leads

I am due to have a battery change in the next few months as soon as my reading are so Medicare will pay for the surgery. When I saw the Dr. she said she would just slip the new battery in the old pocket. She said that one of the leads was pretty good and the other was very good and she sees no reason to replace either.
My question is that the excess lead wire pushes out the skin and shows above the pacemaker . It is unsightly but when I asked her if she could hide it somehow she seemed to think that my skin was too thin and she might damage the lead . So I guess I am asking if anyone else has run into the excess wire issue. ( one of the docs told me it was because I am short.)
Thanks for any input,
Bonnie

5 Comments

Pacemaker insertion

by Selwyn - 2013-05-29 01:05:44

As I do a fair bit of swimming, during insertion of PM, I asked that the leads be left with plenty of slack so that I can fully extend the arm swimming front freestyle.

My lead is visible and dents the skin as there is not a lot of subcutaneous fat. This seems to be a small cosmetic problem compared to the actual pacemaker box which is very visible ( though no one has ever said, "what's that?" at the public swimming baths).

I don't see why, if positioning the leads does not get rid of the visible leads, a well placed non absorbable suture to keep the lead flat against the muscle could not be arranged with the doctor doing the procedure, if you were concerned. These things may be a matter of negotiation and an understanding of how much you are troubled by this cosmetic problem.

At one time I did notice some tenderness ( after excessive swimming ) over the lead edge and folk are known to have skin erosion! Perhaps this is one further reason for not going on a diet, or in my case trying to put on some body fat! Now, where are those hamburgers?...

Short ??

by Grateful Heart - 2013-05-29 01:05:44

I have a lead that sticks out as well as the device after a lead revision. I'm not short, tall or thin.....so you can figure out the rest.

Not sure, but I think in my case, my device was positioned closer to the skin after the revision so they stick out. So maybe if your Doctor puts it deeper in the pocket the lead may not be so noticeable.....just a thought.

I don't mind that mine is noticeable, it just sometimes interferes with clothes or the seatbelt or sleeping on the left side still.

Good luck with the battery change.

Grateful Heart

excess

by Tracey_E - 2013-05-29 10:05:32

It's normal to have excess wire, they coil it and place it behind the pm so we have some slack. If the whole thing is sticking out, see if they can put it a little deeper. What kind of dr is she? You might want another opinion. My last surgery was done by an ep, assisted by a plastic surgeon. This was my 4th and the scar tissue had built up so they rebuilt the pocket. It wasn't a big deal, but the ep wasn't comfortable doing it himself, his specialty is the pm, not making it look good.

The box- food for thought

by Selwyn - 2013-05-30 01:05:04

Never let it be said that we are incapable of 'thinking outside the box'! Now back to those hamburgers!

showing leads

by ford truck guy - 2013-05-30 11:05:19

My one lead is also showing as a bump under the skin as is the PM itself.. It is more visable when my left arm is moved in a certain direction... I look at it as a reminder of what keeps me together with my family !

You know you're wired when...

You need to be re-booted each morning.

Member Quotes

A pacemaker completely solved my problem. In fact, it was implanted just 7 weeks ago and I ran a race today, placed first in my age group.