Pain

Hi I joined the site tonight! Exciting forum! had a St Jude Biventricular with a defibrillator implanted 3 weeks ago. I am quite a slight woman, but I broke my left shoulder 8 months ago and obviously they must have had to pull and push around my collarbone and shoulder to get it in. The actual scar looks like a little cat scratch and doesn't hurt but the shoulder is very sore. Any advice?

3 Comments

Past injuries

by Theknotguy - 2014-12-05 02:12:35

Some of those doctors who do the implant are rough. My favorite fantasy is that the doctors would be in a city where no one knows them, can't talk, and get admitted to a hospital. They would have to go through everything their patients do without all the perks of being a doctor. Like I said, a fantasy.

PM on one side, busted shoulder on the other. Guy says don't use your arm on the PM side to get up out of a chair or bed. Told him I was running out of options. Anyway....

Drink plenty of water. Not fluids, water. Tylenol. I got those plastic things with the blue fluid in them that can be tossed in the freezer. Froze them solid, then wrapped in a towel and made a cold, dry compress.

After cold, dry compress, used one of those things you can heat in a microwave. Used that as a warm, dry compress. Alternated between cold and warm.

Heating pads won't bother the PM you can use one of those too. You don't live in Tasmania so I assume you have access to the cold and warm stuff.

Keep moving as much as you can. Moving helps keep you from getting stiff. You will anyway but move as much as you can. Walking is good exercise.

After that, say, "Ouch!" Cuss and swear. Grin and bear it.

For me, my other option was being dead. Pain let me know it was great to be alive.

Hang in there. Life gets better!

3 Weeks Post Op

by Grateful Heart - 2014-12-05 03:12:43


Has your shoulder been sore since right after the implant or only at this point...2-3 weeks post op? If it's the latter, you may have frozen shoulder from not using your arm. You don't want to raise your arm above your shoulder but you do want to use your arm.

It sounds like some physical therapy may be helpful to you. Speak to your Doc about P/T.....it really helps and you most definitely want to get that arm moving.

Good luck,

Grateful Heart

Thanks for advice

by Dollybird - 2014-12-07 02:12:32

Taking paracetamol and putting on hot packs (bean bag) and settling down a bit. Thanks for advice, yes a bit of pain is better than being a sickly invalid, fading away...

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