Visibility

Well, i found out on my 52 birthday that I needed a pacemaker with defibulator. I am already retired/diabled because of rheumatoid arthritis. I try to stay in shape, but I am a little vain. Will my device be visible? I am 6'1", 235 lb...not fat, but far from skinny.

Steve

6 Comments

Depends upon what you mean

by Theknotguy - 2015-02-14 10:02:58

Depends upon what you mean by "visible".

If you look closely you can see my PM pocket and the scar. It doesn't really bother me as my other option was being dead.

Depending upon how hydrated I am or dehydrated I am, the PM is more or less visible. Mostly I don't notice it.

A lot of people worked very hard to keep me alive. I'll gladly show off the scar and tell people I have the PM. Maybe I'm more vain as I want to show it off?

Hope everything goes well for you.

talk to your surgeon

by Tracey_E - 2015-02-15 07:02:22

Some are more visible than others. It depends partially on your build but also your surgeon. Some put it right under the collarbone, just under the skin. If they go a little lower and/or a little deeper, it will be less visible, possibly invisible, once it heals.

Know that it can take up to a year for it to fully settle in and the incision to heal completely. Don't judge it the first weeks or even the first months.

Also know that icd's are a bit larger than a pm and therefore it may still be somewhat visible. As knotguy said, wear it with pride, a scar and a little lump beats the alternative.

yikes

by Tracey_E - 2015-02-15 07:02:44

vfib is nothing to mess around with!!! Seriously, the odds of surviving until someone can get an AED much less call 911 are minute. Not trying to scare you, trying to help you appreciate from the start how cool these things are. A scar is nothing when you think about the piece of mind it can give you. And sounds like it's going to blend right in with the rest of your artwork. I saw a tshirt, scars are tattoos with better stories.

If they do it a little lower as I mentioned previously, it will be covered by a tank.

Thanks

by Seagle63 - 2015-02-15 11:02:41

I know themnotman is right. My inlaws already tease me. Some of the meds I take make me have horrible hot flashes, so I wear lots of tank tops and sleeveless shirts. They tell me my back looks like a zipper (previous back surgery), and I have had my thyroid out, so another scar across my neck. The vanity is that I am 52 and look like I'm 40. I just didn't know if I would get those wild looks when I swim, etc.

I am glad I'm getting my device, probably next month. I had an angiogram, which showed clean vessels, but also found dilated cardiomyopathy (idiopathic). And I went into v-tach, then v-fib during the angiogram. So the answer is PM with ICD.


Surgeon

by Grateful Heart - 2015-02-15 12:02:27


My experience has been; it depends on the surgeon.

When my ICD was implanted, after a few months of settling in, swelling gone down, it laid flat. About 18 months later I needed a lead revision. The same device was used so the only addition was an extra lead. This surgery was performed by a different surgeon.

My device now sticks out and you can see/ feel the outline of my device and I can also see and feel at least one lead where it comes out from the device port. Doesn't make much sense since it is the same pocket and device so the only difference was the surgeon.

BTW, I am not small build or skinny so that doesn't seem to matter either. Good luck...you should feel better.

So, like Tracey said...talk to your surgeon.

Grateful Heart

Followup

by Seagle63 - 2015-11-14 01:11:35

Well, the surgeon tried to insert it deep, but it still shows. I notice it more than others, and, if I'm going somewhere where I think it will overly visible, I use a stencil and draw a "tattoo" on it. Everyone's comments are appreciated, and yes, I think I was being verysilly (easier to be silly than focus on the gravity of the situation). I have found that I can tell when I have episodes of V-tach, and so far none have resulted in a zap!

Thanks for all the support

Steve

You know you're wired when...

You make store alarms beep.

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