pacemaker syndrome

I got a pacemaker placed (dual) two months ago and have had nothing but problems since. I feel my pacemaker when it signals either from the upper chamber or lower chamber (AV). It can be felt very low on the left side under my rib cage almost in my upper abdomen as several beats or sometimes in the middle of my chest and will make me cough. It can be positional as well that will set it off. I have seen the technician twice with the company and he made some adjustments once that made it worse and then about two weeks ago saw him again and it is some better. Now I feel pulling in the site where it is placed and sometimes a stinging sensation. I noticed the other day when i was in the shower when I reach to wash my hair it will set it off with this beating and I get a little light headed. Anyone else out there having these problems or had them. I am seeing another physician this week instead of the cardiologist that implanted this. Hope this will help me get too the bottom of this.

4 Comments

Hello there msn

by Angelie - 2008-11-10 05:11:48

Just wondering do you have Microsoft? It's just your name and all, I couldn't help myself. Hee, hee.
I just got implanted as well, about 3 months ago. I'm having similar issues with feeling weird nervy sensations around my pacemaker that I've never felt before until now. I think it's moved a bit, but I'm thinking this is sort of normal and it's situating itself in it's final resting place since the swelling is 100% gone now.
I plan to ask my doc about it though the next time I see him, and I'm getting my pacer checked next week.
Hope you do make progress with your investigations. Good luck with the other doctor. Keep us informed.

Angelie

pacemaker problems

by booknbrdcrzy - 2008-11-11 02:11:57

I went to my regular doctor today after having to go to the hospital on Friday to be checked for a blood clot. He said the same thing he said before: that the lymphatic system could have gotten backed up or something from the surgery and it will take 2-3 months for the arm to be okay again. My arm is swollen and and from the pacemaker down it has off-and-on feelings of pain and achiness and sometimes like an electrical feeling. I have pitting edema from the elbow down to my wrist. And my hand is swollen, too. Does ANYONE have any ideas, PLEASE?? Just to remind you, I had some complications. I don't know what this means but during the surgery I heard the doctor say I had an "anatomical anomaly". Then he accidentally punctured my lung, causing it to collapse, leading to a chest tube. Something is not right with my arm, though. There are many veins in that arm that are really dark and/or protruding. There are MANY broken capillaries.
Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you so much.
Victoria

follow up pacemaker syndrome

by msn - 2008-11-15 12:11:39

Hey, saw my new cardiologist yesterday and she was wonderful. Spent a long time with me discussing what
could be happening. It could be that the lead in my ventricle is up against a nerve and that is why I am having the sensations I have. She said she has had other patients describe what I have described to her. She said it really is up to me how much of this I can stand whether I want her to pull the lead out and redo it. Since it has been such a short time and the scar tissue is probably not much it would be easier. The pacemaker site that is hurting she explained is probably due to the fact that I hardly have much tissue up there and it isn't set behind the muscle and when I reach it is being rubbed against the pacemaker itself. So again she could replace the pacemaker behind the pectal muscle but I would have another scar. I am having three tests done next week, an echo to see where the lead is, a CAT scan again to make sure of its placement (sometimes I guess it can get into the heart muscle) and finally a test for Lyme disease to see why someone my age would have a complete heart block without any heart disease. So at least I have some options to think about now and some answers that alieviate whether the pacemaker is working correctly. Thought I would share this information. MSN

Pacemaker Revision

by msn - 2009-03-26 05:03:36

Had a revision done on Jan 15th and it wasn't a walk in the park either. After four and a half hours of surgery (which by the way was supposed to be one to two hours long) I had a new pacemaker and new leads placed. I saw my cardiologist and she said that she hasn't heard back from the pacemaker company yet but she felt it was the generator in my pacemaker making me have all of those feelings and it might have been defective. My admitting diagnosis was ventricular tachycardia. I am glad I didn't know this before I showed up at the hospital for surgery. The recovery was slow because of the large amount of scar tissue that had already formed and had to be removed as well and that because I am a small chested person there isn't a lot of tissue to work with. This pacemaker is placed behind the pectoral muscle really near my left breast. It works really great and I am so glad that I had the revision done. I still have some pulling from the incision and especially at night when I roll over but I feel really wonderful again much like I felt before the third degree heart block I threw in the hospital after my admission for hypokalemia (low potassium) and receiving IV potassium. I am fortunate that I do not have a underlying heart condition but I must have fried my electrical system because I am paced 98% of the time. WOW!!!!

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