pain after pacemaker surgery

On Dec. 1st, 06 i had a dual lead medtronic pacemaker put in. It works just fine as far as my heart is concerned, ( used to beat 30 to per min., now in 60's and 70's) problemis ever since the surgery my left upper chest to my shoulder has quite a bit of pain and my left arm has lost probably 75% usage. my heart doc said sometimes it takes awhile to get used to it, the second time i went to complain, he said the pacemaker is fine and i would need to see another doctor for the symptoms, even though he did the surgery. i have gotton advice to see an ortho doc. and a nuerosurgeon and am at a loss. Any one been through this that can shed some light. Thanks Frank Z

5 Comments

Something's not right....

by Suze - 2007-03-21 07:03:11

Something doesn't seem right here. Did you have any other surgery other than the pacemaker done around this time? I'm sorry you are going through this. Sometimes we have to insist on answers from doctors. (easier said than done, I know). I'm sure if anyone on this forum has been through something similar they will give you advice. Let's hope.... Good luck, Suze

pain in shoulder

by patriciapeter - 2007-03-21 07:03:41

Hi Frank, I had my 2nd PM implanted 12/01/06 and I am not having arm or upper chest pain. I have full range of motion of my arm and you should too by now. It could be that you are getting a frozen shoulder and that is why you are losing mobility in your arm. I am a Physical Therapist so I know if you haven't been moving your arm much these last few months you set yourself up for a frozen shoulder. Sometimes you can have referred pain in your upper chest from your shoulder which could account for that, but I think you dfinately need to see another MD, first I would see if your cardiologist recommends an ortho MD and if your cardiologist doesn't I would get another cardilologist for a second opinion. You don't want to wait too long on this but that is just my opinion, I hope this helps or at least gives you food for thought. Take care and let us know. Pat

Same thing

by rt60 - 2007-03-22 10:03:45

I had as PM on Dec 1, 2006 and I have the same exact thing except mine is on the right side because it is where my P.M. is. I try to make it a point to use my arm more but the more I use it the worse it gets. During my last check up my E.P. doc she said it was a stiff rotator cuff from limited use, and it could take up to 6 mos. to get better. I feel like they tied my arm behind my back real tight during the procedure. Randy

pain

by kathybnc - 2007-03-22 12:03:15

Frank, what you are describing sounds like what my husband is having. He had ICD implanted 10/06. It has healed nicely, but he has pain all the time. Nobody seems to know why. They did several adjustments and it took care of some problems, but still a lot of discomfort in his chest around the site and sometimes up his neck. They say he is so thin he doesn't have enough padding over the ICD. I don't buy it. At one point they thought he might have a frozen shoulder, but then ruled that out. If you come up with anything I'd sure be inerested in what they say. Good luck. Kathy

Pain from PM

by $6Mman - 2007-03-26 08:03:14

Hey Frank~ The unit in my chest was implanted Feb 15, 2006. It started shifting the first week and has managed to move over the year. Doctors say it is still in a good position and don't want to go in because of the high risk of infection. In the meanwhile, it has impeded the full range-of-motion in my left arm, with some shoots of pain ocassionally down the arm and up the neck into the head. After a few months of therapy and pool therapy I gained range of motion. I do the exercises everyday and sometimes it hurts, but I know I need to stay flexible, so I do them. Turns out that I was naturally "hyper-extensive" so that my natural ROM goes past that of the charts. So of course I've not been happy about it when they say my ROM is about normal. (For the charts) Time takes time. I find myself still somewhat guarded in my actions and reflex and time takes time. Perhaps you can get to therapy to learn some of the exercises and I would highly recommend a pool. Hang in there and keep me posted. ~Adam

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