soreness at implant site

I had my PM implanted on 10/31 under the skin, not under the muscle. I've been good about not raising my arm or lifting heavy items. The wound is healing nicely. However, it's still quite sore and painful to the touch. I guess like any surgery, it takes time but I've been reading that most people see pain going away after 2 weeks. 

What's the consensus out there, my fellow pacemaker wearers?

5 Comments

It depends

by Theknotguy - 2019-12-02 15:33:46

It depends upon a lot of factors.  Your resistance to pain, how tight or loose your skin happens to be (which is genetic), what the doctors did during the implant procedure, etc.  

There used to be an advertisement on TV about the guy getting a direct hit with a golf club.  He gets up from the ground and says, "I'm OK!"  Some people are more resistant to pain so you really shouldn't pay attention to them.  If you've watched the YouTube video on the implant procedure, you're surprised people are more sore than they report.  

Initially it took me six weeks to get the pain level down, then I threw the ball for the dog a little harder than I should have.  Pulled the scar tissue so it was another six weeks while I got over that soreness.  At six months I went back to working in a woodshop.  I'd be OK during the day but the next day it felt like someone had wrapped my pacemaker in sand paper and scrubbed it around in the pocket.  So there is a lot of healing that goes on underneath the surface scar tissue.  It all takes time to heal and that's up to your body to work through.  It just takes some of us longer than others.  

If no redness or swelling, you shouldn't have to worry about it.  It will just take time to heal.  
 

Consenous?

by WileyDog - 2019-12-02 15:43:57

I had mine installed a week ago today (today Monday 2/12). Bandage was glue (superglue?). Presently no pain or soreness, a wee bit of bruising. When just sitting I have no awareness anything had been done in the way of surgery, my heart on the other hand has settled in like a sleeping puppy whereas before it was wide awake and jumping about.

Mine's a two lead model by Abbott. It was installed at Virginia Mason in Seattle, WA. And yours?

WileyDog

Pain .

by Bionic Beat - 2019-12-02 15:53:52

Give it some time and you say 'sore and painful to the touch' so stop touching it.   ;-))

You've had surgery, by definition that means a certain amount of discomfort but this is not a huge operation.  Where I live, its considered a procedure not even an op.

There can be no consensous when it comes to our bodies, we are all very individual and pain is  a very subjective thing.

 

Behave yourself and best wishes,

 

Bionic Beat

Healing time is all over the place

by AgentX86 - 2019-12-02 19:49:44

Everyone is different and pain is very subjective.  I had virtually no pain from day one.  It felt more like a sunburn than having been hacked open.  However, it was very sensitive to the touch for about eight months.  Then, it seemed like overnight, it stopped.  I hadn't noticed that the sensitivity had gone away.

You're well past four weeks, so shouldn't worry much about limitations.  A full golf swing probably isn't a good idea but listen to your EP, not us.

Still sore

by Elevator tech - 2019-12-03 00:19:34

I got mine installed October 10 same thing still sore specially when I’m driving the seatbelt bugs that look out of me maybe it takes a few months I don’t know

You know you're wired when...

You fondly named your implanted buddy.

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