Newly implanted pacemaker

Hi,
I am 3 days out from a newly implanted dual chamber pacemaker. I am experiencing pain and an uncomfortable feeling every time I try to take a deep breath. It is better than yesterday but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this. My pacemaker site of course is very tender and I expected that. What I did not expect was to sort of have chest discomfort every time I took a breath.

7 Comments

9 weeks on...

by DampDog - 2016-05-15 06:05:11

I had a CRT-D implanted 2nd of March. I found the first 3-4 weeks pretty hard going, it was way more painful than I expected it to be and I found it tough going to get used to it simply "being there 24/7" It will probably take a few more days for all your bruising to fully appear and the soreness that is associated with that may get worse. My shoulder next to the implant site was very, very sore to begin with, I could feel every breath which I didn't expect.

It's early days for you yet. Rest, take the pain killers, and give your body chance to heal. The consultants underplay having a pacemaker implanted it hurts!!!.. (but does get better) I was also told it's tougher to get used to them if you are skinny, the skin pulls tight and you feel it more until it stretches and you get used to it. If you air on the rotund side the device just disappears into the layers. Don't know how much truth is in that, but it sort of makes sense.

Good luck with it. DD.

breathing difficulty

by Good Dog - 2016-05-15 06:05:24

It is very difficult to know what may be causing your problem. The pain from breathing certainly doesn't seem like an ordinary side effect. If it persists you should contact your doc.

Something to consider.

by rafimf - 2016-05-15 07:05:18

I have read that a pacemaker may inadvertently send electrical signals to a patient's diaphragm, causing contraction of this large muscle and can lead to breathing difficulties. I believe (not certain) that the pacemaker can be adjusted to address this problem. I will look for a reference for this, but a call to your doctor or device clinic about this problem, I think, is indicated.

call

by Tracey_E - 2016-05-15 07:05:26

It's probably just healing and normal soreness, but you shouldn't have trouble breathing so I'd give the doc a call to see if they want you to be seen.

Newly implanted pacemaker

by Cate705 - 2016-05-16 01:05:24

Thanks for all the suggestions. The discomfort with breathing has improved. I still feel a heaviness sometimes but it is improving. I am so happy I found this site. Kniwing you are not alone is comforting

pain or discomfort?

by Madamski - 2016-05-16 10:05:43

Do you have actual pain breathing or just the feeling you can´t take deep breaths due to some "heaviness"?
cause if it´s the second one I´ve had that too. I couldn´t take deep breaths and couldn´t talk loudly for a couple of weeks. also i felt a stinging sensation in my chest sometimes. I´ve had the pm for 6 months now and still have that heavy feeling on my chest sometimes. From what I´ve found out it´s the muscles in the chest and back area that are upset and don´t allow your chest to move properly. The stinging feeling seems to be a stuck rib. It has scared me really often but now I´m back doing sports and working 10 hour shifts without any problems.
If you´ve had your pm for only 3 days, you can expect all kinds of strange sensations. but if you are worried - go get it checked! It is not easy relaxing if you think something is wrong and that´s what you need.
take your time and give your body time and rest to deal with the new situation!

Similar Experience

by mfusco - 2016-05-18 08:05:15

Hi,
I've had my PM 7 days now and I found that I get a weird sensation in my throat/upper chest when I laugh hard or talk loud but it's slowly going away. My Cardiologist told me I'd have strange feelings for a while as my body adjusts. I had a complete block but he said there will be times when my natural pacemaker will fight the implanted PM and it will take time for them to "work things out."

It is strange and frightening, but you should mention something to your Dr. for peace of mind and to make sure everything is working well.

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