Conflicting Instructions

I am a 69 year old male that is 2 weeks post implant. My device is a 3 lead St Jude CRT-P. My first week was a bit rough, with a fever for a few days, SOB, etc, but I'm happy to say that I'm feeling good and anxious to get back to my fairly active life. I had my first checkup yesterday, where they fine tuned the devise settings, but I was told that one of the leads moved. That concerned me, since I have been very careful with my arm. That being said, during the night, it is possible that I have inadvertently raised it. Last night I kept my arm inside my shirt and that seemed to help. My discharge instructions tells me that I need to be very carful for 2 weeks, when I can raise my arm and begin driving.  Yesterday, at the pacemaker clinic, the nurse told me that I needed to keep my arm down for a minimum of 3 weeks; preferably 4 weeks. At that point it would be ok to drive and I can begin some normal activities after 6 weeks. As I said, I'm anxious to get back to "normal" but I don't want to risk my recovery on it. It would be good to hear what others have experienced. Thank you!

5 Comments

leads

by Tracey_E - 2017-08-03 14:57:52

If a lead moved, it is unlikely it's from anything you did but rather it wasn't in a good spot to start with, the heart doesn't like the type of lead used, or simply bad luck. Either it moved or it didn't, you need to talk to the doctor asap because if it moved it needs to be fixed. It won't fix itself. 

Post op instructions can be from no restrictions to 2 weeks to up to 2 months, it depends who you ask. It's ok to move the arm, just don't raise it overhead or lift anything heavy.  If you don't use the arm, the shoulder will freeze. We all break the rules at least once during that time, perfectly normal! And harmless. The leads are threaded through the vein down into the heart, any extra is looped behind the device. They are not in taut, moving the arm is not going to move them all the way down in the heart. 

Conflicting

by Beagle - 2017-08-03 16:17:15

That's good advice Tracey, thank you. I didn't see the doctor yesterday, but the nurse was going to review all and get back to me if anything needs to be done at this time. I got the sense that the lead moved but may still be  effective where it is. We'll see. Thanks again!

Post Op Instructions

by Artist - 2017-08-03 21:25:14

Post op instructions seem to vary alot from doctor to doctor.  In my case, I was given the o.k. to begin driving 3 days after my I plant.  Also no lifting over 5lbs for weeks 1 thru 2 and nothing over 10 lbs during weeks 3 thru 4.  No firing long guns from the left shoulder.  It's good to keep up your cardiovascular conditioning, walking briskly etc. as your strength allows.  That helps to relieve stress and the tendency to experience some anxiety following implant. Most of us reach a point where we forget our pacemakers and just get on with life, thankful we have have the benefits of such a great device.  It is common to go through a period of adjustments in settings and medications.  Prepare for your followup appointments by writing down your questions and ask for copies of the reports generated from pacemaker interrogations and any other tests.  The PM club is a great place to get support and information.  I can't believe it has been almost two years since my implant.  No more heart rates of 20 to 30 BP and feeling like I am about to pass out.  Life is good.  Your new friends in the PM Club will do all they can to help you on your journey.

Don't get frozen shoulder

by Gotrhythm - 2017-08-04 13:52:57

Listen to Tracey. If a lead has moved, you didn't cause it and not-moving your arm won't put it back where it goes. You need to talk to your doctor.

For now, begin with gentle movement and stretching, straight out at first, gradually increasing the range of motion each day until you can raise it overhead, but do not restrict the movement of your shoulder/arm. You don't want to get "frozen shoulder," a painful condition in which you are no longer able to move your shoulder and it hurts pretty much all the time. And yes, it has happened, and can take months of physical therapy to put right.

While it's important to listen to and follow instruction from our medical team, it's also important to remember that if they are wrong, we are the ones who will suffer.

 

Conflicting

by Beagle - 2017-08-04 15:19:39

all good points! I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor. Thank you all for the feedback.

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