Pacemaker- Rib Tenderness

"Goes off"?

by AgentX86 - 2019-09-30 22:03:22

What do you mean by "goes off"?  It's not "normal" but not all that unusual that a pacemaker can pace muscles the leads are near.  We hear it a lot about diaphragms being "paced" but there's no reason to assume it can only be the diaphragm.  Talk to your EP.  This is usually easily fixed.  Insist on it.

Yes

by PacedNRunning - 2019-10-01 02:26:34

If I lay a certain way I get tapping in my lower ribs. 

goes off

by Jupe - 2019-10-01 08:38:39

Goes off is probably the wrong term. When it sends a signal?

"goes off"

by AgentX86 - 2019-10-01 08:43:43

How do you know it's "sending a signal"?

signal

by Jupe - 2019-10-01 22:32:27

I don't know I'm feeling a tingling/vibration coming from the pacemaker area a few times a week. Isnt that whats its supposed to do??

whats its supposed to do

by AgentX86 - 2019-10-01 22:37:25

You're not supposed to be able to feel your pacemaker at work.  If you're pacing at that time (it's being caused by your pacemaker), you should see your EP and have that corrected.  It's certainly possible but it's not right.  It's also possible that the surgery has irritated some nerves and they're causing spasms.  These sorts of spasms usually go away fairly quickly after implant though.

Yes, but it was temporary

by Elisabet - 2019-10-06 05:27:58

Right after I had the surgery I could feel the pacemaker when it was working - not every beat since I had intermittant heart block at the time. Sort of a twitchy feeling in the rib area depending on what position I was lying in etc.  

At some point, can't remember if it was that post-surgical follow-up or later, they turned the voltage down slightly, and most of the twitchies went away. I'd still feel them if I was awake at the time it did its test routine at 1am or so. (Eventually not even then.) I've also had them when they put the pacemaker in asynchronous mode for MRIs. 

I'm paced all the time now and don't get that sensation at all.