Recovery

A resounding NO the sling

by AgentX86 - 2019-11-17 11:20:19

Mine was under the skin which is a lot easier than under the muscle.  I was admitted for one night, only because I was then pacemaker dependent and they wanted to make sure there were no complications.  I was released the next morning and was back to work the day after that.  I was not allowed to go to the gym for a month but walking was allowed immediately.  I was back to walking my normal 10mi/day immediately but did use a sling (only) while walking.  The sling took the weight of my arm off my shoulder. I needed that help walking long distances but not for normal use.

You're instructed to not move your hand above your shoulder or behind your back or extend it forward for four, or so, weeks but other than that to use the arm as normally as possible right away. Also, to lift no more than a gallon of milk (about 10 pounds),  If you violate one of these directions, no big deal (it's impossible not to for a whole month) just try not to.

Do not use a sling all the time because you need to keep moving the shoulder.  If you don't you risk "frozen shoulder" which will make the implant surgery look like a walk in the park (well, I guess it was for me ;-). Because yours will be under the muscle, your instructions may be slightly different and your recovery will be longer. We're all different.  Some will experience a lot more pain than I did.  My incision site was very sensitive to the touch for eight months but other than that, my "recovery" was about a week,  maybe two.

Variable recovery time

by Pacemaker_Sally - 2019-11-17 15:52:43

Hello - I am 3.5 weeks post op. My dual chamber pace maker is not under the muscle but there were complications during surgery which impacted the muscle a lot. 

After 3.5 weeks, I still have too much pain to return to work. It is getting better but slowly. 

My advice would be: plan for the worst and hope for the best! More than 95% of people have an uneventful surgery and recovery. I wish you smooth sailing!

Keep moving your shoulder.

by Graham M - 2019-11-17 16:57:38

I had my PM done 3 months ago and was told to keep my arm in a sling for only 24 hours, and then to keep on gently rotating my shoulder to prevent "frozen shoulder".  My PM was placed under the skin and took about 2 weeks to heal, after which I have had no problems. I guess it might take longer for one implanted beneath the muscle.

I wanted to return to work after a few days, but my boss insisted that I take a month off.  I'm glad I did because I was still felling dizzy and over-tired.

It is very important to avoid sudden movements and not to lift your left arm above shoulder height for 4 to 6 weeks, as it takes this length of time for the electrodes to embedd themselves in the heart.  If you are not careful, there is a risk that you will dislodge them, so even if you are feeling good, it is worthwhile taking it easy for the first couple of months.

I wish you a speedy recovery.  Don't worry about it - those first two or three weeks will be over before you know it and you will be starting a new life that is better than before.

Graham.

Under The Muscle

by RedRocksGirl - 2019-11-18 20:11:21

I'm a 56 yr old female with LBBB as well. I had mine first ICD put in last January, under the muscle. I'm very active, and work 5 hrs a day in a Kindergarten classroom, so I'm moving around at work constanly. Our difference is that I'm a leg amputee and use forearm crutches - my pec muscles - with every step I take with the crutches. Everyone told me that under the muscle was more painful than under the skin, so I just prepared myself for that, knowing that it wouldn't last TOO long. I had initally planned on taking two weeks off work, again, mostly because I was planning to stay off my crutches for about 4 weeks to let the chest muscles heal. I did end up taking a third week off as a precaution, I felt good enough to go back, but when I did, I realized I was using my left arm way more than I thought I would and I wanted to be extra cautious and have a great recovery, not just a good one. 

I'd say follow doctors orders and don't raise you arm above shoulder level, I got pretty good at washing my hair with one hand after a few days! lol  They tell you not to lift anything over a certain weight as well. For me the ICD part was cake, I had immediate results as far as my heart was concerned. My surgeon used the glue instead of sutures, the glue covered the whole incision so I was able to take showers right away. It took about 6 weeks for all the glue to come off. The scar looks great, I used a silicone scar cream on it daily as soon as the glue was all off, it also has an SPF in it. 

I have to add, and not to worry you because we believe this was related to crutch use, my ICD sutures inside did come undone and the ICD started moving all over the place, it went from up on my chest to down behind the bottom of my breast (I've got great x ray pictures of it on the Gallery on this web site) so I had to have a pocket revision in April so basically had to go through that 6 week recovery all over again. The leads were all fine so it was just retrieving the wandering ICD and creating the pocket again and SUPER suturing it in place.  I'm pretty sure, as are the doctors, that it happened from using the crutches a little too soon, pec muscles contracting all around it and pushing it enough that the suture broke or the muscle tore. Going through that recovery again a second time just 3 months later was about the same. The first week to week and a half are the most painful. I only took Tylenol though and not round the clock. This time I just waited even longer for the ICD to start scarring in before using crutches. By June I was back to my normal routine: hiking, stair climbing Red Rocks, and chasing a room full of five year olds around.

I'm sure you'll do great, just take it easy, get lots of rest and let your body heal. There's a lot of trauma to the muscle so give it some time. (I can just in the last couple of months be able to have my seat belt across the scar without it being painful.)

Best of luck to you! You'll be back at it before you know it!  :)

Annie