Pacemaker Don'ts

You must have been issued with release instructions? Follow those. If you go much longer before the time spans that instructions say are typical because you don't feel secure, or you feel weak or unwell, then consult the cardiologist/electrophysiologist who performed the surgery to install the pacemaker.

I have no experience with pacemakers, but I did read a typical instruction someone had posted here or on afibbbers.org forum, and I seem to recall that there was a few weeks' requirement before you were to lift your arms higher than your chest, and probably at least two, maybe even four weeks (it was a while ago, so my memory has lapsed) before you could lift items heavier than 4kg/10lb.

You are a conscientious personality, and you don't want to be careless, sloppy, or indifferent to the skills and efforts of the team that has looked after you. You're good in my books. Keep on being cautious, but do test yourself at, or shortly after, the time periods the release instruction posed for you. Trust your gut, because each of us is different in terms of recovery and reactions to bodily intrusions and 'adjustments'. When your mind tells you it's time to begin clawing back to 'normal', start slowly and build your confidence each day. Shouldn't take more than a week after that.

Hello jer22

Glad to hear you have made it out to the other side. Things will get better. You have passed through the worst of it. Good for you!

I had my pacemaker implanted over 2 years ago. I just reviewed my patient discharge instructions and it will take about 6 weeks for the leads to mature (heal) into place and anchor into your heart muscle. So, you are half way there. Arm restrictions, shrugging your shoulder or reaching behind you have to stay on hold until that time. Same with heavy lifting (10lbs.), pushing or pulling. The very last thing you want to do is dislodge or disrupt the leads. Having to have one or more re-set is a bit of a misery and best avoided. Sometimes, we get anxious and start to rush things. In this case, doing so is not a good idea.

Have you had a follow up appointment yet? Your clinical specialist can (and should) review some careful exercises with you like gentle arm and shoulder rotation at that time. Also, after checking your incision site, they will have a better idea about your over all progress and will advise on how to proceed.

As for any swelling you may be experiencing, I took a gel pack from my refrigerator, wrapped it in a towel, and held it on the incision site for about 10 minutes, as needed. Or, other times I used a non-electric (you can re-heat it in a microwave) heating pad in the same way. In either case, make sure to protect your skin and the incision area by wrapping either the gel pad or the heat pad in a towel and leave it on for only 10 minutes at a time. Either method helps tremendously with both swelling or any pain you may still be experiencing.

I can only say that based on my experience you will start to be able to return to "normal duties" in about 3 to 4 weeks. Do so gradually. Don't be deceived, though, into thinking you are in the clear just because you "feel" a bit better. Be kind to your body and give it sufficient time to heal properly.

I am still hoping the powers that be are going to promote a separate support group for those of us who have pacemakers. I have not heard anything more about it, though. Perhaps we will after Christmas.

Seasons Greetings.

Thanks all for your thoughts & help, Always good to talk with others that have been through it.
Medical staff now days are in a such a hurry, and short handed you may not get all answers you need or think of latter--
I was given general text book instructions. then you get home and ???- That's what makes a place like this nice.
Thanks again
jer22

@jer222
I see another poster advise to follow your discharged instructions. If you did not get them asked for them.

I am on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker and have had one since 2006. So I have been through several surgeries.

Be advised there are different ways a lead is placed on heart. I have some that I am told are screw in. That is they are actually inserted into the heart from vein. I have others that are passive in that they are just left in the area they needed to be in. Both come with different restrictions but you need to follow what is specific to you.

The biggest advise I got was to restrict quick jerky of your arms like fishing, tennis, etc. That can cause wires to come loose and yes this happened to me resulting in a surgery to place lead directly on heart and remove the loos one.

I don't want to give medical advise on what you should do or not do that should be the directions of your team that did the surgery. The swelling takes some time to go down. Was your pacemaker put under your skin or your muscle? See that is why follow your teams instructions. My ICD/Pacemaker is under my chest muscle because not enough skin and that I was so active.

It takes some time to get used to the pacemaker. Did you get an ICD/Pacemaker or just the pacemaker?

I agree with a specific group for ICD/Pacemakers. I also suggested this for weight loss not surgery/weight loss to just having one for weight loss.
Give you body time to heal and talk to your team. You can do research on pacemaker after surgery but make sure you talk to your team for specific information about yours and your questions.

I was back to normal by third week.

I've had my pacemaker for 5 1/2 years, so I'm an old veteran with it. As I recall back to my post-pacemaker surgery
instructions, I believe they gave me a timeframe of approximately 4 weeks to avoid lifting my left arm over my head, reaching backward, lifting anything heavier than a gallon(?) of milk with that arm. They also instructed me not to sweep the floor or vacuum for that length of time, though I did it with my right arm and figured "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" 🙂 . I had also gotten some practical advice from some other pacemaker recipients that although you should comply with those instructions, it's actually harder to dislodge those leads than you think it would be, they're pretty much "screwed into" the cardiac tissue these days and there is some slack in the leads around the generator. Again, not that you don't comply with your instructions, but all of us pacemaker recipients can probably recall a moment of pure panic when we inadvertently lifted our arm above our head, stretched our arm behind us, or as I recall, waking up one night within that 4 week period with my left arm stretched out over my head, and thinking "OH NO, I've pulled out these leads for sure!!". I'm told it's not that easy to dislodge properly anchored leads, so while you take your precautions in the timeframe there's no point in driving yourself crazy thinking it's only a matter of time till you do something and pull out those leads. Easy to say now, but I felt that way during my pre-op period.

As for showering, it really depends on your instructions and how the incision was closed, bandaged and all that. I had dissolvable sutures and they covered that with Tegederm. So they said it was ok to shower after the third day or so but not to get the incision wet. I accomplished that by covering the whole thing with Saran wrap and using waterproof tape ( electrical or ducktape) to seal the edges, then I didn't let the direct water flow hit the incision area, worked for me. But your instructions from your medical team ( even the pacemaker clinic folks if the doc's not around) will help you in that regard.

The area was swollen and sore for maybe a couple weeks, but I really never had a lot of pain with it. The incision was a bit sore, I described that as feeling, along with a slight foreign body sensation as though someone had pinned a corsage to my bare chest. That gradually subsided. For me I'd say it took maybe 7-8 months to feel as though there was nothing there, and now, after 5+ years, it's hard to even see the scar ( a thin white line) anymore. Most days now I don't even think of my pacemaker- except for the immense gratitude I feel at the technology that's given my quality of life, maybe my actual life, back to me.

It took me a year+ for the capsule to form around the ICD which is larger than a pacemaker. It took the year+ to feel like normal and comfortable once again.