NEED INFO

HI ALL, HAVE PACEMAKER FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS NOW. ALL IS GOING WELL. BUT FOR ABOUT 1 WEEK NOW, WHEN I SLEEP ON LEFT SIDE (PACEMAKER SIDE) I WAKE AND CAN SENSE/FEEL THE HEART BEATING. HAVE TO TURN OVER ONTO RIGHT SIDE TO SLEEP AGAIN.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS? SEEMS LIKE A NONPROBLEM BUT I DO TEND TO WORRY...
THANKS FOR ANY INFO.

7 Comments

NOT SURE OF CORRECT ANSWER

by fconzero - 2013-12-21 02:12:23

I was told it is better to sleep on the opposite side. I typically sleep on my back and wake up that way most of the time. However, I have noticed for a while that parts of my right hand will go numb. Hopefully, with the pacemaker since Thursday a lot of things will pick up like my digestion as I lost a lot of weight. I feel the pacemaker is a gift from God. God's blessing's to you and your family and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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Same for me

by Theknotguy - 2013-12-21 03:12:05

Am going on 100 days with PM. Still can't sleep on the left side. The weight of my body starts to squeeze on the PM pocket and hurts. And I sometimes feel the heart beat but only because everything has been compressed. My left arm will also get numb but that's from the PM pressing on the nerves going into my shoulder.

Since it's over 90 days you shouldn't have to worry about the leads so probably it's more of a compression issue.

I use a thinner pillow and put that on top of my left shoulder and then position my head on that. It seems to avoid the compression while letting me sleep somewhat on the left side.

Funny how not being able to sleep on the left side causes an issue. I look at it that I'm much happier to be alive and I'll eventually adjust to the non-left side sleeping.

I also have a CPAP. It took me about a year to get accustomed to having the mask. Now I don't even notice it. I enjoy the steady flow of air too much to complain about the mask.

Hope this helps.

Theknotguy

Sorry

by fconzero - 2013-12-21 03:12:33

Actually you can sleep on that side but not initially which no longer applies to you. However, probably not wise to sleep on your stomach though on the pacemaker.

5 Years

by Grateful Heart - 2013-12-21 06:12:16

And I still can not sleep on my left side. Like TNG, it hurts and squeezes my skin. So I'm either on my back or right side.

I wake up a lot during the night and sometimes it's due to being on my left side and hurting.

If I am on my left side for a short while, I also can feel my heart beating into the mattress.

We could probably write a book about all this stuff. :)

Grateful Heart

Freaks me out

by Marie12 - 2013-12-21 09:12:29

It freaks me out to sleep on my left side. I can feel every heart beat and because I do, it seems to beat even faster. I normally sleep on my stomach with a small pillow tucked into my ICD area.

Remember GRAVITY?????

by donr - 2013-12-22 12:12:20

I don't know why we tell people to use the SEARCH function - I can NEVER find what I am looking for & this is an instance. Finally found it by searching the list of all my own comments. Cut & pasted it below.

BEGIN paste:
Ever heard of GRAVITY?
Comment posted by donr on 2013-11-11 09:27.
Babsie: Your heart is off center in your body toward the left. To make space for it, you only have TWO lung lobes on the left side. Further, the heart is not suspended really well in the chest cavity. The BIG arteries & veins make up most of the suspension apparatus. Its sac that encloses it is suspended, but not like other parts of the body - no great, heavy ,strong ligaments or other connective tissue.

So - what happens when you flop down or roll over onto your left side is that the heart kinda saaaaags w/i its moorings. It's weight is taken up by the lungs & ribs on the left. As it throbs & pumps, they feel the movement of the heart contracting a LOT more than when you roll over to the right side.

So much for normalcy. Now throw in a brand new PM!!!!!

Your PM & your underlying condition do NOT necessarily CAUSE palpitations. I'll have to interpret Annie's English for you - she calls the ectopic beats. Us Yanks (Even residents of CA) usually call them PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions), & they are quite dramatic to the newbie experiencing them. You well may have had them pre PM, you just never sensed them. Now, w/ the PM, you are far more sensitive to the least little variation from normal in Heart beat.

Especially rolling over onto your left side does not cause them - it causes you to SENSE them more easily.

Once upon a time before I got my PM, I was sensing my heartbeat in my left ear & it concerned me. I was in a clinic one day & spied a card on a bulletin board tat said "What is the significance of hearing your heart beat in your left ear?" The answer was "You are lying on your left side w/ your ear on a pillow - roll over to end it." That night I tried it & sho' 'nuff, it was true!

I guess you'll have to learn to sleep on your right side!
END Paste

Don

Additional info on hearing your HB

by donr - 2013-12-25 08:12:56

Several days ago, after writing my comment above, I stumbled across this article by a Dr at Harvard Med School. Interesting, but scary. Realize that this is a special case - far more than just hearing your own HB while lying on your left side w/ your ear on a pillow, which is what the OP reported.

I'd just post the link, but they change after 24 hours & you might get directed to an article on toenail fungus..

Begin paste:
By Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff, via JWR.com.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I can hear my heartbeat in my left ear. Should I be worried that I might lose my hearing?

DEAR READER: A few years ago a patient of mine asked me the same question. What he was worried about was not that he might have an ear condition which could take away his hearing -- he was worried that he might be going crazy!

I told him that if all he heard was his heart, he wasn't crazy. On the other hand, if he heard the voice of Abraham Lincoln whispering in his ear, he might have something to worry about.

A condition called tinnitus causes unusual sounds in the ears: high-pitched hisses, lower-pitched buzzing sounds, clicking. This is a remarkably common problem; an estimated 50 million people in the United States have it to some degree.

I consulted with my colleague Dr. David Vernick, assistant clinical professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School. We agreed that what you describe sounds like what's called "pulsatile tinnitus." This is a rhythmic thumping or whooshing only you can hear, often in time with your heartbeat.

The most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus include:

Conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss intensifies internal head noises -- sounds such as breathing, chewing, and blood flowing through the ear.

Conductive hearing loss makes it easier to hear blood flowing through two large blood vessels that travel near to each ear. These are the carotid artery and the jugular vein, which circulate blood to and from the brain.

Carotid artery disease. The accumulation of fatty buildup (plaque) inside the carotid arteries can create turbulent blood flow. This can cause a pulsating sound.

High blood pressure. When blood pressure is high, blood flow through the carotid artery is more likely to be turbulent. That turbulence generates the pulsatile tinnitus.

Blood vessel disorders. Many blood vessel disorders can cause pulsatile tinnitus. These include an abnormal connection between an artery and vein, twisted arteries, or a benign blood vessel tumor behind the eardrum.

Ear muscle disorders. Tiny little muscles that attach to the bones inside the ear can sometimes go into spasms, and this can cause pulsatile tinnitus.

Most of the time, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing to worry about. If it doesn't go away on its own or becomes really bothersome, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor will likely examine your ears and listen to the blood flow through the arteries in your neck. He or she will listen for an unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction. If your doctor hears this sound, you'll likely need a test to look for a narrowing or malformation in your carotid artery -- and possibly surgery to correct the problem. Otherwise, you may need a hearing test or other additional testing.
End paste

Don

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