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ICD shifting?
Any insight with anyone if your device will shift causing pain? Implant was last month. I have felt a hard lump at the curve of my armpit 3 times now. Before I read anything how not to do it, I gently massaged the affect area until the pain subsided and the area was soft again. I'm calling my Dr office today to get some clarification but would appreciate others experiences.
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I have my pacemaker now for 15 months. It has dropped to almost under my left armpit, I can feel it all the time.
I have been advised that I am one of the 5% in Ireland who's pacemaker has dropped.
Is this common?
My consultant has said he will move it back up when he is replacing the batteries, ( 9 years time)....
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1 Reaction@kayparker
Contact your surgeon. The ICD should have been put in pocket to keep it from moving.
It takes about a year for the device to be encapsulated by the body and this helps it not move. Pushing, mashing the area is not recommended as can cause irritation. If you have wires you could be moving and damaging them.
Do you have the device with wires or the new type that just sits next to heart?
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1 Reaction@maddenstownmanor Can you seek a 2nd opinion? By this time, the tissues should have grown around the device and in my non-medical opinion, no movement should be taking place. Nine years is a long time to be uncomfortable.
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2 ReactionsI have had my ICD for about 3 1/2 years now. I had some slight movement with it the first few months but it pretty much stayed where it was implanted. It has stabilized since then and firmly in place in my upper left chest about 3-4" below my collar bone and the same distance over from my arm pit. It was uncomfortable the first several months and quite pronounced visually. That has settled down since then and isn't nearly as noticeable as it used to be.
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When a dual device or just a ICD or Pacemaker put in there is going to be some time before body encapsulates it. It takes about a year for it to encapsulate itself (per my Electrophysiologist). "EP"
It is why EP or your cardiologist will limit your movements with the arm on the side of your surgery. It helps keep the movement down of device and helping it seed into the pocket.
I am on my 3rd device and will have another one in 1 year (battery expiring).
After 7 years, I now have an "underarm" ICD. Uncomfortable to say the least. Yes, they can shift.
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2 Reactions@deniseheart
Why did they put it under your arm. This would seem to aggravate it with arm movements, laying on your side, etc.
Most EP put a pocket in to reduce movements. It takes about a year for body to encapsulate it. With the encapsulation movement is limited but can still happen.
I am in my 9th year of my present one and from time to time I can get slight movement which tells me what ever I am doing to stop. I have mine under my chest muscle as skin was too thin to do under skin per my EP.
@jc76 it shifted and moved to under my arm and I don't know why. I have had my ICD for 7 years now.
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1 Reaction@deniseheart
Wow! Does not your device have wires going to heart? If so that is a long way for it to move and not affect the wires.
It should have encapsulated and not moved. But if it moved prior to encapsulation there was not much of a pocket done to keep in place.
I assume your EP is aware of the movement of your ICD. What have they said about it moving so far.