4weeks post op and still in pain

hello I am a 42 year old mom of 4 young children and had had arrythmias over the years . I have had 2 ablutions the last one being over 5 years ago 10 days after my last pregnancy. My Ep specialist thinks they touched on an area that affected me during the ablation and that's why I have had so many issues. I was off meds for about 3 years because I had not gone into tachycardia so therefore I felt I would be better off putting up with my arrythmias that were so called non life threatening. So to make a long story short a few months ago I was feeling awful and found out my heart rate was in the low 30's and was stopping frequently from 3.5 to 5 seconds at a time. The Ep specialist called and said it was necessary to put the pacemaker in that day.
I had a lot of pain after . Little by little the arm pain is going away yet I still can't sleep good on my left side which I miss.
My question is is why do I have this burning sensation where my pacemaker is and I swear I can feel the leads. It freaks me out. I have driven 3 times since and every bump in the road kills me, it hurts . I am almost in tears when I drive . Is this normal?

2 Comments

Let's see

by Theknotguy - 2015-09-22 01:09:58

They just did a procedure where they stretched the skin, put a foreign object in your body, stuck a large needle in you, and ran wires into your heart. I would expect to be sore after that.

We all heal at different rates. Some people have tighter skin than others. So stretching and pulling can hurt more. Others are more sensitive to having cuts and they had to cut you to put the PM in. So you should be sore.

It was five months before I could even think of going in for a shower without first covering my PM wound. I think it was seven months before I could even let the water spray on it. Almost a year before I finally didn't notice it. So it can take a while before the pain goes away.

I still can't sleep on my left side. When I turn that direction my shoulder "pinches" the PM between the shoulder and my rib cage. Not a good feeling.

What I did do was to get a small pillow. When I want to sleep on my left side, I put the pillow on my shoulder, then roll over on top of the pillow. It gives just enough cushion so my PM isn't "pinched". Now, I can use a corner of my head pillow and put it over my shoulder if I feel the need to sleep on my left side. Funny thing though, now that I've figured out a way to sleep on my left side, I don't need to as often. Must be the idea that you can't sleep on your left side that makes it so tempting.

I'm always amazed. We have this major stuff done to our bodies, then think it should be like going into a fast food eatery. You walk in, order, tap your foot three times, then walk out. Sorry, but the body just doesn't heal that way. I've still got a sore back from CPR and that was almost two years ago. So it can take a long time for some of this stuff to heal.

Hope you are doing well otherwise.

for me

by alicia6650 - 2015-09-22 03:09:55

for me, my pocket was painful for longer than 4 weeks out of the surgery. I have found that there are stages to the healing process. I have had 4 pacemaker surgeries, and it is pretty much always the same: the first round of healing is done with the patient being very careful and not moving or using the arm too much. Next, while nerves are reforming, which is in itself very painful, you start to move and be more active. This starts a whole new phase where you are now moving around and probably changing and pulling scar tissue that has formed since the surgery. And to be honest, even when you get to the point where it doesn't hurt all the time anymore, it will sometimes creep up and bother you! Weather changes, oddly strap on a bag, too many hugs at a family function....

I would say that for driving, look into the pads they have that keep the belt from directly pressing on the site.For sleeping on your left side, I couldn't for months after each surgery, but I can now. And give it some more time. If you really are worried, call your doctor. Sometimes you just need a professional to listen to you, and tell you that everything is ok!

feel well!
Alicia

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