Connecting wire pain

Anyone having issues with regards to their connecting wires?

Two years ago, I was DX with breast cancer. My pacemaker had to be relocated from the left to the right side so it would be out of the way for post-surgery rads Surprise, following surgery I was informed I would no longer need radiology but of course, I now had a pile of extra wires in my chest.

I have have been experiencing a lot of pain in the area of the connecting wires. I returned to work, now teaching, and was slugged by one of my students. Of course they connected directly into the nest of wires. If I lightly touch my left shoulder, it feels like a bunch of wires about to break through my skin. It is very painful and I am completely unable to put a purse over that shoulder, even my seat belt hurts.

If you have had this issue, do you have any ideas what to do to easy the pain. My Cardio said she can reverse the surgery, and place the PM back in it's original position. However the procedure of removing the extra wires is major surgery. After undergoing 9 surgeries in 22 months the thought of one more is unbearable, but so is this pain.




4 Comments

pain when stretching

by Hot Heart - 2009-06-30 02:06:16

Hi there

I would say that i get discomfort if i stretch too much, but its logical really isnt it, if we have wires attached to a static device in our chest and they have barbs on the other end in the heart to stop them from pulling out, so when we stretch too much we either pull the pm down a bit or pull on the heart.

I got horrendous discomfort first interrogation, battery was heavy, i lay a little flatter now. I also get discomfort if i dont wear a good bra.

Hope things work out for you.

HH

Connector Pain

by lady4law - 2009-06-30 08:06:05

I am not sure you all understand what I am saying, but I appreciate your comments and feedback.
I was Dx with breast cancer and had to have a bi-lateral mastectomy. During that 8 hour procedure, my pacemaker was removed from the left side of my chest and re-implanted on the right.

My cardio/surgeon said she could not removed the wires and had to connect the existing wires with another set, somewhat like plugging in an extension cord.

At the same time of that surgery, I had expanders placed in my chest for reconstruction. They pushed on both the wires and the PM. A few months pasted and more surgery to replace them with implants to complete my reconstruction. The surgeon used the wrong type, silicon which is not acceptable with a PM, so they had to be removed and replaced. It's no wonder I only developed 2 infections, which of course required 2 more surgeries.

Dale if you think your chest looks like Frankenstein you should see mine. I have had 9 surgeries in the last 2 years, on my chest. Shortly before all the BC surgeries started, I had the pacemaker surgery, so you can imagine the scars.

My whole chest hurts but the worse part is the constant pinching pain in the area of the connectors, not the PM. I can feel the wires very close to the skin and they feel like they are about to pop though my skin.

I am wondering if, the PM is put back in the original position, what would happen to the wire goingf over to the area where the PM sits now. I have another issue with regards to the wires, one of them has actually "moved" to my neck and you can see it. My PM surgeon said she has never heard of that happening to anyone. Story of my life, I am always the "odd" case.

Thank you all for your help and input. I know no one that has had this problem, relocating the PM, and NO one that has had BC with a PM in the area. - Jean

Flip Flop

by martinb - 2009-06-30 08:06:43

Hi, when I had my pacer put it, the doctor couldn't get it in the left side and tried for 5 hours, like that didn't hurt and I have a lovely big X where most people think the pacer is. They sent me to another specialist with a big old plug in my neck that connected right to my heart, I looked like Frankenstein and the next morning had the pacer put in on the right side. I understand the pulling sensation and it does hurt when I stretch too far or try to pick up the grandkids, but for the most part it really doesn't cause any big problems. I don't play tennis so that's not a problem. It was a bit of a longer recovery than normal took about 5 weeks and then I was back at work. Now I have 2 sets of scars and get a kick out of the techs that do the pacer check and try getting a reading out of the left side. I let them look confused for a few minutes before I tell them it's really on the other side. They laugh and I figure get a little fun out of it. Good luck, I won't lie it did hurt and the 2 surgeries in 2 days was very painful as I have a torn rotator cuff and my arm was killing me as much as the digging around in my check. Take care. Dale

Lead extraction

by maryanne - 2009-06-30 10:06:29

I am sorry to hear that the leads are causing you such discomfort.

You would be correct that having the leads extracted is major surgery. I had this done back in December(I made a couple of posts about my experience you can read about it under lead extraction). This procedure for me is one I would never do again. It is risky and can become complicated...with that being said there are many many success stories for lead extractions and my sister is one such story.

Like you I experienced great pain as a result of the leads..the surgeon was worried I had an infection...at the end of the day he said it was my leads pushing up on the nerve and causing the pain and burning feeling I was getting. For me they were not successful in getting all the leads out. My chest now looks like a very bad Van Gogh painting....I have my old PM site...my sternotomy scar and my new PM site.....was it worth it...possibly.....although I have been back to work for 3 months now I experience pain on a daily basis due to the sternotomy....I grin and bear it...I just wish I didn't have to.

So I guess what I am saying....you need to really weight the pros and cons of having a lead extraction...is the pain you are experiencing worth going through another surgery and or running the risk of open heart surgery(as I went through). You are the only one who can only make that decision. Might I suggest you speak with your cardiologist at length about the procedure and do all the research you can then you can make an informed decision.

I wish you all the very best....please keep us posted as to what you decide.

Cheers....Mary Anne

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