Pacemaker issues with raising left arm overhead

Hi ajnewyork - sorry I don’t have an answer for you but I’d appreciate it if you would post again after you see your electrophysiologist. I would be interested in your discussions with him. I had a pacemaker inserted in Aug. 2023. However, one of the leads caused irritation/inflammation of the ventricle resulting in pericardial effusion. I had that drained along with lead replacement in Jan. 2024. I’m doing well and have finally gone back to swimming doing only freestyle. I’m hesitant to do backstroke - my main concern being lead dislodgement. Please let us know what you find out.

Dear Britelite,

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about the irritation and inflammation caused by the lead. I'm glad you're feeling better after the lead replacement and how wonderful that you're back in the pool! Yes, I'll keep you posted on what I learn about my pacemaker question. Wishing you much luck with your new pacemaker and your swimming.

Best,

Allison

@ajnewyork
Do you have the exercise mode turned on on your pacemaker. This can speed up your pacing when it senses body movement. I had mine turned off as was causing many issues.

I restrict raising my left arm over my head as it causing discomfort around my pacemaker. I have my pacemaker under my chest muscle as my skin was to thin to go under skin alone.

I too swim and using a smooth stroke I do not have discomfort when doing freestyle. However I do feel it irritating if I do back stroke.

Hello, JC. Thank you so much for your helpful response. I don't think I was aware of "exercise mode" on the pacemaker. I'll look into it and speak to my EP about it. If turning it on was something they had to do, I'd think they'd have done it since they know that I swim. I also feel some pinching and discomfort sometimes when raising my arm overhead and when doing backstroke. I wonder if there's a solution for it.

Many thanks and good luck with your pacemaker!

@ajinewyork,
I too had no idea my pacemaker had an exercise mode. They turned it several years ago as I was doing Sprint Triathlons. However when they did I had all kinds of issues including shocks. So I had them turn it off and the issues and shocks stopped.

I assume your pacemaker is just under your skin (mine is under my chest muscle). When you exercising you move the skin and muscles around your pacemaker. This movement can actually make the pacemaker move and that movement can irritate skin and muscles.

I can't do the backstroke as moves the pacemaker and I feel discomfort. I also cannot do some stretches during water aerobics which require my left arm above my head and extreme positions as it causes discomfort. So over time I have found what bothers the pacemaker area and just work around it to prevent it. I have had a pacemaker since 2006.

What I found in swimming (I swim a mile twice a week) is I limit how far I reach out with my left arm and do not put as much effort in the left side stroke. I try to do a relax stroke. This provides stopping the discomfort. I can tell sometimes I overdo it and pacemaker area will let me know. I also ensure I move the left arm straight out reach and not up and down splashing water like I see a lot of swimmers do.
Good luck and do not give up your exercising. It is good for you both physically and mentally.

Thank you so much, JC for replying again. It's super helpful to share information with another pacemaker-recipient whose a swimmer. I appreciate knowing of your experience with exercise mode turned on. I've also had some irritation too while doing backstroke but it's the heart rate acceleration that is the most annoying and frustrating. It can also happen to me out of the water while getting into or out of bed or when I raise my arm from back to front over my head while doing stretches. It almost seems like it could be some sort of mild form of POTS (mild because it resolves quickly and doesn't otherwise interfere too much with my life). I'll see my doctor on Monday to discuss further. Thanks again and enjoy your swimming! I could never give it up!

Your welcome.
Asked your cardiologist or EP about if your pacemaker is in exercise mode. They are all different on this but mine senses motion. So mine would speed me up when getting in/out of car, getting out of bed and I did not like that at all.

They told me during one check mine was set to come on at a low threshhold meaning it did not take much motion for it to speed me up thinking I was exercising. They wanted to move it to hard (meaning would take a lot of motion for it to pace faster). I had them turn it off as I did not like the feeling at all and that feeling caused a lot of anxiety and more PVCs.

I did not notice any reduction in my ability to swim or exercise. I too love swimming and listen to music as I swim. I used to do 2 miles but as I have aged and my wife bugs me for being gone to long I reduced it down to 1 mile. I have access to an indoor heated lap pool (25 yard distance) and an outdoor heated lap pool (25 yard) year round.

I think swimming is one of the best exercises one can do. If an exercise is something you enjoy you have found something for you both physically and mentally.
Glad to have helped by sharing.

Thanks a ton, JC, for these further details about the options with exercise mode. They are hugely helpful to me and I'll add these questions to my inquiries when I see my EP on Monday.

I agree about swimming; I don't even swim a mile, but it's my religion and I practice it every other day! I'm glad you've found a way to fully enjoy it with your pacemaker and wish you many happy hours at your lap pools - and an outdoor lap pool is crucial!