I can feel my pacemaker

MORE INFORMATION PLEASE

by Gemita - 2019-12-01 05:02:39

Hello Gilbert,

Can you tell us a little more about your problem.  For instance, when your pacemaker was implanted and for what reason ?  Perhaps you might also like to complete your "Bio" section so that more of us can try to help you.  

Is the area where your pacemaker is implanted in any way looking slightly red (inflamed), swollen or feeling tender. If it is, my immediate advice would be to discuss your symptoms with your pacemaker clinic as soon as possible.  You could also take a photo of the area to send to them for their opinion.

Immediately following my implant I did experience some tenderness and warmth around the pacemaker implant site, but I wouldnt call it a burning sensation.  With any burning sensation, my concern would be for an infection which would need immediate medical treatment.  Personally I do not feel my pacemaker working from the pacemaker "site" if that is where you mean, although I do feel a strong heart beat now whereas before it was often faint (or disappearing).

Good luck Gilbert

feel

by wiserdonna - 2019-12-01 14:30:41

I feel like a skip of breath.

Feeling pacemaker

by Theknotguy - 2019-12-02 11:07:19

There are some individuals who can feel different sensations due to their body makeup.  I'm one of the fortunate or unfortunate people who can feel my afib.  I can also tell what kind of afib I'm having in the sense I know if I need to go immediately to the ER or if I can just wait it out.  Due to genetic makeup and inheritance I probably have a higher number of nerves in my blood vessels and it helps me to feel what's going on.  That's the good news.

The bad news is I am more sensitive to needle sticks, IV's, and the like.  I've thrown many blood work people out of my room because they miss the vein when going for a blood draw and start (what I call) digging for oil.  They'll insert the needle part way, then start moving it around in hope to find the vein.  It doesn't work and they get quickly asked to leave.  After being in the hospital to get my pacemaker I felt like a pin cushion when I left because of all the needle sticks.  

Back to your question.  Because I can feel my afib, when they first implanted my pacemaker they set the voltage higher.  Consequently I could sometimes feel the tickle of the pacemaker initiating the heartbeat followed by the hard thump of the actual heartbeat.  It would sometimes wake me up at night.  After about 30 days I was in my EP's office getting one of the early pacemaker checkups.  They lowered the voltage on the pacemaker and I no longer feel the standard heartbeat initiation and it no longer wakes me up at night.  Occasionally the pacemaker will need to initiate the ventricle side and I can still feel that when it happens, but that's only been two or three times in a six year period.  So it doesn't bother me. 

My pacemaker (Medtronic Advisa) has two programs running on it for afib and I can sometimes feel when those programs are initiated.  After six years it no longer bothers me and it's comforting to know my pacemaker is doing its job.

If you can feel your pacemaker working you can talk with your EP's office and see if there is anything they can do to remedy the situation.  

Hoping the adjustment to your pacemaker goes well.