Site Sore

Still sore

by Lavender - 2023-06-27 17:00:06

It hasn't been long at all for your healing.  Even if it looks healed on the outside, it's still healing on the inside.  You're likely to feel all kinds of sensations like pulling, jagging, insect bites. It takes a while!

You sleeping on your left side doesn't hurt anything as long as you're comfortable. Do not touch your surgery site. Just let it go. 

Heat or Ice

by Cleon - 2023-06-27 17:10:36

Is it better to use Ice or heat? Please advise... 

ice

by AgentX86 - 2023-06-27 17:56:21

You do not want to use heat. Heat will open up your blood vessels which might make bruising worse. Ice will help the pain.

I'm surprised that you can sleep on that side. I slept in a recliner for a few weeks after.

At this point your wound should have healed over so, as long as it isn't reopened, there isn't a risk of infection.

Got it

by Cleon - 2023-06-27 18:03:37

Yes, I am able to sleep on that side but I think I may be exacerbating the site, the site is close and healing very well... I will try to not put so much weight on it and put some Ice on the daytime... thank you so much... 

Icing

by Lavender - 2023-06-27 18:25:09

Remember to put a cloth between your skin and the ice pack and don't put it directly on top of the surgery site. Twenty minutes on only or less. It's weird but putting ice on your back opposite where the pacemaker is, helps too. 
 

I couldn't sleep on my left side for two years and only more recently have fallen asleep on the left-propped with pillows. 

Thank you

by Cleon - 2023-06-27 21:07:02

Thank you... I will... yes I did learn not to do that... 🤣 kind of made that mistake.... and I also do sleep on that side with pillows... almost half way sitting... 

perfectly normal

by dwelch - 2023-06-28 04:00:39

Im on device number five.

First night sucks, no sleep, pain, embrace the suck. 

First week, no expectation for sleeping through the night.  No chance of sleeping on that side, rolling over or moving about triggers the pain, now awake, not sleeping through the night.

Sleeping on that side might happen week two.  Sleeping through the night regularly?  Maybe, probably not.

Maybe week three sleeping on that side....maybe...

Week four most basic stuff has returned, not sports, but getting dressed, washing hair, sleeping (including on that side).  has returned with some tenderness.  some pain, but much better than week one.

its a process, sleep sucking for a few weeks (lets call it at least four), is what it is. 

Trying to brush your hair or wash hair with both hands, yeah that has a different time table. 

Tender to the touch, another time table. 

When the strips fall off or lets say the truth, they start to fall off and itch so bad that we help them. 

That puffy not normal color look, another time table. 

Driving a car, now a number of us here, certainly on their nth device, couple three days, yeah really.  Even in the US where we drive on the correct side of the road and that means the seat belt is over the pacer.  Build a bridge with winter gloves in the car or face cloth, something. Not as a pad on top of the device but below the device on  your chest  under or over so that the belt makes a bridge over the device.  Later on, weeks, big fuzzy fake sheepskin seat belt pad, and can use it over the device if you can tolerate it (36 years of pacers, and still there are days I cant take it, years into a devices life).  Now one device I had a manual transmission without power steering (65 suburban) I couldnt drive that for a number of weeks because trying to steer and shift was too much pain, so only drove an automatic those weeks.

The timetable for, "hmm did my heart just do something weird", "this concert is loud it makes my heart feel wierd I wonder if its okay to do with a pacemaker" "can I _______ with a pacemaker", "does _____ affect my pacemaker".  that timetable is sadly infinite even decades into this.  Hmm that was strange.  The difference being, year one, hmm that was strange, omg should I call the doc. year 35, hmm that was strange...continue to watch tv...actually, that was strange, oh yeah I have a pacemaker, continue to watch tv.

If you are laying on the pacer side week two, you are doing awesome.

They cranked you with antibiotics.  

Infection is going to come from things like swimming in the ocean week one (month one).  

