help
Hi all,
I have had my pacemaker since Apr 2010. I still have a hard time sleeping as my shoulder and left arm still hurt. Sometimes I am still awake at 5am. Thank goodness I'm not working right now or I wouldn't be able to make it.
My problems started 7 years ago when I got Bacterial Menningitis. It caused my heart to stop and since that time my heart rate has been in the 30 to 50 range. I was so tired all the time that I could only work a couple days a week.
Sometimes I lay in bed at night and wish that I never had gotten this thing. Does life ever return to normal?
6 Comments
Oh..I forgot something...
by Pookie - 2010-07-31 09:07:53
if your shoulder is still hurting, talk to your doctor about it as perhaps a bit of physical therapy may help as sometimes we baby that arm and can end up with what is called Frozen Shoulder.
Talk to your doc about it. :)
Pookie
Life as we once knew it...
by LS - 2010-08-01 05:08:18
YES!! It S L O W L Y returns to normal!!
For me the 4 month mark was a HUGE turning point!!
I'm just at 6 months.
Hang in there!!!
Liz
Sleepless, also
by Meema417 - 2010-08-02 12:08:24
I had my implant on May 3, 2010. Still have not slept on my left side--my favorite way to sleep prior to this. I saw my chiropractor about my sore/frozen shoulder. He said I was going into tendonitis. I use ice packs and alternate Motrin & Aleve. It started feeling better and then I tried to turn my composter and now it's all sore again. I'm beginning to understand that a lot we deal with post-op is mental. I was scared to even sleep on my right side because I feel like I'm crunching up my chest and I swear my pacemaker moves, somewhat in my chest wall. Freaks me out. An extra pillow helps when I do need to roll on my right side. One pillow is best when I'm flat on my back. Anxiety, yeah; every muscle ache in my chest--is this the big one coming? Prior to the implant I probably wouldn't even have noticed some of these aches & pains. I am trying very hard to keep my mind busy so I don't dwell on this. Doing pretty well with it, I think. I try to remember that other are dealing with bigger issues than I am, so I pray for others to take my mind off of me.
Slowly but surely
by cruz - 2010-08-02 12:08:27
I had my impant in February. My sleeping is still not back to the way it was, but it's certainly better. I talked to the doctor about taking a couple of tylenol at night and it helped. I had always slept on my left side and that's still a little uncomfortable for me. I'm slowly adapting to sleeping on my back or my right side. Laying in bed and being uncomfortable is terrible and I know how you feel. I wake up early, no matter what time I go to bed. As you can see from when I'm posting this, I try to stay up later to sleep until a more normal time in the morning. This board has helped tremendously. Depression and anxiety play a big part. The most important thing is to talk to your doctor. Help is out there. Just be patient with yourself and hang in there, as it slowly gets better.
Cammy
Surgery
by pitstop - 2010-08-03 02:08:48
So I went to the heart dr today. I told him all that was going on. He checked the position of the pacemaker and found that it had moved and is almost into my arm pit. Now I have to go through surgery again so they can move it over and tack it down again. Hopefully it will work this time.
Now my problem is that I have to go through the healing process again and off work for longer.
My family dr gave me some sleeping pills so maybe I'll be able to start getting some sleep. I just can't stand being awake all night tossing and turning. That just makes your whole body hurt.
I want to really thank everyone for writing me. It sure helped to know that I'm not alone
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Member Quotes
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Hi.
by Pookie - 2010-07-31 09:07:28
Yes, things will get back to "normal". :)
I too had a heck of a time sleeping for the first couple of months, just couldn't get comfy, then when I finally fell asleep, I would be awaken when I went to turn. I didn't get much good quality sleep those first few months, so I had to eventually ask my family doctor for a mild sleeping pill.
I too layed in bed many a night thinking did I make the right decision. I have a lot of complications after my initial surgery (a total of 5 operations and I died twice, which is another story)...but I would lay there in bed sometimes praying I could get to sleep and actually prayed that I wouldn't wake up the next day. Since then I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but again, what I went through is so very rare.
I've come along way. And how I got back to "normal" was by coming here each and every day. And each and every day oodles of members reached out to me and gave me support that only a fellow pacer could or would. These people on here are life savers.
Just give yourself time. I know that's probably not the answer you are looking for, but it's the truth.
Just try and do little things each day that bring you joy or happiness....before long you won't even remember you have a pacemaker. Time heals everything so the saying goes.
And if you are feeling a bit depressed, which is SO common after having a pacer or a defib, please talk to your family doctor about it. Anxiety and depression are both very common with heart patients.
As long as you are not in any physical pain, just try and get back to what you used to do...little by little.
You are not alone.
And remember -- we are all here to help you.
Take care,
Pookie