stuart

Hi
I have been fully paced for the last four years , over the last six months the surface veins around the pace site in my chest have started to swell up and now the veins in my left arm are also increasing in size
I have had ultra sound checks for blood clots and nothing was found
Anybody out there got any ideas as to what might be the cause

2 Comments

Hi there Stuart

by TroyAx - 2008-06-20 10:06:33

It sounds like the pacemaker (or interior scarring form the implant surgury) has shifted and is affecting blood flow through one or more vessels - this is what may be causing the veins to swell.
It is the only answer I can come up with that fits..... have you noticed that the position of the pacemaker has shifted since the implant?
Hope this helps!

Oh yes!

by bambi - 2008-06-20 11:06:58

I can hopefully try to guide you to your next steps. An ultra sound will not, I repeat will not diagnose your problem. I had every imaginable test to try to pin down why I had severely uncomfortable facial and neck swelling for 5 years following ablations and pacemaker placement. I was pretty much ignored, patronized, and finally made to feel like a nut case because my symptoms never went away and gradually got worse. I had the ultra sound, venous doppler, and CT scan with dye contrast. Nothing looked abnormal. Finally, after seeing a family physician who took my symptoms seriously, he referred me to a thoracic surgeon. This Dr. ordered a venogram. This uncomfortable, but very reliable test showed a 95% blockage in my superior vena cava! After 4 attempts at a venoplasty [ballooning the vein] and it collapsing almost immediately, I finally had my pacemaker leads extracted, the SVC ballooned again, a stent placed, and the pacemaker system put back in. All my symptoms pretty much disappeared. About 6-8 months ago, I noticed the same full, congested feeling in my left arm and shoulder. The veins started swelling, and the ache and pain from the pressure gave me a number of sleepless nights. Long story short, again after being made to feel like a big baby by my Dr., a venogram was done. A different blockage was found, near my collarbone, and they ballooned it twice. This was incredibly painful, but I hope my symptoms will go away. So far they haven't, but I'll give it some time. Moral of the story: Your symptoms show that something is not right. Why the EP's seem so resistant to recognizing the rare, but increasingly more common complications of pacemaker leads is something I do not understand. If I can google pages and pages of information on this, why do they say they never heard of it?????
Please be persistent and ask your Dr. to order the venogram. Most of the time, the other tests are a waste of everybody's time and your money!
Let me know if you have any more questions. You can always send me a private message! Good luck!
Bambi

You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

Member Quotes

Your heart’s electrical system has a manmade helper. A helper that only knows to do what it is programmed to do and will perform that function day in and day out, without fail. Now, go enjoy your new grip on life.