Sore

Hello everyone,
I am still 3 1/2 weeks into recovery but there are some things I have questions about. I don't have an appointment with my cardiologist until May 27th. (That was the soonest)
1) I notice that I feel especially sore on the incision area when I wake up in the morning. Not just a muscle soreness but kind of a small sharp pain. Is this normal? And speaking of sleep, every since the whole incident, I can not sleep! I don't sleep sooner than 2am and I wake up constantly... it's so aggravating.
2)I notice sometimes while I am working or even just walking I will start to feel my heart beat very quickly and I have to stop, of course stopping sometimes makes it worse. I always think I really should start running lol. I have read about this before, is this just a setting that needs to be changed? Of course I can't do that for a few weeks...
3)Lastly, when I do lay down and I exhale (at night only before bed..odd) sometimes It feels like my heart beat is "harder"? Or, maybe a more noticeable "thump". That may not make sense but I don't really know how else to describe it.

Anyway, I am still adjusting! Out of everything though my sleep pattern is really the most aggravating of it all! I still have a fractured skull (and no sense of smell I might add lol) so maybe that has something to do with it also..not sure. Just thought I would ask.

Thanks!

2 Comments

You've had a lot happen

by Theknotguy - 2015-04-30 01:04:28

You've had a lot happen! Fractured skull????? Was that from passing out??

The incision area can be real sensitive. If it is unusually warm, or super sensitive to the touch, or you're running a fever, or cold all the time, then I'd get checked out for an infection. If you're not sure, you can always call the EP's office and leave a note for your EP's nurse. It doesn't hurt to ask. It might even get you in sooner.

If the incision area is just sore but none of the symptoms of an infection, that can be part of the healing process. I didn't want anyone or anything near my incision site for five months. After the scar was healed I used to keep a towel over it while taking a shower because I couldn't have the water spray directly on it. You can also get "ant bites" which are the nerves healing.

Sleeping - it can be part of the skull fracture issues. It can be part of the overall events. My body was producing adrenaline at a high rate and I was "on" most of the time. It took about three months for that to settle down.

Another thing that affects sleep - at least for me - was the higher heart rate setting. My body was accustomed to a lot slower heartbeat but, with the PM, I was getting a steady 60 BPM. My brain didn't know what to do with all the extra oxygen and nutrients. That added to the wide eyed feeling I had when I tried to sleep.

Another thing can be the PM. They keep the voltage higher at first to help get the leads incorporated into the heart. I'm one of those really sensitive people and I could sometimes feel the tickle from the PM before I got the thump from the heartbeat. It would wake me up at night. The higher voltage can also explain why it feels like your heart is beating "harder" at times. At or about the three month mark they reduce the voltage and it may reduce the "harder" feeling. Also when they reduced the voltage on mine (No big deal I was watching the tech when they did it, didn't feel a thing.) I was able to sleep better because I didn't get the hard thump.

Sorry about the loss of smell. Based upon what I've heard, that means the nerves were severed and you may not get it back. You may have to rely on food textures in the future.

Having a hard thump on the brain can also interfere with sleep patterns too. Funny things happen when the brain gets banged around.

As for sleeping, I couldn't really find anything that would help. I wouldn't apologize for taking naps during the day. though. You do need the sleep regardless of where and when you get it.

Hope you can get some relief soon. Other than what you have said, it sounds like you are adjusting well to the PM. Hope things continue to go smoothly.

Response..

by LittlestEaton - 2015-05-13 02:05:03

Yes, the fractured skull was from passing out. It was a long week of constant headaches lol...
The "ant bites" feeling...YES! I have heard that scar tissue also doesn't stretch like normal skin does and since I roll around a lot, I feel maybe I am forcing the skin to stretch in a way it shouldn't.
I didn't realize they keep the voltage higher at first, that will be a good chat to have with my Dr in a few weeks, as I am still having issues sleeping. I am sure I was told many things in the hospital that would answer my questions, however I do not remember much of anything because of the head injury. I can't wait for that appointment though.
Thank you for your help and advice :)

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