Pacemaker Club: Post surgery pain

Post surgery pain

by Jenny Claire
2019-12-14 21:22:13
Batteries & Leads
1124 views
2 comments

I am eight days post-Pacemaker implantation and was doing fine. This morning I put my bra on, which involves using both hands behind my back. Felt like I pulled a muscle and has been hurting today. Now I am wondering if I could have pulled a lead out or moved it. How do you know if a lead has moved or is displaced? No redness or swelling, just the soreness above and to the left of the implant incision.

2 Comments

I worried too

by Pacer2019 - 2019-12-14 22:08:57

About pulling a lead out .... I feel like if you pulled a lead out that is screwed into your heart with probably some fish hook lookimg thing there would be incredible intolerable pain . If it really is worrisome though call the doctors office.

i don't know where your incision is or how they cut you but it probably involved nerves and muscles any movement especially after 8 days of not extending your arms could bring on all kinds of weird feelings.
i am almost 60 days out and feel perfectly normal as far range of motion and so on goes.

I did have religion about not extemdeing my left side for a month post op.

Leads

by Theknotguy - 2019-12-14 22:11:08

If you pull out a lead you'll know.

There is a lot of healing that goes on. First the surface scar where they implanted the pacemaker has to heal. Then the underlying tissue has to heal.

I had a similar situation to what you describe. My surface scar healed and I was tossing the ball for the dog. I threw the ball too hard and felt something pull in the scar area. The area got really sore and it was an additional six weeks for the soreness to go away. I feel I pulled some of the underlying tissue and it took time for it to heal.

Based upon your description I feel you did something similar to what I did. The area will be sore, but eventually the pain will subside. As long as you aren't running a fever and the site doesn't get red and sore you probably won't need to worry.

As far as pulling a lead. If you look around the forum, most of the leads that work loose are due to improper insertion not action on the part of the patient. It was determined you'd have to almost be in a serious car accident in order to dislodge the leads. In which case you'd have a bigger problem than just loose leads.

Hope your pain goes away soon.