new here, question
I have just been informed that I will be having a pacemaker put in. I am a 24 year old male. I am worried about obvious things like the procedure and other medical things, but I am also worried that it will show when I have no shirt on or a collar not buttoned up. I am 6 feet 1 and only 170 pounds so you can almost see my chest bones! Will it be obnoxious and really visible? Also I have a tattoo on my right peck, will they have to cut through it?
8 Comments
Minor stuff
by Edouard - 2010-12-17 04:12:23
Hi orakpo98
Since everyone's experience is different, I can only tell you about mine.
I am a 59 year-old physically active 6' 3" male, who received his PM on May 25th of this year.
The surgery was a snap. I was given local anaesthesia. I was awake through the whole procedure and made conversation with the surgical staff until they told me to shut up! Pain and discomfort were minimal and recovery went well and quickly.
Implantation was just under the left collarbone and the scar is about 1 1/2 inches long. There is a small lump, the size of a Canadian $2 coin, again, just under the collarbone. It's barely noticeable. Obnoxious - it will NOT be, but then, nor will it be totally invisible.
As for your tatoo, I suspect it will be safe. The surgeon has a number of options for the implantation site and generally, for guys, chooses the left shoulder.
If you are active in sports, you may want to discuss the situation with your surgeon prior to the procedure. I had to argue with mine, 20 minutes before surgery, because she wasn't aware that I am a competitive swimmer and thought nothing of ending my activities in this regard. It's only when I insisted that she agreed to change from a sun-clavian entry to a cephalic vein insertion.
I was released within 24 hours. I favoured my left arm for a week and had to stay away from swimming for close to two months. Other than that, I felt fine and resumed my normal activities within a couple of days.
I have had no fainting episodes since surgery and my cardiologist is quite satisfied with the results.
I wish you the best.
Keep us posted
Regards
Edouard
New Pacemaker
by SMITTY - 2010-12-17 04:12:49
First, because it is so long, I'm sending you by private message details of my pacemaker implants. I've had two of them in 11 years and there was not a nickles worth of difference in the two procedures even though they were by different doctors.
As for will it be visible, mine is about a half-inch below my left collar bone and is hardly visible. As to how visible yours will be is dependant to a large degree on the skills of the Dr doing the implant and how your body reacts to surgical procedures. As with everything some Dr are better than others. But for the most part,
based on what I see people say here they are not very visible after a few months. Mine is almost invisible, but then I never go without a shirt. I take pity on the public as nobody wants to see an 81 year old with out a shirt.
To be more specific about visibility after several months a person 5 or 6 ft from you probably would not notice you have a PM when you are without a shirt. As for the collar not being buttoned it will not be visible then. A person would be hard put to see it if you are wearing just a t -shirt of medium thickness.
Good luck to you,
Smitty
new PM
by #1grandma - 2010-12-17 06:12:25
Just had to tell you what I have done. I had my PM implanted on October 12th of this year. I put vitamin E oil on it everyday and you can hardly see it.
Just a thought and good luck. It was a piece of cake for me!
Sally
My pacemaker
by fantomasz - 2010-12-17 09:12:16
here is my pacemaker 1 week after implant http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/fantomasz/?action=view¤t=20101112190113.jpg
I am slim guy like you and it's almost not visible.scar will be visible.
Yup
by wenditt - 2010-12-17 09:12:45
As previously mentioned everybody is different. But I'm 34 and slim and it's obvious....really obvious LOL! I was self conscious about it at first but I don't notice it at all. Last summer was the first time I wore shirts that allowed it to be "exposed" and I watched people! I watched where their eyes went all the time. And I can honestly tell you that no one looked! And I was on the lookout for them to be looking! So bottom line is-I really think no once notices but us!
The procedure for me was a surprise. But in retrospect easy. I was asleep and woke up in recovery about an hour later. My leg was heavily bandaged from the procedure and I couldn't move it for a few hours but I was so out of it that wasn't hard to do. My arm was also in a sling.
My limitations were raising my arm over my head, lifting heavy objects for 6 weeks. I went back to work 5 days later and drove 5 days later as well.
Tylenol was given to me right after surgery. I was lucky that I didn't need anything more.
Good luck and don't worry about what other people see or what you think they are seeing. People will be too busy looking at your energetic face full of life to notice!
thanks
by orakpo98 - 2010-12-17 10:12:46
thank you guys and gals, i appreciate it and for some reason i am not afraid of the operation and as for the pain, i have issues with feeling pain and actually dont really feel it, i have broken my jaw and waited 2 weeks before going to the hospital and scared my parents with other wierd things. i feel like i will end up with a box poking out of my chest and no girl will want to kick it with your boy - what do you think? for real?
Talk to the doctor
by sln - 2010-12-18 02:12:26
I'm also thin and my doctor put the pacemaker under the muscle. It makes it less obvious but also gives it some protection. My surgeon said she often places the PM under the muscle for thin people.
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by jenp65 - 2010-12-17 03:12:52
Once you have the PM you are going to feel so much better and it's not going to matter that it shows a little. I had mine implanted 12/1/10. It is swollen right now but even before it became swollen you could tell something was there. I don't know, maybe for guys, body structure being different, it won't be so obvious.
Before the implant I was asked if I was right handed or left handed. I am right so they implanted on my left. Maybe you can let them know where you want it. Not sure.
Good Luck! Everything will be just fine.
Jen