Pm placement

It is now 5-6 weeks post pm under muscle, and although not doing too much lm finding when l raise my left arm slightly the pm feels a lot bigger than it actually is. I can feel the edge in my armpit. I understand it can take months for all the swelling to reduce to a new normal, but wondering if this will get better. It feels almost like when l try to do anything with my left arm the pm is in the way like a brick in my left armpit. I would have though placement under muscle to have allowed for greater movement in activities but at the moment it doesn’t seem to be the case. Just wondering if anyone else has had same. Am l expecting too much too soon? I was hoping to return to yoga to start to regain some of my pre-pm movement with a view to return to the gym once the doctor was happy with everything. Pm wound and everything else seems to be going great with very little pain, just the brick feeling in left armpit. 

 

3 Comments

Pm placement

by Cardiac kid - 2019-01-05 22:52:11

I’m going into my 6th week since Medtronic implant. I’m like you, I’m still feeling like the pacemaker is bigger than it really is. The swelling has definitely gone away but I still there is some soreness at the pec. muscle under the pacemaker. I’ve started lifting dumbbells but will have to adjust weight to continue. I’m waiting another 2 weeks to start swinging the golf club I’ll let you know how that goes. Our mind wants to process time a lot more different than our bodies. Give it time sometimes we rush it to fast and end up going backwards. You will be mended soon.

Placement

by Vivianne - 2019-01-05 23:30:33

Thank you for the input l feel exactly as you have mentioned like the pm is bigger than is actually is. I actually went and had a look at the unit before it was implanted so l know it isn’t that big, but just seems a lot larger when you try and do things that require movement of the left arm. Was waiting to get some sort of clearance ok from my cardiologist before I return to weights and CrossFit, I’m assuming any gym would probably need that. 

give it time.

by dwelch - 2019-01-06 03:04:00

I know it is hard to believe right now not long after your first implant.  But the pacer will be like a belly button or a toe, something you know you have but dont really think about.  Just another body part.  You will be able to return to your gym activites and perhaps do more than you could before as you dont have to worry about your heart anymore.  The first one takes longer than the next ones (im on my fifth) and they ideally get smaller over time.  Compared to my first one 30+ years ago the current ones are quite small...

Dont know why a gym would care, they might care about folks with a condition that needs a pacer but the person doesnt have one.  Your pacer and other medical conditions should not be any of their business...

You WILL adapt to having the pacer there.  Like a toe you will want to avoid banging into things, protect it, etc.  But full arm movement should return...

Certainly with your first one there is the physical recovery and then the mental.  Anxiety plays a role those first few months.  Am I not able to do this activity because it is physically risky the first few weeks or because i am afraid that it is risky.  What is that?  Is my heart doing something weird on this machine should I stop using this machine, is that normal?  It can take months.  Most of the folks here have been through it (some of the folks are about to go through it and some just got their first one).  Everyones recovery is different, some things you can do faster than others and not everyone reaches milestones in the same number of days/weeks as another person.  If you are this many weeks in you know for example how long it took you to be able to sleep through the night and/or sleep on the side the pacer is on (how many nights did you not even try that for fear it might be a problem, mental vs physical).  

 

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