Sleep and Thumping Feeling

This too will pass

by AgentX86 - 2019-11-30 22:53:08

I'm a stomach sleeper, usually, but slept in a recliner for a couple of months after my pacemakre surgery.  I probably could have gotten back into bed much earlier but it was just easier to make sure I wouldn't have problems. After CABG surgery it was five months before I could get back into bed.  I tried a few times and woke up in excrutiating pain.  I didn't want to go there again.

You'll soon get used to being paced and the weird fellings will most likely fade into the background.  There may be some more adjustments to your settings needed but it's usually just a matter of time.

I am

by Pacer2019 - 2019-11-30 23:59:20

a dedicated left side sleeper .  I can only sleep on my back once I basically pass out about 3AM after tossing and turning 

I adapted to the right side but only by using a pillow to keep my left shoulder from rolling over because it would put pressure on my left chest area.

i am about six weeks post insert ....back on my left side 

sleeping

by Tracey_E - 2019-12-01 12:26:37

I found it helpful to sleep hugging a small pillow. It kept me from rolling onto my sore side as soon as I fell asleep. Within a few weeks, I was back to sleeping however I wanted. 

The thumping could be anything, talk to your doctor again and let them know the settings change didn't fix it. It's not uncommon to take several tries to get it just right. 

Sleep and Thumping Feeling thank you

by Thumper48 - 2019-12-01 13:19:17

Last night I almost got 3 hours of sleep total. I woke up multiple times to the thumping. I have an appointment on Wednesday for Pacemaker check. I will let them know then about the thumping issue.  I'm still struggling to sleep on my back despite lots of pillows. I am using my arm normally throughout the day with the exception of no over head reaching, no reaching behind my back,  and no heavy lifting. Only using sling at bedtime as a reminder because I usualy sleep on my arm with it above my head.  I've heard conflicting information regarding sleep positions, so I will call my Dr tomorrow and ask his nurse.  I don't want to screw anything up and have to repeat the process.

Hi everyone

by sablelulu - 2019-12-01 16:17:21

I am in the same boat as PM was installed on the 11-11-19. Still trying to motivate and feel i have over done most. I am totally alone. No help at all so it is extremly hard to 'baby ' anything.' The sling at night was over last night for me. I put my arm down my shirt and prayed ;)  I can sleep standing up as sleep is my best friend. Back and right side is ok. More pillows the better. 

    Everyone is saying electric shock and my doc said mine was only for my rate. So confused as the maker of the Medttroni and doc said both different things.  Only issue i seem to have is this breathing. Yes i have COPD but he acted like this would help breathing.?   Seems to have gotten worse and wondered if anyone else does same?   Making me nervous and anxiety off the chart.  When a person is by themselves seems nothing else to do but worry. Glad i quit smoking in 2018 in Oct. so glad i did. I am still learning but if it helps i did have open heart 51 yrs ago and now i am 60 so if i can make that in 1967 i guess  anything is possible. :\  So grateful to be here so i can enjoy all of you and hear all your stories. Bless you all and have Happy Holidays 

Thumping

by RedRocksGirl - 2019-12-01 20:16:20

I  got my ICD in January for heart failure and intially had more of what I woud describe as a tapping feeling, like someone was tapping the end of thier finger on a particular spot. It happened when the Medtronic rep came in to run a diagnostic on it the morning after it was put in. I found that it was doing it more and more often, (mostly when I was on my left side) in the first few weeks so went back in to my pacemaker clinic and she played around with the different node settings on the leads and the tapping pretty much went away. Now it happens rarely, with the exception of almost every time I go to the movies, so I'm thinking it must have something to do with the postition I sit in in the movie theater seats.  So weird.

I had to have a foot MRI 2 weeks ago and a Medtronic rep had to put in on the setting they use when you're in an MRI machine and it was tapping like CRAZY. I'm sure if you put your hand on that spot that you coud feel it. It was tapping much harder and pretty much non stop. I felt it around the bottom region of my left breast.  It didnt hurt but was SUPER uncomfortable and unsettling. Afterwards when she set it back to normal it totally went away.

RedRocks

by AgentX86 - 2019-12-01 20:36:05

Sometimes the leads can be placed near muscle, particularly the diaphragm, and pace it, as well as the heart.  By all reports it is uncomfortable and is usually fixed, as you note, with changes to the settings.  Usually they just turn down the voltage used for pacing.  When you were in the MRI, they set your pacemaker to its default settings, with no advanced modes turned on and no feedback to sense what the heart is actually doing.  It just paces at a constant rate (usually 60bpm) no matter what the body wants.  It undoubtadly set your PM's voltage back to where you were having trouble before.  After the MRI, they reset the settings back to where your PM tech had them.  Fun, huh?

When I had my recent MRI, the tech ran my heart down to 30bpm (the slowest they're allowed to) to see if I really didn't have an escape rhythm (I could have told him that - but who believes patients?).  Talking about uncomfortable!  MRIs on us PM types are a pain (tooke me a month to make all the bureaucrats happy so that I could get one).