What is reasonable to worry about for infection?

Infection

by AgentX86 - 2022-10-16 23:54:49

The risk of infection is mainly to the pacemaker wound itself.  This can be deadly but cutting or sticking yourself elsewhere is highly unlikely to cause a problem.  I'm always cutting myself (three times in the last two days).  I'm on a blood thinner so sometimes it bleeds much more than it should.

Cat's scratch can always be probematic but not because of your pacemaker (unless, of course, he scratches the pacemaker.  I was in a traffic accident recently and scratched the skin over my PM and leads.  The nurse was really worried about infection so wanted to see me ASAP.  It wasn't a big deal.

No I don't take antibiotics for scratches or cuts. I keep area clean and see a doctor if healing does not take place quickly

by Gemita - 2022-10-17 07:09:52

Oh dear Genie, you did make me laugh.  If you have health anxiety, the last thing you should be doing is asking us “what we worry about”.

I am always getting scratched when gardening and cutting myself in the kitchen preparing meals.  I don’t take antibiotics routinely or apply ointments, but I do keep any wound scrupulously clean and seek medical help if I am in any way concerned.  What more can we do.  Avoid cooking, gardening, pets, hobbies, living? 

Genie, life is not without risk. Everything we do will carry a risk, even staying in bed for too long.  As with all things, we have to be sensible.  If I am scratched or bitten by a dog or cat and the wound looks concerning, I would of course get an opinion immediately from my doctor who might want to arrange some blood tests to check for infection.  Further more I would watch for increased redness and swelling or any oozing coming from the wound and watch for signs of systemic infection like having a fever, feeling shivery.  Your doctor may want to give a booster tetanus injection or something like this.  When in doubt always seek advice, and even when not in doubt, still seek advice rather than worry about it, please.

As far as antibiotics are concerned, if you feel unwell at any time as though you might have an infection, then again seek advice.   An infection in our body, for example, a common urinary tract infection if not treated may spread to the kidneys.  In rare cases, particularly in the elderly and immunocompromised patients, a UTI can even lead to sepsis as indeed can other infections, like respiratory tract infections (pneumonia), so you should be sensible in knowing when to seek help, depending on your symptoms.

You say you are not immunocompromised, you don’t have any heart issues except a pacemaker for sick sinus syndrome.  You are young and look very healthy.  I would stop worrying and start living again, show your doctor any non healing wound as soon as possible, watch your diet and continue to live a healthy lifestyle . . . and drink lots of water to stay well hydrated, number 1 treatment to help prevent a urinary tract infection.

My husband and I both have pacemakers.  My husband does take prophylactic antibiotics for his Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which was prescribed by his Pulmonary Consultant.  This helps us to manage his disease and to start treatment as soon as we notice a flare up of his symptoms.  This seems to work very well, although continuous prophylactic antibiotic therapy does put a patient at risk of antibiotic-resistant colonization and infection.  I only take antibiotics for dental extractions or root canal treatment, not routine check ups or cleaning.  I also take antibiotics for common bacterial infections like respiratory, urinary, sinus, or whenever my symptoms or tests suggest that I may need them. 

There are “rare” cases of blood borne infection which can cause infection to our pacing system like perhaps the one you described?  I have also read about Aerococcus urinae bacteria causing infective endocarditis in an elderly male which caused vegetation to appear on either the tricuspid valve or one of the pacing leads.  Aurococcus urinae is a bacteria which can cause urinary tract infections and infective endocarditis. His entire pacing system was removed and implanted in another position and he made a full recovery. 

Of course, any redness, swelling, oozing coming from the device area itself should be reported and investigated immediately because any infection in that area could be very serious indeed.  Infection around the device could quickly spread down the leads to the heart.  

infection risk

by Tracey_E - 2022-10-17 09:20:46

Risk to the pacer primarily comes from the site itself and usually in the first months post op, however it's possible for a systemic infection to get to the pacer leads. What you've been doing is fine, any cut/scratch that gets infected should be seen by the doctor. 

