how soon?

Hello everyone,

New to having pacemaker 10 days... my doctor says I can now start to put arm overhead, but I have seen warnings about waiting 6 weeks. He did say no lifting or swinging for 6 weeks.. Have any of you started moderate exercise at this point? I still do not feel I have alot of stamina walking uphill or for long periods of time on feet???


Input appreciated....

Millicent

8 Comments

Gently

by KAG - 2014-02-01 03:02:15

Each Dr is a bit different in instructions. Most seem to settle on 6 weeks as the point that your wires are very well seated/scarred so you can start lifting more and moving your arm more quickly.

For me at 2 weeks I was GENTLY raising my arm above my shoulder. Shampooing my hair, slowly reaching for a dish in the cupboard. Things like that. My Dr also recommended that I not walk my 2 large dogs until 6 weeks in case they decided to take off after a critter and jerk my arm, especially to avoid jerking it backward. I definitely was walking. Started mostly around the house and then ventured out into the neighborhood. My stamina was not there either. Not moving much at my age of 58 meant that I lost any stamina I had very quickly. It took me a couple of months to get back to more normal.

I also discovered that I needed to get a tweak to my PM to raise my Upper tracking rate. When I walked up hill I'd get very SOB and felt like I was walking in deep sand. What was happening was that my HR would hit the programmed UTR and cut the pacing to half (exactly what it was suppose to do). I was able to see it happen on my finger pulse oxi meter. They raised my UTR from 140 to 160 and I've been good since.

Make sure to get a copy of your interrogation report. It will have all your PM's modes and settings in it. If you have any questions this is a great site to get help.

I'm not saying that you'll need a tweak. You'll have to see how you feel once you've given yourself time to adjust to your new little buddy. But if you do, tweaks are easy for them to do.

Listen to your body as far as what you're able to do. It'll tell you if you push to hard. Get back to your normal routine as soon as possible. If you don't feel right, ask questions.

Welcome to the club
Kathy

Better safe than sorry

by Vmurph - 2014-02-01 03:02:30

I was allowed to move my arm a bit after 10 days.. but they gave me horror stories about ripping the leads out of my heart if I put my arm overhead before 6weeks.

I'd say play it safe. but that's only my opinion. There's no need to rush recovery. Some people take longer than others to recover. It took me a while.

Best of Luck

Depends

by Theknotguy - 2014-02-01 04:02:55

I got the OK to lift my arm over my head once a day. Then talked to the PM tech and he said no. So I was really confused. Then a lot of the information about the PM was wrong.

Currently I'm being told 4 weeks from different doctors. Six weeks if you're doing more strenuous stuff. What you really want to do is to give your body time to grow around the leads. So that means no strenuous stuff for at least 4 weeks. Depending upon how young / old you are and how strenuous the activity depends upon the time needed. Prior to the 4 weeks, if you do anything you aren't supposed to, you'll feel it. If your cautious, give yourself six weeks.

I was lifting 4x8 melamine sheets at 90 pounds each. I was told by my cardiologist to wait 90 days before trying to lift them again. Because of my trauma prior to getting my PM, I haven't been able to try that yet.

I started mild exercise - no more than 3 pound weights - at 3 weeks. Was limited to arm curls only. They gave me a three pound bar and asked me to move it left and right. I stretched too far and pulled the leads. It really hurt. So they limited me to moving the bar just past my shoulders.

I'm in cardio rehab now. I'm up to full movement and five pound weights. Repeats on the exercise is 15 reps. I didn't do full movement until after 90 days.

Stamina comes with time. They're having me work up to 115 BPM on the treadmill. I'm supposed to go until I get angina then back off. That means I'm walking at 108-110 BPM for 20 minutes, then doing 108-110 BPM on the stationary bike for another 20 minutes. As long as I go under the angina, I'm getting stronger. The first week was a real killer. After about six weeks I can do the 40 minutes exercise and feel refreshed instead of exhausted.

The main thing is to get out and start doing something. Every bit of exercise helps.

Hope this helps.

Theknotguy

Too soon

by Duke999 - 2014-02-01 05:02:21

10 days is too soon to challenge yourself.

If you're itching to raise your arm, test it out slowly and if you don't feel pain, then you're OK. Just don't overdo it.
Just give it a few more weeks, then you're good to go.

Regarding exercise, again, if you feel OK while trying to do it, then by all means, go for it. But you said that you don't have stamina walking uphill yet, then give it more time.

For me, I jog about 2 miles every other day after 2 weeks implant. And then gradually, increase my exercise to everyday and some weight lifting, etc.

I wish you well.

Duke

when to reach out

by manaman - 2014-02-01 06:02:17

If this is your FIRST PI would opt for the six weeks to be sure the leads are set in place ( HAVING LEADS REDONE IS NO FUN).
Also be careful on what type exercise and how long you do them.
Six weeks are nothing considering you have a life time left to play games and do as you like.
My first PM was 8 weeks restrictions, the second one was 10 days , the third one (in Dec. '13) has been 8 weeks ( I had a lead replaced)
What ever you do please listen to your body and your instincts (they seldom you astray).
Cecil

precaution

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-01 06:02:50

Everything after the first 48 hours is precaution. 4-6 weeks is standard but I think more drs are moving away from that. The leads are not put in tight, there is slack and the excess is coiled behind the device, so if you think about there's no way moving the arm is going to pull the wire. I think it's more likely people go overboard and don't move the arm enough then end up with shoulder problems. When I got my first one I wasn't given any restrictions. I wouldn't go crazy, but trust your dr.

I started light exercise the day I got home, worked up to moderate within a few weeks, was back to full routine by 6-8 weeks. Depending how long you needed the pm, it can take some time to build back to where you were. If you don't feel good on exertion, get the pm checked, your settings may need adjusted.

Easy does it

by Jonny - 2014-02-02 10:02:25

The technicians at my hospital told me there should be no problem after the 10 days in slowly lifting above the shoulder. They said the important thing was not to over reach and no fast stretching for 4 to 6 weeks.
I was walking a few miles within a few days but waited around 4 weeks to go back to the gym. Best of luck. john

GET MOVING THE ARM

by daynanestor1 - 2014-02-04 05:02:42

I was told the same thing--don't lift heavy items, don't lift above your head.... Had my PM put in on 10.22.13 and by November I had a frozen shoulder because there was nothing being done except follow-up wound care. Get into physical therapy ASAP, massage helps too. I am seeing a chiropractor, doing therapy and home exercises.

These doctors should have physical therapy for ALL of their patients along with consulting on the condition and recovery. I knew nothing of any of this before it happened to me and I am still struggling!

Keep on this website, you can at least get answers to your questions!

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