Sub Pectorial or is it?

Hi Everyone

A week plus one day since PM implant and thank goodness everything is going well. When discussing the procedure I was fairly insistent with my Cardiologist that I wanted a sub pectorial implant, he was extremely reluctant but finally agreed to my wishes. I have now just had the stitches removed and I am concerned that the implant may not have been sub pectorial afterall. From a distance, its fair to see that there is no noticeable evidence of the PM (apart from the scar that is) Close up you can definately see and feel a vaugue outline of the pacemaker and a very slightly raised lump. My question is whether that is normal for a sub pectorial implant or typically would there be no obvious evidence or raised lump?
Apologies if this all sounds very vain and I'm sure there are problems out there much bigger than this but the Cardiologists initial reluctance and hesitation is making me think.

4 Comments

Subpectoral placement

by golden_snitch - 2014-07-03 12:07:41

Even a pacemaker under the muscle can cause a little lump. There was nothing under the muscle before, and now there is a pacemaker unit that typically has a size of around 11-12 cc, so of course the muscle is not as flat as it used to be.

Hope you make a quick recovery!

Inga

Lump or no lump

by PeteFindlay - 2014-07-04 06:07:25

It must depend on how much muscle and fat you've got to hide it.

I've looked really hard, and sometimes I can convince myself I can see something, sometimes not. I can feel a slightly harder, flatter bit just below the scar. I assume that could be it. That or it's scar tissue still settling.

Some of the lump you can see or feel could just be scar tissue settling. I imagine the implant is quite traumatic for the muscle, certainly more so than a conventional site, so one might expect a bit more time to settle to whatever the new normal will be.

Pete

Foreign Object

by SparkyFG - 2014-07-06 01:07:47

Hi,

I am 3-1/2 weeks in to my new Medtronic PM and so far so good. I feel great, can sleep better, etc. However, as has been mentioned, I have a fairly noticeable bump on my chest which likely will not go away. But will the feeling that I a have a foreign object in my chest ever go away? When I move my arm a certain way, the PM feels at least a little uncomfortable. Trust me, I am glad to have the help that the PM provides but I wonder if the feeling that something foreign is in my chest will ever subside.

Anyone?

Frank

feeling foreign object

by bluebowtye - 2014-07-07 11:07:17

Hi Frank,

I had my Medtronic PM implanted about 4 1/2 months ago and I can finally say the feeling of having a foreign object has just about all gone away. I used to feel it when I moved certain ways and when I slept, but hardly at all anymore. I think you need to give it a little more time. Like you, I thought that feeling would never go away, but it has. Glad you are doing better otherwise.

Take care,
~Sheila

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