New Pacemaker, intro & questions!

Hi A

by mikew - 2019-04-18 13:51:58

Today is 2 weeks to the day of my implant and I'm feeling pretty good. For me, I went with- if it hurts don't do it! I'm now able to raise my arm, going for  long walks when Wisconsin weather permits it. I had my first follow up visit on Tuesday and the Dr. said I should hold off of working for 4 more weeks. Bummed me out because I had an interview the next day which I had to cancel. I got my PM at 5:00pm and was driving in less than 24 hrs, but that's just me. Hang in there, Mike

being new

by Tracey_E - 2019-04-18 15:08:59

Glad you found us! 

Ditch the sling!! They usually don't even send us home with it. If you don't use the arm, your shoulder will freeze. Doctors vary on what's ok, from no restrictions at all, to nothing over 10 pounds and don't raise the arm overhead for 6 weeks. Most are somewhere in the middle. My doc said nothing over 20 pounds and don't raise the arm for 4 weeks. If a lead is going to come out, it's usually in the first 24-48 hours, beyond that it's just precaution. 

If you pull a lead out, you'll stop pacing so you'd feel like you did before. But if it's lasted a week, you should be good to go. It probably doesn't seem like it if you've been reading the posts here, but leads come out well under 1% of the time. That 1% seems to end up here! It's really not that common. and when it happesn it's almost always in the first day or two and it's because it was in a bad spot or the heart wall didnt like it, not because of something we did. 

Hey

by alicia6650 - 2019-04-18 16:15:42

Def get rid of the sling...I'm surprised they sent you home with it. You don't want to heal up with your arm barely moving. Certain things will hurt, but they just dug a pocket into your body and pushed something in! It would be scary if it DIDN'T hurt!

You will know if the lead moves...well, let me be clear- when one of my leads pulled out of place I felt a little "off," but eventually they KNEW it moved because it was pacing my diaphram. But honestly, the lead moving is just SO rare. Mine happened to move after months of having the device in, but I have a complicated case. It almost never happens.But they will know. And, sometimes even if the lead does move a little bit, they can adjust the settings of the pacemaker to make up for it. 

My biggest issue with driving after every pacemaker surgery I have had (five now) has not been the seatbelt, even though that is real uncomfortable...but turning to check my blind spot or any quick turns of my neck. That hurts and would end up making me turn less, which is TOTALLY not safe. I would not drive until you are able to turn as you will need effectively.

In terms of being afraid you will hurt yourself- my experience is that sometimes it HURTS but that doesn't mean you have HURT yourself, you know? Pain in some cases is an indication of something being wrong. But in this case, most of the pain in just part of the healing and recovery. And, the pain is also a good warning system. If you extend too far, it will hurt, so you know when you stop. Things are uncomfortable for a time after the surgery, but it will get better.

Also, just a thought in regards to any fear or panic you may be having: remember that now that you have a pacemaker, your doctors are always able to watch and see whats going on with your heart. Try and let that feel reassuring, and it will help with any stress you feel and will make getting through the recovery seem very "worth it." And like I ALWAYS tell people here, if that is ANYTHING bothering you, just reach out to your doctor. You deserve to feel as comfortable as possible in your role as "heart patient" and staying educated and active in your journey is empowering and as far as I am concerned, the only way to do it!!

Sending you good vibes!!!! =)

Pacemaker? What pacemaker? :)

by LondonAndy - 2019-04-19 07:24:30

Welcome MissA!  I had my pacemaker as a result of surgical complication: they accidentally damaged my heart electrics when they replaced my heart's aortic valve with a mechanical one, so open heart surgery was the bigger issue and to be honest I didn't really think about the pacemaker for a few months.  I never had a sling at all.

So I would say resume your life and try not to think about it.  My tip would be to really be good with your hygiene - the biggest risk after surgery is infection until the scar has fully healed (about 6 weeks).  Follow the instructions given by the hospital, don't share your towel, change it frequently (every 2 to 3 days max, or use a disposable towel for the incision area).  Once healed, you might want to use something like Bio Oil to rub into the wound daily and reduce the visibility.  After about 9 months mine was hardly visible.

Thanks!

by MissAshleigh - 2019-04-19 17:13:26

 Appreciate all the feedback! 

I was practically expecting to be spoonfed… So to have this all be so easy? Is a huge relief & a bit weird (yay!) 

 They did advise me to be careful of frozen shoulder with the sling, but I had different feedback from different people & my assigned patient advocate nurse finally said “ look, a lot of these restrictions are in place for people usually 20yrs+ your senior.  You seem like you have a decent grasp on what’s going on… Use your best judgment. 

 I actually wish I had joined this forum before hand!  I was too scared to go down the never ending google rabbit hole and make myself crazier! Lol!

 Thanks everybody,

MissAshleigh