Pace and ablate

I am a 79 year old active lady living in the UK who has had AF since 2006

I am due to have a pacemaker fitted tomorrow with av node ablation following to control my AF which has got out of control when i had to stop Flecainide.

I am apprehensive about tomorrow so hope there are some kind people on here who can alleviate my worries. After the procedure i would like to know how to manage the restrictions on my arm movement. I understand that I will not be able to raise my arm above my head or lift heavy weights but what about gebneral arm movements like dressing, putting on my bra & putting weight on my arm to lift myself up in bed. Also did you get exercises to do to prevent a frozen shoulder. I realise how important it is to protect the leads so as to allow them to become implanted into the heart.

Also I am due to go to France on a family holiday on July 12th travelling by car - is this going to be possible in your experience & then on August 5th am hoping to return to France in a motorcaravan?

Any advise would be welcome  Thank you Pattiann

3 Comments

pace and ablate

by new to pace.... - 2023-06-06 12:23:00

Welcome to the club you did not want to belong to.

You can also use the search to see what others have done.  Click what looks like a "magnifying glass" next to "logout".  In the box that will appear put in your questions.

As to the restrictions is mostly common sense. For a couple of nights i slept in a recliner.  That way you do not need your arm to raise your self up from the bed. Use the raise control on the chair.    If you use your arm  gently,you will not get a frozen shoulder.  Many have said they use a stapless bra or loosen the strap on the left side.  So as not to put pressure on the pacemaker or the incision.  I used button front blouses. While it is healing.

No problem traveling except you might put something  on your seat belt to raise your seatbelt above your pacemaker.

New to Pace

Relax and Think of France !

by IAN MC - 2023-06-06 14:57:31

Hello  Pattiann

This time tomorrow you will be an official member of the Pacemaker Club  and I'm sure you willl agree that the PM implant procedure really was a piece of cake .

I, too, am in the UK and I drove off to France on Day 8 after my PM implant so you need not have any worries about the planned journey. You ask for any advice ; all I can think of is :-

Drive on the right, it is a local custom !

I will send another message when you let us know how you got on.

Bonne Chance

Ian

 

New pacemaker

by AgentX86 - 2023-06-06 16:47:44

Welcome to the club (almost).

As Ian said, the procedure is almost always a piece of cake.  Mine (I had an AV ablation at the same time) was really simple and painless.  I only had locals in my groin (for the ablation catheter) and the shoulder. No other anesthesia at all.  Two surgeons worked together, one at each end.  The onlly pain was when they made the pocket.  I have to admit, that wasn't pleasant but I needed no pain killers after. They sent me home with a prescription for narcotics which I filled but didn't use. They're dirt cheap and just in case...

I, too, slept in a recliner until I knew I wouldn't have trouble when I rolled over on it.  I sleep on the left side of my chest and I knew that was going to be a problem if I rolled over.

As far as movement... As others have said, be reasonable.  Use your shoulder but try not to extend your arm.  Don't reach above the shoulder, behind your back, or fully extend your arm for tour to six weeks.  If you do (we all did), don't worry about it.  It happens and the chances that it'll hurt anything is next to zero.  The problem really isn't pulling the leads out, rather to make sure you don't tear anything inside the wound.  Infections are deadly serious so going back into fix any damage isn't something you want to do.

You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

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