Upcoming pacemaker procedure

Hi Mary, I had an ICD implanted 4 years ago. Fancy word for pacemaker/defibrillator combined. I didn’t have time to worry because I basically collapsed during a stress test, but I was terrified. Honestly, it was a really easy surgery for me. I had some achy feelings msg for a few days, but honestly I didn’t have any serious pain. A lot depends on pain tolerance I think but it really was easy. I will say that AFTER the implant it felt weird at first. Like I “noticed “ it all the time and was anxious about it, but now I forget I even have it. Good luck with your surgery. You’ll do great!

@mbaisley
I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker device. My first was back in 2006. It is normally an outpatient surgical procedure and millions are done.

The pacing of your heart will prevent the 40 bpm. I too had tons of PVCs and low pulse rate. The EP (electrophysiologist) worked with me over time to find a good pulsing rate. We first had 50 bpm but PVCs still there. Then we raised it to 50, 60, and found that at 70 bpm rate as reducing PVCs.

PACs and PVCs can play a critical role in getting tachycardia (per EP).

You are normally put into wa wa land and will not remember the procedure at all. After ward you will have a foreign device in your body and you will feel it. I assume yours will be put under your skin. Mine was put under my chest muscle as my skin was to thin to do it that way. Thus I have a little more feeling as is below my chest muscle.

Per my EP it takes about a year for the body to encapsulate the device. When that happens the feeling of something there greatly diminishes. There is not going to be much pain at least for me. After surgery you have to be careful with moving your left arm for a couple of months. Your doctors will go over instructions of what to do and not do.

For me, and I have 3 device surgeries, I had very little pain each time. I am scheduled for another device implant in 1 year. I did not have an post op pain. But again you just had surgery and the skin (if you have put in that way) was surgically cut and a device placed in with wires going to your heart. So you will have some discomfort but for me and three surgeries had very little pain. I had to learn though to not pick up anything heavy for awhile and not use my left arm in extremes movements.

It is a very common procedure with high success outcome for helping you with your symptoms. I am glad I got mine. I have a dual device both a pacemaker and ICD.

Dear Mary, I can repeat what @hilcourt1 and @jc76 have written, my story is so similar. Buddy (my ICD) and I have been an item for over 3 years, and it eliminated the dizziness, giddiness and syncope I began having a couple of weeks after a septal myectomy. All good! Was walking - slower than normal - outdoors within a day, used a sling to avoid unnecessary strain during healing. Slept in a recliner for a while, that worked best for me. The only downsides are the inability to sleep on my stomach and those pesky bra straps. I did find sports bras worked the best.

Hi Mary,
Your story sounds similar to mine- sick sinus syndrome that left me with both tachycardias and bradycardia. I had a dual chamber pacemaker ( St. Jude Assurity) in June 2019, and I can tell you it was a game changer for me, I felt so much better.
I think the only time I felt any real pain from the surgery was maybe 2-3 hours afterwards. I was still in the hospital for several hours monitoring after the surgery, with plans to go home later that day if everything was ok. I guess it was when the local anesthesia had worn off, but I felt a deep ache from the surgery site up to my shoulder, jawline and down my left arm. The nurses offered me my choice of several painkiller meds, ranging from oxycodone, to Motrin ( I think) or extra strength acetominophen ( 500 mg). Well, the "good stuff" ( ie, oxycodone tends to upset my stomach, so I chose the acetominophen, and that cleared up that pain within a short time! I didn't have a repeat of that pain, and I found that the extra strength acetominophen took care of any residual pain I had after that.
I took acetominophen PM ( 500 mg acetominophen with benedryl) before bedtime for about a week-10 days, and that helped me sleep well through the night- I slept on my back as that was more comfortable while the surgery was healing.
The incision stung a little bit, itched some as it was healing, and sometimes there was a feeling that some have described as "ant bites" there from what's likely the nerves protesting at having been insulted. I felt the slight weight of the pacemaker there during that time, with a feeling that I can only describe as someone having pinned a corsage right onto my bare chest!
It didn't take long at all for any discomfort I had to go away. I'd say after a few months, you probably won't even feel the pacemaker anymore, and if you're like me, after a number of years the scar will be almost imperceptible too. I can go days without even thinking of my pacemaker, except when I do, I can only be grateful for the good it has done me.

Best of luck to you- you'll be a new woman afterwords!