Question for the ladies only

I normally wear my shoulder bag on my left side, straps on my left shoulder. After your pm's did you switch the side you wore your handbag on? I am almost 3 weeks post surgery and didn't know if it was safe to carry the weight of the handbag on that side.

Yes, I know I will clean it out and get rid of the extra weight. lol!

Thanks

10 Comments

Re: ladies only

by LS - 2010-03-14 08:03:22

I am just now after 7 weeks putting my purse over there! LOL
Too much weight on that side seems to bother me. Even carrying grocery bags.

Me too

by DanaT - 2010-03-14 08:03:30

Yes, if you're purse is as heavy as mine it starts to get sore if I carry it on my left. You probably shouldn't be lifting it with your left arm either yet.

Some guys have bags too....

by pacergirl - 2010-03-14 09:03:18

My guy friend has a bag and an ICD. So this is a question that he could answer too...

Anyway, I have changed purses, lightened the load and I am wearing the vest that have become so popular lately. It adds some extra padding! I have only had my new 2nd PM for a week now and it is still a bit sore. The swelling is going down too. I hope you find a solution that works for you and if you do, please let is know.

PG

Tried the other shoulder...

by MAXI1439 - 2010-03-14 10:03:58

So until I had my first checkup I tried using my right shoulder, but my shoulder bag does not stay on that shoulder, it just slides down my arm, lol

After my checkup, the doc said I could carry it on the left side as long as it is not too heavy and it does not cause me to have any pain. So pretty much I am holding the bag up off the shoulder on the left side or just carrying the strap.

I think I am going to just buy a new spring/summer purse that I have to carry without the shoulder strap.

long handled bag

by JessiWay - 2010-03-14 11:03:34

I have a bag with a long strap now instead of a purse. I wear it across my body, and it hangs down on the left side. Like a courier bag, I think its called. That way all my things are handy, i can rotate it around my body when I get in the car & I dont have to bother with taking it off. It works pretty well. My site is still very tender. I wouldnt want anything touching it. IGood luck! =)

Not one of the ladies, but

by ElectricFrank - 2010-03-14 11:03:55

I carry a fairly heavy camera over my left shoulder and started doing it just a few days after my implant. Same after the recent replacement. Just let comfort be your guide. If it hurts, try a different way of carrying it. I carried the camera held slightly forward so the strap wasn't on top of the pacer.

Just don't try my stunt. I tripped and fell on the camera with it between the pacer and the ground. I think that was at about 6 months or so. The pacer site was a bit sore for a day or so, but the camera didn't complain.

The main thing to avoid is raising the arm over shoulder height for a while.

frank

Thanks for the suggestions

by heartu - 2010-03-15 01:03:09

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

First thing I did was weigh my handbag - 12 lbs Yikes!
I pulled out, an umbrella, store cards, 5 pens, a ton of loose change, a small digital camera, my ipod, makeup bag. Now I will carry only the essentials.

Secondly, I never throw anything out so found a cross body bag in my closet that I could use. It's small so I can only carry the essentials.

Third, sorry to discriminate against you "guys" (aka studs) on this thread. I forget that you carry laptops, camera bags and your wives'/girlfriends' bags while they are in the fitting rooms (lol!!)

Time to forget about the pain

by Blomsterpigen - 2010-03-15 08:03:08

I got may pacemaker in 2000. I was not happy with it for a long time due to many wrong settings, which I slowly got corrected. I also had a lot of pain in my chest and arm when I worked out with weights, but that too got better.

For the past 1½ year I have been a member of the Danish volunteer National Guard, took at short military education and continue to work as much as they need me. My main problem is carrying the backpack in the field with the M95 riffle on my shoulder. But guess what! The pain only lasts while I am carrying it. As soon as I take it off the pain is gone. I can also feel the area where the electrodes are connected, they press through my skin, but I know what the pain is, so I got used to it. Can't keep on thinking about it. And by the way I am a 62 year old woman.

Cross Body Handbag

by bgarza - 2010-03-15 12:03:36

I love handbags! But I never paid much attention to the cross body type since I liked to carry the kitchen sink. After my PM I found this cute cross body handbag that completely avoids the left shoulder. Needless to say I have to leave the kitchen sink at home. I now have "several" in a variety of styles and colors. Months from now you will find that you will be doing all the things you did before the PM. Good luck.

Magnets in handbags

by sln - 2010-03-18 12:03:15

I only carried my (pretty heavy) purse on my right shoulder for quite a while after getting the PM in Nov. 2008, but now sometimes I carry it on the left without it bothering me much.

By the way - you know how many purses are held closed by a magnet at the top? Not long after I got the PM, I noticed that a new purse I had bought seemed to have a stronger magnet than most; I had some trouble opening it up with one hand. I asked the PM tech if it could affect the pacemaker, and he said, "Well, let's see!" and put that part of the purse close to the PM. It did in fact affect the PM. He said just carry the purse on the other shoulder, but since I sometimes sit with my purse in my lap (and near the heart) while rummaging through it, I just exchanged it. Too bad, it was a really cute one!

You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

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