Pacemaker - shoulder pain

[Czech_Mate]

I had a pacemaker with 1 wire fitted 2 years ago. All has gone well with it, but over the last couple of weeks I've had a slightly painful shoulder. I first noticed it when cycling; not sure if it was the position on the bike or the vibration from off-road riding, but I did nothing extreme. Now I notice it more often. I feel it sometimes in the middle of the muscle on top of the shoulder and sometimes in the shoulder joint. I have a checkup on the pacemaker at the end of the month so will ask then, but just wondered if anyone here has experienced anything similar with a pacemaker sited just below the collarbone.

Cheers CM

[CDreamer]

Yes, have tendinitis which comes and goes so I can well imagine cycling and the position and the impact would aggravate that. Your shoulder area is densely packed with soft tissue which I believe PM can agrrevate as there is not a lot of room in that area. Physio and exercises relieved it. Not sure anything the pacing clinic can do about it.

[Czech_Mate in reply to CDreamer]

HiThanks for your response. It's difficult to get the balance right between rest and useful exercise. I'll post again when I've spoken to the doctor at the pacemaker clinic.

[bantam12]

My pm is very close to my clavicle and anything that involves slightly more movement causes pain for a few days, I also had frozen shoulder same side so ongoing problems with aches and pains.

[Czech_Mate in reply to bantam12]

Thanks for your response. I detect the same frustration as I am experiencing 😏. I'll post again when I've been to the pacemaker clinic.

[betrn7]

I also have a pacemaker and have gotten some mildly sharp pains around the area of my pacer. There are so many nerves in that area and my cardiologist attributed to it to that.

[Czech_Mate in reply to betrn7]

Thanks for your response. At least I know I'm not alone. Good luck. CM

[opal11uk]

Yes, and I think mine is due to holding my mobile phone in the left hand and having it raised and extended, in other words muscular pain. This is possibly the same from cycling. I have had my Pacemaker since 2015 and get various muscular 'pains' in that area, but do get it checked out, to put your mind at rest.

[quanglewangle in reply to opal11uk]

The advice is to hold the phone to the right ear (furthest from the PM) and it make4s sense to use the right arm thus avoiding constraining the muscles around the PM

[opal11uk in reply to quanglewangle]

it's not when on a call it's when I sit and type on to the screen and being right handed I have to hold the phone in my left so as to type with my right using a stylus

[Czech_Mate in reply to opal11uk]

Thanks for your comments. I don't notice problems with using the phone, but I'm not sure if a nerve is getting touched, pulled or something. I am blaming the pacemaker "because it's there" maybe it's not guilty. I'll post again when/if I make any progress with it.

[opal11uk in reply to Czech_Mate]

Good luck in getting it sorted out or at least identified.

[CDreamer in reply to Czech_Mate]

And getting a physio to show you exercises, stretches & massage to minimise scar tissue forming is best solution. Try using a phone holder.

[smwdorset in reply to opal11uk]

If it’s not a silly question why don’t you get a phone stand and put the phone on speaker or use earbuds if you can’t have a speaker on ?

[opal11uk in reply to smwdorset]

Just taken delivery of a a soft stand I can put on my lap!!!!

[DawnTX]

I have had my pacemaker a year and once in a while I do get uncomfortable in that area and I’m even still a little touchy where my pacemaker sits. That being said as my doctor/EP constantly reminds me if I get whiny about something, lol there are a lot of other body parts besides the heart, but everyone wants to blame the heart for everything

I just had my first annual prior to that it was monthly and then quarterly. I had a glowing report with my doctor glowing besides. He said there are people without heart issues that would love to have the numbers that I now have. I have heart failure, besides a fib actually not a fib I have a typical flutter. It was a typical for both of them.

if there is anything not looking right, they will pick right up on it. I would think I just had my quarterly transmission and received a report. Everything was fine. They can take a transmission from me without letting me know no matter where I am besides monitoring me, 24 seven I don’t think I’ve ever felt safer about my heart as I do now with my pacemaker.

[Czech_Mate in reply to DawnTX]

Thanks for this. Yes, we must keep things in proportion, it's not debilitating. I'll ask at the checkup on the 20th and if they think it's not the pacemaker, I'll go to see our GP.

[AVNA]

I had a PM put in in July 2023 and experienced should pain for about 5/6 months but not any more...

All the best

[Czech_Mate in reply to AVNA]

Thanks for that. Yes, for me it's the other way around: no problems at the start after the first 6 weeks of being extra careful, but now frustrating twinges which sometimes are a bit stronger than twinges.