Bulging pacemaker/defib

My husband had his third pacemaker/defit implanted in Dec. 2007. In April he had a pocket revision as the skin over the device was to thin and causing him pain. Since then, the device sticks out like a baseball. He does not have an infection as he has been to the doctor who took cultures, etc. on three occasions. He is not in pain and has no fever. The doctor explained that this could be from scar tissue as this is the third device. During the pocket revision he attempted to remove some scar tissue, however, it is still bulging. Has anyone else had this. It is approximately one month post op and it has not gone down. Any information would be greatly appreciated.


1 Comments

ICD/PMs are thicker

by joy1 - 2008-05-14 06:05:07

Hi,
I too, have an ICD/PM combo. Mine is only my first so I'm not sure if my experience is equivalent. Also, I am a woman. I suffer from bulging of my device. When I first got it in, I was told my arm and chest would be sore. You know, what we all hear. but I kept having pain, a lot of it, swelling and protrusion. The doctor kept telling me there was nothing wrong. My daughter came to visit me several months later. She has had breast augmentations (implants). She heard what I was saying and saw what I was talking about, about the swelling and said to me "mom, you need larger bras" My left breast had increased by 2 cup sizes. Yes, only the one side. I have attributed this to the different glandular structure of men and women but maybe not. I have accommodated the larger cup size but even still, any activity I do with my left hand causes my chest to swell, be it glands or muscle or both, and pushes the device out so that it protrudes. It's possible that your husbands body has changed in some way which was not really noticeable till this new implant was put in. I have had my device for nearly 3 years and still have problems. It is next to impossible to tell what is causing the bulging especially as there is no fever or infection. I shared just so you know he is not alone. Good luck with it.

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