New pacemaker

Hi ,i have just had a pace maker fitted and was told to limit left arm movement for three weeks but i see that some on the forum have been told six weeks. Does anyone know why the difference. By the way it’s easy to forget and raise the arm above the head eg dressing etc, so i use a trouser belt around the torso and upper arm which allows me to use my forearm but not my upper arm. Looking forward to your input.

2 Comments

why the difference?

by AgentX86 - 2019-05-22 08:20:03

A: Because they're different doctors.

There is no magic time clock. It takes some time for the leads to embed in the heart but how long? And how much is "good enough"? The reality is that pulling them loose is fairly rare but, of course, possible. It's also possible to get frozen shoulder. Some doctors err on the "safe" side. Others are more practical. BTW,I was told four weeks and no radical movements, like a golf swing, for six months.

The belt thing isn't a good idea. It still doesn't allow shoulder movements, which is critical. You do NOT want frozen shoulder.

Advice

by Torosay - 2019-05-22 17:06:11

Hi there 

I am one week post pm.

I was advised to dress putting your restricted arm in first so you don't have to lift it up. When undressing, take your restricted arm out last. In effect, the process in reverse

Keep us up to date. 

At the moment I feel the tenderness to the site reminds me not to lift my arm, but I also feel I am getting used to it. So I am going to stick to 6 weeks as recommended by the NHS (UK)

 

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