Arm & shoulder pain/ post ICD

Several times since my ICD implantation (1/20/10) I've seen posts here where someone is experiencing arm or shoulder pain. I was feeling pain there too, but I thought it was just part of the usual surgical discomfort. Some time has lapsed and both of my shoulders hurt, but the right (ICD side) is much worse. It definitely is not related to the incision and feels as if my shoulder is slightly dislocated, if that makes sense?? It hurts to lift my arm above the shoulder, to turn the steering wheel or open the fridge door. Then I got to thinking.....right before the procedure, in the lab, they applied restraints to both wrists. Before I got the chance to freak out or even ask why they were used, I was given the IV med that put me under. Now I knew in advance that my heart would be stopped in order to kick in the defib, and I was also told afterward that it actually took place. So if my arms were strapped down & I was electronically jolted, couldn’t that have injured my shoulder? We see it done on TV & being a nurse myself, I've also seen it first hand many times and I know how the body reacts to the jolt. If the chest area heaves that much & the arms are immobilized, it would stand to reason that the shoulder joints & muscles may be affected to some degree. That's my take on it anyway, which MAY explain why some of us are experiencing pain in the arms & shoulders. I'm going to wait another month or so & see if it eases up and if not, I'll probably just have it checked out by my PCP. But it is something to think about.

3 Comments

yes

by ro - 2010-03-31 07:03:59

I had four surgeries in three months and after two of them, my left arm and shoulder hurt so badly that I ended up in the ER. I could not lift the arm, but also it was extremely painful even without moving it. My cardiologist and staff had not heard of this before (which increased my worry). I used hot compressed, which seemed to help at least for a while and I had a massage which felt great, but neither took the pain away. Eventually it got better. I do not look forward to being opened up again in the future because it was so awful. Good luck. It IS depressing, I know.

Post shock shoulder pain

by jvaltos - 2010-03-31 12:03:39

I routinely use the above method for restraining and "shocking" patients. I have not had any complain of the shoulder pain, but interestingly, you raise an interesting point.

However, another explanation may be the fact that the muscle is sewn into to secure the leads. The leads also pierce the muscle itself. Also, depending on your anatomy, a portion of the pectoralis "the pec" can be damaged during implant.

Good luck-I hope the pain gets better.

Pain in Shoulder too

by cruz - 2010-04-02 01:04:11

I kept telling my daughters that the doctor, at some point, pressed so hard to get the PM installed that it felt like he was standing on my shoulder with his knee. They laughed. Then I read that they shock you to check to see if the device is working and I've just assumed that is why the pain is still there (4 weeks since the PM). I was sleeping soundly and then was abruptly awakened by this intense pain. I groaned and was back in LaLa Land. Since I still can't completely use the arm, I'm hoping it improves after I can reach, pull, etc. I'm still not able to lay on that side because it's so painful to the ball joint area. Your problem sounds much more severe and I hope you find a solution and post it for all of us. I also didn't realize they pierce the muscle. By the way, I'm a female and I'm just now seeing a decrease in the "3rd breast" that is under my collarbone. I think the swelling is just about gone but they have told me that it's noticeable because I didn't have much fat...I'm trying to retify that by eating everything in sight. This is all very new to me and I have found so many answers on the Boards. Will I ever be able to sleep on my side with this new equipment??

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