Laying on your side.  Wearing clothes.  Going outside without said clothes.  Etc.  are not going to cause an infection.

The one I like the best is that first week opening mouth to insert fork/food and that stretches the neck skin which pulls on the pacer incision, pain results, causing sometimes a jerking reaction to avoid the pain causing food or fork not necessarily to make it to the mouth.  Then a giggle, which then may also cause some pain.

Another timetable is protecting the device.  Hurts to bump it well after the incision heals.  its hard skin is soft.  Between rock and a hard place.   You learn over time perhaps the first year to subconciosly protect it avoiding collisions, by moving or using your hand, etc.  My wife and daughters skulls are perfectly at pacer height, and while I love a hug, if they put their head on the wrong side, between a skull and a hard place.  Small children that like to climb on you, pretty much have to keep a hand over it as armor the whole time or have a reaction time faster than the speed of a child to catch that hand, elbow, knee, foot, skull before it makes impact.

good idea AgentX86, i dont own a recliner but that is an excellent idea.  I just sleep on one side and wake up, sit up for a bit, then sleep on that right side again.   for weeks.  

I dont use pain meds nor ice/heat for the new pacer.  Cant help you there.  Every day you want to use that shoulder, do not want a stiff shoulder, been there, done that, lots of pain for weeks.  Find the pain point, pull back a little, avoid the pain.  And then the only pain is during eating or when you roll over in your sleep, lol.  Part of the learning to protect it those first few weeks of the first device, learn to not make sudden movements with that arm, slow and gentle...

Depending on the pain meds, if given any,  you cant or shouldnt drive, so that plays into the driving again time table.  I feel I can drive day two or three, but  usually wait until like day five to drive again, depends on when the device goes in, mid/late week I usualy wait until monday and drive to work (yeah back to work day three or four or five even without any good sleep, and barely able to dress myself).

Sounds like you are doing great!  Keep up the good work!

Welcome to the club we are happy you are here.  Happy you have a device that you need.

dwelch

by Cleon - 2023-06-28 08:11:12

Thank you so much!!! you hit the nail right in the head with a lot there, it's going to be a process definetely, but I am learning a lot here, thank yo very much I will keep in mind all of it.  Do have one Question, Why Infection from Sea? I would have thought that being Salt water it wouldn't cause infection, I am goign to the Beach on July 28, that would be Weekd 7, do you think I still be at risk for Infection b then?? Thank you.....

Infection by sea water

by Gotrhythm - 2023-06-28 13:31:48

There is the most danger of acquiring an infection when there is an open wound. 

At almost 7 weeks your incision should be closed and completely scarred over. For most people the caution about going swimming, whether in the pool, ocean, pond or lake, lasts only for the first month. After that, the pacemaker area is completely healed. It is no more vulnerable to infection than any other part of your anatomy.

Enjoy your beach trip.

Gotrhythm

by Cleon - 2023-06-28 13:56:01

Got it.... I am glad... cool!!!!! yea it is actually pretty much completely closed and scarred over... I am really looking forward to getting in the ocean and pool.... releive the stress.... Thank you for the clarifycation.

Beach

by AgentX86 - 2023-06-28 15:15:43

Immersing an open wound in sea water is positively the worst possible thing that you can do. A very bad infection is almost guaranteed. 

There are a lot of critters living in the sea.  These are things that our bodies don't normally encounter, so there is no natural defenses.  Add to this that our blood has a pretty good concentration of salt, these critters can find a happy home. The skin is really the only defense. Once it's completely healed, you're good. Be very careful.

AgentX86

by Cleon - 2023-06-28 15:27:26

Got it.... maybe I"ll just hang around not to deep in there..... beter safe than sorry...thank you.

Thanks!

by angieg - 2023-07-06 20:58:52

Brand new pacemaker as of two weeks ago here, thank you for all the advice in this comment!! I had the exact same question as OP and am also a side sleeper so didn't know if I was messing it up more by doing that! Y'all are awesome, thanks!