pinching

hi all
had crt-d 8 months ago. all has been well. have had a cold with coughing and sneezing and have felt some pinching around site. nervous about leads.
thanks for any info.

8 Comments

Coughing

by Grateful Heart - 2014-12-14 05:12:12


Hi Capecod,

I also have a cold, bronchitis and have been coughing big time. After 8 months, your leads should be fine.

My device feels like it is pushing out of my skin right now (more than usual).

Of course, if you feel anything painful or different, get checked out.

Grateful Heart

darn colds!

by capecod - 2014-12-14 06:12:00

grateful heart
not glad you also have a cold but glad you can relate . . . I'm not worried about the 2 leads that are screwed in, just the one on the right side lying there! thanks for your comments - always provide comfort!

3rd lead

by capecod - 2014-12-14 06:12:15

it is my understanding (and I could be wrong) that the 3rd lead is not screwed in?? I have a st jude crt-d. make any sense to you?
hope you feel better also -lots of liquid for me and i think I'm turning the corner. hasn't affected my appetite though!

Why?

by Grateful Heart - 2014-12-14 06:12:44


Why is it just lying there? Did I miss your post about it?

Just our new normal. I guess a cold isn't just a cold anymore. :-)

Hope you feel better.

Grateful Heart

No

by Grateful Heart - 2014-12-14 07:12:09


Not making sense to me. As far as I am aware, the leads are either screwed in or affixed with a fish hook type tip on the end of the lead. As you know, I also have a CRT-D.

Speak to your Doc to clear up any confusion but I don't believe the leads would be "floating" unless they became loose and your Doc is just monitoring it.

Of course.....I could be wrong so maybe someone will correct me if that's the case.

Glad you are turning the corner.

Grateful Heart

Can't dislodge leads easily

by Theknotguy - 2014-12-14 08:12:52

Hope you can enjoy the moments of irrational thinking. I went through the same thing right after I got my PM. One part of my brain would be thinking something unimaginable, another part would be thinking, "That's an irrational thought." I was always amazed I could hold the two conflicting thoughts at the same time.

It would take a lot more than coughing and sneezing to dislodge your leads. If the leads weren't implanted correctly, and could be dislodged by coughing or sneezing, you'd have a lot more problems than just a sore PM pocket.

You've probably strained the PM pocket by your coughing and sneezing. It'll be sore for a few days, then be OK. To hurry the healing, you can take tylenol. Keeping yourself hydrated with water will be a help too.

Looks like everything else is going well. Hope you continue to get better.

I Get Pinching Too

by Shaun - 2014-12-15 04:12:24

I don't have a cold, but 11 weeks post PM and I can still feel pinching at specific sites. It's not continual, but when it happens my brain makes rapid assumptions and associates the pinching with the leads.

Third leades & screws

by donr - 2014-12-19 01:12:38

As I understand the third lead in MODERN CRT's, it is run through a cavity between the right atrium & a spot on the outside of the LEFT ventricle called the Cardiac Sinus. It's not very large in diameter & a torturous route between the right Atria (Where all three leads enter the heart) & the back side of the LEFT Ventricle. For this reason, the third lead cannot be screwed into the wall of the heart - it is actually on the OUTSIDE of the left ventricle when it gets to the end of its route. There are two concepts to the design of third leads - One is called a "J" & the other a "Spiral." both work off the same principle for anchoring. While being threaded into place, they are kept straight until in final position. Then the insertion mechanism is retracted out of the heart & the lead's tips go "Sproing!" into their own shape - either a "J" or a "Spiral." The "J" looks just like the letter J - or as a fishhook. But there is no barb on the end like a fishhook. The curve in the J shape wedges the lead into the itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny vein it is in & it cannot be pulled back out. The spiral ended lead expands into a spiral - just like the threads on a wood screw & wedges itself into the vein & cannot be pulled back out. Give those lead tips in contact w/ the walls of the veins several months & they will be encapsulated in some sort of tissue, guaranteeing that they cannot be removed - sorta like belts & suspenders to hold up trousers.

Do not worry about the third lead coming out - it is pretty darned wedged into its vein & is literally impossible to remove the moment the insertion mechanism is removed.

Hope this makes you feel a bit more comfy w/ your third lead device.

Donr.

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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