ICD
In August of 2016 I had an emergency pacemaker implant. All was fine and I was back to myself very quickly. In January of 2018, my pacemaker was removed and replaced with an ICD because of ventricular tachycardia. The recover was not so easy. I had major swelling at the sight. Now the swelling is all down, but the site is painful. Also, You can see the device and what looks like leads. I’m not so concerned about the look of the site, but the continued pain bothers me. Anyone had this problem?
2 Comments
Pain
by AgentX86 - 2018-06-17 20:52:21
I'm now at four months and the PM site is still very tender to the touch. There is a ridge about 3/4" on the outside and parallel to the scar that is very tender. Everyone says it's fine, though. BTW, mine's not an ICD, rather a CRT-P. So it's a lot smaller than a CRT-D but it can still easily be seen (and I'm not a small guy).
I do a lot of walking and about half on a treadmill. It does bother me after a while. After a couple of hours it's often pretty sore.
I generally sleep on my stomach but with the left shoulder off the mattress. I slept in a recliner for the first two months (for five months after the CABG).
You know you're wired when...
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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.
Pain
by Jimmy Dinfla - 2018-06-17 19:57:09
I had an ICD implant that hurt a lot for about two months. Extra strength acetaminophen only helped some. Ice helps temporarily. By three months, I was generally OK. You are at five months. We all heal differently, so I can't say anything more than to just see if the pain gradually diminishes. I had a six month checkup with my EP, so if you are due for a six month ICD interrogation and checkup, recommend discussing the pain with your doctor.
As to the looks of the site, I am thin framed and the ICD is quite prominent on my chest. My EP looked at the site two weeks ago in a follow-up visit and said it looked fine.
I will tell you that it hurts a LOT if I accidentally bump the site. I have become much more disciplined about closing kitchen cabinet doors!!! I am paranoid about potentially tearing the skin over the ICD. It is still somewhat painful using the car seatbelt so I bought some small cushions that fit over the seatbelt and that helps. A baby pillow also works. When I run the bouncing hurts, so I put my hand over the site to keep the ICD from bouncing. My EP said I could tape the area, but I have not tried that because I don't run that much and the idea of pulling the tape off my chest over the ICD area scares me. I might try it if I cushion the ICD area then tape the cushion to my chest. My EP cautioned about daypacks and backpacks to keep the strap off the ICD site. I also put my hand over the site to stop the small movement of the ICD when hanging upside down at the gym. Sleeping on the left side is not comfortable unless I use a baby pillow to cushion the area between my arm and chest. Oh well, these inconveniences are minor compared to the tremendous value of having the ICD.
Hoping you get over your pain soon.