I was told recently that any cat bite (not scratch) should be treated immediately with antibiotics. 

different answer

by dwelch - 2022-10-17 12:19:54

I get little cuts and they get infected from time to time in that the cut itself gets red. But I have had one/some that grew to a number of square inches around the site.  And the doctor at the E.R was going to hospitalize me if it had been a little larger (due to having a pacer), drew a line around it and said if get gets bigger come back in.

There are also the stories, of non pacer folks going in the ocean right after getting a tattoo and dying, etc.  So clearly avoid those large infections.  But if it is just red edges on a small cut and does not spread beyond that, I dont think there is a reason to worry.

Hi there

by Lavender - 2022-10-17 12:32:17

You're a pacemaker wearer since 2010. Whatever you're doing has kept you safe thus far. I do think that your health anxiety (aka hypochondria) could be helped by a cognitive behavior therapist. 
 

Meditation is my go-to, as well as prayer, listening to calming music and being outdoors as much as possible taking in the flora and fauna. 
 

This started somehow in you. It's manageable though. Read this from the Mayo site:

The exact cause of illness anxiety disorder isn't clear, but these factors may play a role:

Beliefs. You may have a difficult time tolerating uncertainty over uncomfortable or unusual body sensations. This could lead you to misinterpret that all body sensations are serious, so you search for evidence to confirm that you have a serious disease.

Family. You may be more likely to have health anxiety if you had parents who worried too much about their own health or your health.

Past experience. You may have had experience with serious illness in childhood, so physical sensations may be frightening to you.

Risk factors

Illness anxiety disorder usually begins in early or middle adulthood and may get worse with age. Often for older individuals, health-related anxiety may focus on the fear of losing their memory.

Risk factors for illness anxiety disorder may include:

A time of major life stress

Threat of a serious illness that turns out not to be serious

History of abuse as a child

A serious childhood illness or a parent with a serious illness

Personality traits, such as having a tendency toward being a worrier

Excessive health-related internet use

If any of that sounds familiar to you-then identifying the root of your fears may be the first step on the path to peace of mind. 

As a young child, I had several things happen to make me start fearing illness. My mom was/is a hypochondriac who had magazines lying around telling of all the health things to worry over. She took tons of supplements and things trying to prevent disease. She cried in fear having to go to a doctor. I witnessed all that. Mom eventually couldn't function without ativan, valium, or other similar things. Not normal use-excessive abuse of meds. Go figure-mom is still alive at 96 with less health issues than her kids-BUT-the abuse of meds seems to have robbed her of her mind. She's no longer able to communicate with any sense and is in a nursing home. 
 

I also had a lot of painful things happen to me as a child like bad bicycle/car accidents and other tomboy adventures that led to too much medical care. I'm also allergic to so many things like some plants, many meds, soaps, lotions, etc! Even doing yardwork leads to itching arms. I wear a surgical mask to mow. To me...my body wasn't trustworthy. 
 

Having my medical team take six months to figure out why I was fainting added to my anxiety. A heart monitor finally caught my elusive ventricular standstill problem. 
 

I lost trust in medical care. I felt that I had to be hyper vigilant and manage my health on my own. The anxiety was over the top. My stomach started acting up. Sleeping was hard. I did get freaked out if our old cat scratched me. 
 

In time, I didn't want to leave my house much. Certainly not alone. It was no way to live. 
I got help from a psychologist as well as from listening to Michael Sealey meditation on youtube. I meditated and made more time to talk to God. I'm no longer fearful of living. In fact I refuse to live in fear and not be able to enjoy life. 
I go out alone. I plan things. I live. 
 

If I get cut or scratched, I have a little hand brush. I wash the area with antibacterial soap and the little brush. I dap on triple antibiotic cream. I observe the spot to make sure it's not swollen or red and that it's healing each day. If it gets looking infected...like a spider bite on my leg once...I see my pcp. 
 

Look over that list of causes and see if you can reason why you have this irrational fear. Then fight back. 🤎🧡

cuts

by new to pace.... - 2022-10-17 14:53:12

have been told never to believe what one reads on Social Media sites.  Even Dr. Google can be wrong.

  I agree with the others have said in there responses to you.

Take a deep breath get outside and enjoy the fresh air take a walk around where you live and appreciate the beauty around you.

new to pace