Hello Jer22
I had my cardiac device - a biventricular pacemaker - implanted a couple of years ago. Not so long ago that I can't still remember the recovery period.
I am assuming from your post that you are slated to have a device implanted but do not have one yet. You will be sent home with detailed instructions - follow them to the letter. For example, you will be told not to raise your left arm above shoulder height, shrug your shoulder or reach behind you for about 6 weeks. You'll be advised not to move your left arm suddenly in a "forceful" or "jerky" manner. Also no heavy lifting, pushing or pulling. Also for 6 weeks.
It takes approximately 6 weeks for the leads to mature and "anchor" or heal in your heart. But do move your arm and shoulder very gently and with caution, so as not to experience "frozen shoulder" syndrome. Again, your clinic will help you with this.
It is also imperative not to touch your incision area as it can become infected very easily and that is one nasty thing you want avoid.
Trying to be comfortable while you sleep will be challenging. Some people sleep in their recliner. I slept in my bed on my back, with my head elevated. But I found placing a small soft pillow under your left arm to slightly elevate it prevents any feeling of tension you may experience at the incision site. Also, as I have mentioned before, placing a gel pack from the refrigerator, wrapped in a towel, over the incision site for 10 or 15 minutes can help reduce swelling and general pain. (I will also add that heat can help as well. Again, provide a barrier between your incision area (towel, blanket) and the heat. I use a heating pad that I can reheat in the micro wave (obviously not an electric one) that is filled with wheat. It releases a moist heat that penetrates a little better. And since it is not electric, you can safely go to sleep with it place and not worry about burning yourself as the heat slowly dissipates.
But, in my experience, the pain was fairly minimal and took only Tylenol for any discomfort.
Your doctor will tell you when you can go back to , say, driving. In my case, I had to wait for a month. They will also advise you about other activities and when you can resume them. I do pretty much everything I did before - golf, garden, drive tractors (as in farm - I suppose I should mention at this point that I am female and live in the country), swim, etc. I think they might have frowned on me taking up kick boxing or MMA, though. 😉
As for your final question. I understand your hesitancy. I don't think anyone wants to have one of these. And my device, since it is biventricular, paces my ventricles at a rate of 99.9% so I am totally reliant on it. But I assume you have a diagnosis that warrants receiving a pacemaker. (Mine is dilated cardiomyopathy with partial heart block (LBBB -electrical problem) which has resulted in stage 4 heart failure - so not getting one was not really an option for me. But I can tell you that my quality of life is 100% better than it was before the implant. And whether you are getting a straight forward 2 lead pacemaker for bradycardia or an ICD, or a biventricular one like I have, I think you will find that it will provide with that little bit of extra security in your life knowing that it has "got your back", as it were.
Anyhow, I have tried to answer your questions but if you should have any more that you think I might be able to help with, please do not hesitate to either post again or private message me. I will do my best to answer them and if I can't, I will try to direct you to some reputable sites that can shed more light on your queries.
Best wishes.