Implant 12/1/10

Went to Doctor last week with shortness of breathe. It had been getting progressively worse for 5 days. Have a history of fibrosis so I thought that was the issue. I was sent to ER and admitted to the hospital for "testing". Bradycardia, HR in the 40's on admit, very quickly progressed and dropped to high 20's. Tuesday night they had decided I was having PM implanted on Wednesday morning. Flatlined 4x that morning before they were able to get one in. I was told there was damage from radiation treatment I received from having Hodgkin's when I was 16, I am now 45. They say there is also damage to the aorta which may cause me problems later.

Having a difficult time sleeping. Can't get comfortable. I feel like the PM is stabbing me. I feel like it is moving. Should I be worried about sleeping on the side of the PM? Also feel like I don't have a lot of endurance right now. When can I expect to feel back to "normal"?

Thanks!

2 Comments

Suggestion for being comfortable

by ElectricFrank - 2010-12-08 11:12:26

The pocket where the pacemaker is implanted can be pretty inflamed for a week or two. Even after that laying on the pacer side pinches the pocket and hurts. The best way to deal with things for while is to sleep on the side opposite the pacemaker, and put a pillow in front of you to support the upper arm. Using this I have both with the original implant and a battery replacement been able to get a good nites sleep even the night after surgery. Only took a couple regular Tylanol the first night.

You aren't going to damage the pacer by sleeping on that side, but it will likely let you know. The only sleeping risk is unconsciously raising the pacer side arm over your head. Even that is unlikely to cause a problem, but isn't a good idea.

Your lack of endurance could be due to the pacer not being adjusted properly. They are supplied with standard default settings which will keep you going, but need to be customized for you.

The issue may be what you went through before getting it implanted. Getting down HR of 20 and flat-lining several times leaves your body/brain in less that robust shape from lack of blood flow. It may take a few weeks to regain your usual energy.

frank

Same for me

by #1grandma - 2010-12-09 08:12:35


I did the same as Frank after surgery. I slept "hugging" a pillow on the PM side. Also I wore a sling at night so I wouldn't raise my arm over my head. It wasn't very comfortable but it worked.

Best wishes.

Sally

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