Pacemaker Club: Pain at insertion site

Pain at insertion site

by Stormy
2015-09-07 04:09:03
Complications
1805 views
3 comments

I had my pacemaker put I a week ago, but it is very sore and my shoulder hurts is that normal?

3 Comments

PAIN or pain ?

by oldearthworm - 2015-09-07 04:09:45

I think this is normal, but, o'er time , the feeling should "go away" . I do not think that the shoulder should hurt .. Check this out ..
For about a week, my left arm was in a sling .. to prevent excess movement .. The doctors probably wanted two weeks ..

normal

by knb123 - 2015-09-07 05:09:58

I'm not a doctor but when I had my PM implanted I was told I might experience soreness all around the site as well as into my arm and shoulder. I even had pain meds in case I needed them (mostly, I didn't; just used them a couple of nights to enable me to sleep without pain).

Refer to your discharge instructions: they should tell you to avoid raising your arm above your head (i.e., don't let your elbow get higher than your shoulder) and to avoid lifting or exerting more than 10 lbs of pressure (I think a gallon of milk is 8 lb, if I'm recalling correctly).

Is it your implant site that is sore? That, too, is normal. After all, there's an incision there. Give it time, monitor your condition carefully, and don't hesitate to call your PM center or the doc's office if anything comes up.

Sometimes it's rough

by Theknotguy - 2015-09-07 09:09:08

There is a video on Youtube where they're doing a PM insertion. Fortunately I watched it almost two years after I got mine. All I could say is I'm glad the person was unconscious.

I woke up with a very sore shoulder, a very swelled up shoulder, and very sore. It was five months before I could let water trickle on the incision area. It was over five months before I would let anyone near it.

Sometimes you can end up a lot more sore than anticipated. It does go away after a while.

I hope you heal quickly.