Sub Pectoral Placed PM Issues

Hi everyone!

Im 32 years old (female) and had my first PM placed Dec 2017. I ended up getting the PM because I was bradycardic, ended up with low BP, and almost no SA node function constantly. I’m pacing about 20% of the time (in two weeks it paced 777 times). The cause seems to be idiopathic or genetic (I’m adopted so no way of knowing). I have a few questions and hope some of you can help me out. Thanks in advance!

1. My PM was placed sub pectoral - I chose this because I’m extremely active and was wanting more protection for it plus being so young, hopefully better aesthetically. However, looking and feeling it now, it is still pretty visible and to the touch I can still feel the outline very well... I thought being under the muscle it would be a lot less... has anyone else had this? I can’t even find information about exactly how deep it should be. A friend of mine has one sub q and honestly it feels the same to me.

2. Having it sub muscularly, there was supposed to be less irritation with things like seatbelts, bra straps, back packs, etc. but the longer I heal, the more irritating these things seem to get. Does it get better?

3. Does anyone else feel the pacing every time it kicks in? Initially I got shocked (like sticking your finger in a socket) and when I discussed it with the nurse and Dr they said it wasn’t from the PM - either from the incision site or the muscle. Having had two shoulder surgeries I knew this wasn’t the case so they dropped down the sensitivity and I haven’t felt the shocks since. But I still feel the pacing. Anyone else feel it? They can’t decrease it more because then it won’t be effective. It’s extremely irritating and even wakes me up sometimes. 

4. Has anyone had a sub muscular PM migrate up or left instead of down ? I’ve noticed further into healing, when I move my left arm across my body or up across my body, it feels like the PM is blocking my arm movement. This is extremely irritating especially because I am so active. 

 

Thank you all !

1 Comments

Takes awhile to heal

by LalaS - 2018-01-16 00:01:51

I have a sub pectoral placed pacemaker. It was done almost five years ago and I am 35 now. I would give your body a little more time to heal and all the swelling to go down in that area to know how its going to feel. I don't notice mine at all unless I am trying to feel for it. Thankfully mine has not moved at all. 

I would continue to speak up to your cardiologist about the pacing you are feeling. I struggled with the exact same symptoms and feel like it was never fully resolved.  I am working with my cardiologist right now to see if maybe the lead is touching off a nerve inside my heart causing the lead to get a misread and pace at the wrong times and also causes me to feel myself being paced. If the problem is with the lead you want to try and get it resolved right away since the leads are not easy to move once they have been there awhile.

Hopefully though its just a need for more fine tuning of the settings by the nurse and giving your body more time to heal. Its a major surgery having it placed sub pectoral and takes longer to heal.

Good Luck!

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