Pacemaker "Do's and Don't" after

If you can minimize sweat at the point of insertion, and let it heal and stay clean until it does heal, I don't see why you should do anything other than what the instructions you were given upon release from the hospital tell you to do. If they say to go slow until the insertion points on the heart/pericardium heal, probably 6-8 days, then do that. You can go for broke after that and catch up inside of two weeks.

I don't understand your last question as constructed.

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.

Jer22
Here is an article from the Mayo Clinic that might also answer some your questions.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/pacemaker/about/pac-20384689

My pacemaker is now 5 years old. It is key to my slower heart rate and has just been reprogrammed to control my AFIB following 2 ablations. The problem I’m having now is the monitoring (first with the phone app, now with an in/home monitor) isn’t working. They didn’t even notice I hadn’t had a reading since Feb. I’m trrribly anxious because the reprogramming made the pacemaker the sole control over my newly ablated heart. I’m in a conflict with my cardiologist monitoring staff. They can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong. I’m awaiting a “fix” of some kind from Medtronics because the cardiologist’s staff has given up. They are very rude, and take no responsibility for the failure to monitor me for 6 months. I had a trouble/free experience until the June reprogramming. But they never noticed they weren’t monitoring me! I don’t know what to do if Medtronic’s can’t fix the problem. Be sure you get info about this post-implantation issue. Nobody really explained it to me, and now I’m in a scary situation. Anybody have any advice?

I am sorry to hear of your difficulties. The last thing you need is more stress.
Have you tried contacting Medtronic yourself? I am including a link, which has a phone number, to Medtronic. It is a patient driven site. They might be able to resolve this issue for you. It is worth a try.
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/remote-monitoring/devices-services/stay-connected.html
Good luck.

Excellent information and informative from cottagecountry
@jer22
I was a avid tennis player before I had ICD/Pacemaker. My EP said I could go back to playing tennis after recovery time but my PACE Clinic nurse said I should not. She told me about those who play tennis and fished coming back in with leeds pulling out.

It is the drastic and violent movement of areas especially on the side you have your pacemaker. After 3 months I went back to playing tennis and left leed came out. I quit playing tennis after that and became a Sprint Triathlon participant.

Yes the swim causes you to raise your arms over your head but if you swim slow rympthmic pace and no jerky it has not caused me any problems.

Some new pacemakers are MRI compliant but mine is not as my leeds were put in back in 2006. They can do MRIs but have to shut certain things off in your pacemaker. Also keep your phone, and other electrical devices away from your pacemaker.

A ICD/Pacemaker is a lifesaving device that has kept millions alive and millions brought back to normal sinus rympthm. What my EP told me was like having my own EMS in my chest. The pacing of my heart to 70 beats a minute solved the issue of low pulse rate caused by medications and the irregulary heart beats caused by that.

It will take some time to get used to it but you will come to just accept it and becomes part of your body and life. I would NOT hesitate to have one put in if your cardiologist or EP is recommending it.

Thanks very much for info, very helpful

Want to thank everyone who psted on this subject, "The do's & don'ts of a pacemaker" helps me with my questions/concerns, and decision to get it done.
Again Thanks

Pace maker surgery is no big deal. Just be careful in the shower for awhile.

Get a different cardiologist immediately. I will be getting a new electrophysiology doctor next month. Try very hard to get a doctor and nursing staff that are patient friendly, and available to you should you need them on short notice, and will return your calls the same day. Heart issues require dependability.