Sleeping With My PM

Sleep

by Loonylil - 2017-01-27 12:19:55

Hi there I found things very similar to your experience after I had my pacemaker, but now 3 months down the line all has settled down and I can sleep either side.

your op was fairly recent, so I would suggest to try not to worry, relax as far as possible, get the sleep where you are most comfortable and things will gradually get better and better for you!  ❤

Sleep

by TomL56 - 2017-01-27 14:03:40

Thanks LL - that's what I was hoping to hear!

Sleep

by Maine Camper - 2017-01-27 14:28:19

I have had my PM for 5 weeks now and have been sleeping on my left side after the 1st week. I do have to use 2 pillows and allow my shoulder to be squared up below me, but I can't sleep on any other side.

Sleep

by Hamsquatch - 2017-01-27 22:39:16

I'm around 27 months post PM/ICD implant and I sleep on my right side most of the time, no real explanation for it but some days I feel like my ICD is really putting pressure on the site, some days it feels normal. When I do sleep on my left size I have to position myself to be comfterable and if I move the wrong way can feel a lot of pressure. 

Same here

by DampDog - 2017-01-28 10:12:02

Just turned 10 months post implant (CRT-D, March 2016) I pretty much sleep on my right hand side now. (I still don't sleep anything like as well as I did prior to implant) Though not painful as such, sleeping on my left side is uncomfortable now, I can never quite find a spot where it's not in the way. I can manage a half roll to my left and occasionally sleep like that. It does seem to have a life of it's own with some days when I can barely feel it and other days when it's "There!" all the time. Not really painful, just irritating really. I suppose it's the price we have to pay, to have these gizmo's support our heart.

I like to have facts where possible

by LondonAndy - 2017-01-30 04:24:15

Firstly on the issue of sleeping on your left side: I too like to sleep on both sides through the night, but also found it uncomfortable to sleep on my left at first.  So I mostly avoided sleeping on my left, but of course sometimes turned over in my sleep.  After about a year I found I could sleep on my left without any discomfort at all.

You mentioned you felt that your heart was beating fast, and that can affect sleep of course.  Maybe your pacemaker needs a setting adjustment.  Have you got either a blood pressure meter or a pulse oximeter (a little battery operated laser device that clips on the end of a finger to give almost instant readings for your pulse and oxygen levels in the blood)?  Both are pretty cheap (about £20 - £40, or US$25 to $50), and I find handy to have at home to use occasionally if I feel odd and want to rule things out.  Much more useful to be able to give your doctor or technician facts like "last Thursday my pulse at 3am was 90" than just that you THINK it was going fast.  

Though I remember when I became a diabetic 20 years ago, and a little later went to the doctor thinking something to do with that was an issue at the time.  He wisely pointed out that just because I now knew I was diabetic did not mean that everything would be down to diabetes, and likewise just because we have a pacemaker doesn't mean everything will be down to the device. To be honest in my case I usually find that my pulse IS normal and so rule out pacemaker issues - maybe it is the stress from a work project or something after all ...!

Sleep....

by Suzzy123 - 2017-02-05 19:12:21

I have had my pacemaker since 2000. Over time you will find your sleep patterns/habits get better. As for your heart racing - be sure to tell your Doctor what you have been feeling since your pm was implanted when you go in for a check up.