Pain

Hi, I was shocked to find I suddenly needed a pacemaker 9 weeks ago and am just beginning to come to terms with it. The wound has healed well but I am still having a lot of pain and itching over and around the site. Will this eventually settle so that I can forget about it and get back to normal.

6 Comments

Pain after 9 weeks

by ElectricFrank - 2009-10-17 04:10:55

It depends a lot on where it was implanted. My is just under the skin so there wasn't much tissue disturbed. Its been 6 years now, but as I remember it the inflammation and pain were completely gone by 3 weeks.

frank

Ros

by wenditt - 2009-10-17 08:10:44

I am 5 weeks in and all redness is gone and the incision has healed. I've been using Mederma and vitamin E to help the scar fade. The site as a while is still tender though. I can feel the actual wire coming out of the pm and I can feel the edges of the pm as if they were right out in the open. The pain/soreness is worse when I sleep on my left side even if it's for a little while.

Mine is still itchy. Sometimes I feel itchies from the inside and outside. I think it's just everything settling in and my nerves either coming "back to life" so to say or they are just so damaged they are in a funk.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Wenditt

itching is good

by golden_snitch - 2009-10-17 10:10:02

Hey there!

Itching is normally a good sign and shows that the wound is healing. "A lot of pain" after nine weeks sounds a bit odd, but then everyone is different - I'm very pain sensitive for example - but if it's so bad that you need painkillers all the time I would give your cardio's office a call and let them check the wound.

Just saw that you are in the UK. Do you know the Arrhythmia Alliance? It's a non-profit organisation offering lots of advice and information, website is:
http://www.heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/index.html
Maybe that's interesting for you. I'm a member though I'm not from the UK but from Germany. Just think the AA is doing lots of good and important stuff by bringing patients, cardios and industry together.

Best wishes
Inga

red?

by Tracey_E - 2009-10-17 11:10:18

Vitamin E and/or aloe should help with the itching, it's a normal part of healing.

If it's red, swollen, or oozing at all, you need to be seen asap. As Inga said, if it's bad enough to need pain killers, I'd call the dr about it also. Some residual pain is normal as the nerves knit back together and the scar tissue forms around the pm itself. Everyone's pain level and tolerance for pain is different, but it should improve steadily. Most feel pretty much back to normal by 6 weeks but 6 months to a year is not unheard of.

It gets better

by hooimom - 2009-10-18 09:10:16

I got my pacemaker 3 years ago. It took several months before I felt totally "normal" after my pacemaker was implanted. I had itching much longer than I expected and some pain as well. It sounds like you are quite normal. It will get better week by week but be patient with yourself as you heal.

Michelle

Pain

by ros - 2009-10-19 02:10:58

Thanks for all the responses to my question. I will try to be more patient - but it is reassuring to know that its all normal.

You know you're wired when...

You have a little piece of high-tech in your chest.

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