Will I ever "get used" to my pacemaker?

I received my first pm a couple of months ago. Probably the biggest bother to me at this point has been the discomfort that I feel from having that thing inserted in my shoulder! Many times I don't notice it but other times it feels like a big bruise or maybe like having a cell phone taped REALLY tightly to the front of my left shoulder!

I'm just wondering if EVENTUALLY I body might "loosen up" a little around this foreign object and learn to live with it?...i.e. without (light) pain and discomfort....

9 Comments

Give it time

by Papajoe - 2014-10-05 08:10:38

I've had my pacer 7 months now and each month it gets easier to live with. Don't forget the pacer is saving your life and is your new best friend. Lol . Eventually tissue around the pacer will grow and tighten up. I go out riding quads on dirt trails with no problem. Just be careful not to hit it on something , it hurts a little. You'll be fine.

Time takes care of a lot of things

by donr - 2014-10-05 09:10:19

Especially that half-brick embedded in your shoulder.

I picked "Half-brick" because that is a description I read a woman use in here a long time ago.

I'm going to tell you a tale of two scars - I carry them both.

A lifetime ago, when you were just starting school, I had a knee operation to remove/repair some cartilage. Nothing was left behind except scar tissue. That knee was swollen like a large softball for at least a year. MOF, I took a photo of it a yr later & still have it somewhere. I felt that scar for yrs. Today, after some 55 yrs, If I concentrate on it, I can still feel it - at least recognize that it is still there. It was at least two yrs before I stopped feeling that scar with every step I took w/my left leg.

Fast Fwd to Feb, 2003, when I had my PM implanted. This time they left something behind. Did I feel it? Yep, for about 6 months it was a real annoyance whenever I made certain movements w/ my left shoulder. I could feel it as a lump under the skin that got in the way when I carried something over that shoulder. Slowly, the sensation went away as I subconsciously learned NOT to do all the things that reminded me it was there. After about a yr, I had to reach up & rub it to even realize its presence.

It still itches when it's hot & I perspire, but that's about it.

Sitting here typing, even if I concentrate I cannot sense it. Granted, it's now 11 + yrs since the original procedure - but I've had a broken lead replaced & a new PM implanted about 4 yrs ago.

I cannot give you a timetable, but if you have a normal recovery, it will all settle down & you will forget that it's even there.

A "Couple of months ago" is not adequate. For total loss of awareness will take about a year as the body adapts & learns to ignore it. BUT - we are all different.

Donr

thanks...for the 7 month pacer perspective!

by broomfieldbill - 2014-10-05 09:10:28

you're right...it's great insurance in my chest. i have to keep things in perspective..i could be dead right now! thanks for the comment!

Now you've got it Bill!

by Grateful Heart - 2014-10-06 01:10:46


You are a fast learner. :-)

I still have discomfort at times but we won't get into that now. lol

It will get better but this is our 'New Normal".

Acceptance is key. Learn all you can about your condition and device and the more comfortable you will become. Knowledge is power.

We all learn to live with it....especially when we realize, we can't live without it.

When you stop calling it "that thing" is when acceptance will begin for you. You gotta make friends with it, it's there for life.....literally.

Grateful Heart

Thanks Donr!

by broomfieldbill - 2014-10-06 10:10:07

Hi Donr!

I really appreciate you sharing with me (and us!) your long term pacemaker experience. It's exactly the type of feedback (even better!) that I was hoping for! Your very generous in sitting down and conveying your thoughts!

I'll just chill out here a little and start looking upon my heart/pacemaker situation as 99% full instead of 1% empty!

Thanks again!

Bill

ADVANTAGES OF A FULL LIFE

by broomfieldbill - 2014-10-06 12:10:25

Thanks AngrySparrow....sage advice on how to live life with a pacemaker...even without a pacemaker.. your words are very wise, I believe. These life lessons that are often brought on by medical situations can be pretty powerful. Life is short..it will be over soon enough...don't sit around on your behind worry about little stuff....go out and make the most of this precious gift of life that we have remaining! Amen!

p.s...I'm starting to feel like a (pacemaker) preacher, here! haha!

Learning acceptance

by SteveE - 2014-10-09 09:10:32

I am one of the lucky ones -- I won the cardiac trifecta. I have a prosthetic heart valve, a pacemaker and a bypass, all performed within a 1-week time span about 3 1/2 years ago. I had known about the need for valve replacement for over a decade by then, but "it wasn't time." I am a member of one of the largest valve replacement support sites on the web. One of the things we "preach" there after valve replacement is "Don't sweat the small stuff. . . and by the way, it's ALL small stuff."

I think that advice applies here, too. We have all been through a life-changing medical process, and we should all take the time to realize (and accept) that we have been given a colossal "do-over." We get to go on living our lives, where had we not had these devices and procedures, we would not. For me, that was a profound "reset." It caused me to re-think what was really important, and to focus on living my life as fully as I can. To me, that meant not being so focused on some of the common stressors and focusing on the things I now know were most important in my life.

Learning Acceptance

by broomfieldbill - 2014-10-10 12:10:12

Thanks SteveE...wow..right on. Your experiences, thoughts, and lessons learned from this major event in your life are profound(ly) positive.

Many thanks to you and to the earlier generous folks who have shared their experiences on this blog thread. I've learned so much and these have made me smile as I have read them in agreement. Some..."ah..ah" moments for me to be sure.

Aren't these types of blogs amazing?? How did we ever exchange thoughts before the Internet existed?

:O) Bill

adapting to a pacemaker

by docmed005 - 2014-10-12 09:10:46

Thanks to Broomfield Bill for asking the question and all the kind, insightful and caring responses.

I, too, notice my pacemaker a lot,in my body, since having it "installed' two+ months ago, very unexpectedly!

Now, every time I feel pulling, tightness or the like, I can re-frame this as a wonderful reminder of the benefits I am receiving from this amazing device!!

So pleased to have found this site!

Indeed, Bill, t there is great value from blogs which help bridge connectivity with others in similar situations....

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

Member Quotes

Since I got my pacemaker, I don't pass out anymore! That's a blessing in itself.