I got kicked in my upper left chest/shoulder area by a horse several days ago. It's not a huge pain..just sort of throbs a little bit. I figure my shoulder discomfort has to be the leads going to the heart..duh!!! My wife and I are about ready to join a health club that has a pool. I do enjoy swimming and I hope this activity won't enflame it any more...and I know...stay away from the butterfly!!!!

I hope this constant little annoyance disappears over time but I'm not very optismistic. I think it's the price that I have to pay for having my "buddy."

My hope is that as technology advances and makes these things smaller and smaller...I know even now there is a type of PM that can be totally inserted into one of the chambers of the heart...no cigarette sized PM needs to be inserted into the shoulder/chest area. Maybe...smaller PM's are on their way for the masses!

You know you're wired when...

Your friends want to store MP3 files on your device.

Member Quotes

Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.