Pacemaker recipients: Looking for support from others

@kevdb
By any chance have you gained weight?

I did and recenlty noticed when I laid down my wires would protrude upward (I could feel them). I have my device under my chest muscle.

The protrusion only occured when laying on a hard surface not bed.

I have pain and discomfort around device when I use my left arm extensively. I find movement of the arm can aggravate the site.

I am on my 3rd device and have had one since 2006

@jc76 Thank you for your response, my weight has been fluctuating up and down for a while now. My device is situated on the left just under my collar bone, I'm not sure but, I think the device is perturbing more than when it was first fitted.

@kevdb
I was going to post about body encapsulation of the devices over time. But I see you have had one for 7 years so that encapsulation is over. The encapsulation would cause it to protrude upward more but also helps irritation of body dealing with a foreign object in body.

Do you have a PACE Clinic and or see EP? Could be some shifting of device and maybe new irritation. Don't know not medical person just trying to relate my experience with 3 of these devices over 20 years.

I have an ICD which is larger then most pacemakers. Yes, they are uncomfortable from time to time, sometimes they even wake me up when it moves a bit in the capsule. Mine is above the muscle, just under the skin. Annoying

I recently had a Medtronic pacemaker implanted because of a low heart rate. The literature says it can last 12 years.
Is there anybody here who has had an implant for a number of years? I’m wondering if it is possible to survive 10, 20, or 30 years with one. Hopefully I’m not being too gloomy.

@mauricepower
I assume you have only a pacemaker device and not a ICD/Pacemaker.

If you have ICD or a ICD/Pacemaker your battery life would be affected by the number of times device charges and shocks you.

If you have only a pacemaker then your battery life is going to depend on what your device is set to pace you at. If you have a low pulse rate and your pacemaker must pulse you all the time (like mine) you battery life would be shorter than someone with a pacemaker who only comes on when you pulse rates drops below a certain point.

So you can see everyone will be different in how long your pacemaker will last.

Are you asking life expectancy and having a pacemaker? Well I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker and had my first one implanted in 2006. Neary 20 years ago. And I do Sprint Triathlons, water aerobics, bike, swim.

From your post we do not know your medical history. Thus having a pacemaker is a device to compensate for medical conditions. My pulse rate was in 30s. Why? Because of medication I was put on for heart failure. I had a ICD/Pacemaker implanted in 2006. My device paces me at 70 bpm and is always pacing. It prevents my heart rate from getting to low and prevent tachycardia or heart rhythm problems caused by a very low heart rate.

I also have electrical problems (LBBB) that causes a lot of PVCs. So my device keep pacing me at a steady electrical pulse.

Having a pacemaker is not a prediction of life span. It was put in to help or correct a medical issue. It is your complete medical history and genetics that will determine you life span not having a pacemaker. That device is there help.

20 years later and on my 3rd device. I just did a 20 mile bike ride this morning. I am 78 years old and exercise 6 days a week for 1-2 hours.

@jc76
That was very informative, thank you.
I just have a pacemaker, set to 60 bpm as a low point.
I’m 72 and I played squash and worked out regularly prior to the pacemaker implant. The health staffs have been saying I’m very fit. I’m hoping to get back to it after some more recovery and I expect/hope to live quite a few more years.
Thanks again!

Hi, I too have bradycardia. I was diagnosed with a 2:1 heart block. It was debilitating but fortunately I went to the ER the day that my symptoms showed up (heart rate in the low to mid 30s). I received a dual chamber PM on April 18, 2025. I believe it saved my life and restored my ability to resume my normal activities with some adjustments needed on my part. Prior to receiving my PM, I was running 20 miles a week and playing pickleball (I'm 75 yikes). After 3 configuration changes done by the Mayo Clinic device team I'm able to exercise but with some caveats. Sometimes when I exercise my heart rate changes which can cause some shortness of breath. For example yesterday when starting my run my HR initially was 140 which is unusual (usually it's around 110 at startup). Eventually it dropped to 107 which causes me to experience some shortness of breath (an extended period of having a HR at 140 seems to increase the likelihood of experience a sudden, precipitous drop). When that happens I stop and wait for my HR to drop. Then usually my HR returns to a more typical rate though yesterday I had to reset a second time. That's just one example. Since my sinus node, ie my natural pacemaker works fine, I don't know if these incidents are driven my natural HR or by my PM. For the time being I'm monitoring what is happening and will try to work around it. When I go in for my annual review in April, I'll present my findings. I don't really want to go in for another configuration change now because I'm concerned that when one thing is changed it can affect something else. It's frustrating to not be in control of my exercising but I am able to manage things without the risk of harming myself. I just keep in mind that without the PM I wouldn't be able to do anything.

Does a pacemaker cause a burning sensation?

@mauricepower
Could you expand on your question?

Are you talking about the surgery site?

And if yes when did you have your procedure?