Post op pain

Today is my 4th day after CRT-D surgery and each day is better that the one previous. I wasn't expecting a lot of pain post-surgery and for the most part I haven't had much. Nights are uncomfortable as expected but the pain is manageable(though it has it's moments). What I was not expecting was the extreme fatigue that I have experienced. By the time late afternoon rolls around I feel like I have hit a brick wall. I'm hoping that gets better. The baseball they inserted into my left shoulder(swelling) has shrunk to about the size of a golf ball now and the tightness in the area gets better every day.

2 Comments

we are all different

by DampDog - 2016-04-16 11:04:39

I'm nearly 6 weeks post CRT-D and I was wiped out for the first 4 weeks needing a nap every afternoon. Pain is all but gone, bar in my shoulder, though it is still tender and uncomfortable. More toward the end of the day when I've been moving for a few hours. The "Baseball - Golfball" is a fair analogy. Certainly at first it felt huge, You certainly can't forget it's there but you are less conscious of it as the days pass and the swelling associated with pocket and incision heal.

normal

by Tracey_E - 2016-04-16 12:04:40

It's a minor surgery, but it's still a big impact on the body. It takes a few weeks or even a few months to fully heal and bounce back. If you're tired in the afternoon, then listen to your body and nap. We don't sleep as well at night when we're sore so it's not surprising we fizzle after lunch.

Are you icing? That will help with swelling. Also, try to move your arm semi-normally so your shoulder doesn't freeze. Don't lift anything heavy or raise it overhead, other than that use the arm.

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Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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