Pacemaker fitting complications

[Westie2012]

Since having my pacemaker on November 25th which went ok 4 days after the procedure I started getting what felt like jolts in my tummy that actually made my body jump, went to A&E, ecg and chest X-ray g done, everything looked ok so I went home with instructions to call the cardiologist Monday morning for advice . Sunday night I was feeling better however , I was woken at 2.30 am so suddenly with the most excruciating pain that hit like a lightning strike it just started out of nowhere. Hubby thought I was having a heart attack. Paramedics were lovely, gave me morphine and off to hospital, ecg was erratic, the paramedics were discussing my heart rate and just gave each other a worrying look. They couldn’t tell my husband whether it was a heart attack or not, because of covid he had to stay at home, he admitted he thought he’d lost me. Many hours in A&E, blood tests, ecgs, X-ray, heart scan and pacemaker check, when the pacing team altered the pacemaker settings the jolting started up, the wire was irritating my diaphragm. Around 6pm I was sent to cardiac assessment unit to wait for covid test results before they could move me to a ward, 9pm there was a bed available and my test was negative thankfully. Dosed up on pain relief, two days later had the wires replaced. 12 hours later woke up to even worse pain, I’d developed pericarditis as the wire had put a hole in the heart muscle so was given even more pain relief and started on antibiotics. I wasn’t well enough to get out of bed as slightest movement increased the pain, I was finally well enough to be allowed home Saturday after almost 6 days in hospital. I was almost at the point of asking to have the pacemaker removed with all the complications after. Very traumatic emotional experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Slow recovery period so trying to be extra careful

[Rose54]

How AwfulHope you recover quickly

Take Care

[Bigheart58]

So sorry to hear this. I experienced phrenic nerve stimulation after my ICD was fitted. They adjusted the settings and it stopped. I wish you well.

[Thanksnhs]

That's sounds really awful, I hope you recover soon take care char

[Kimkat]

How awful for you. I was in hospital for two days after my pacemaker fitting with pains in my chest/lung area which felt as if I was going to have a heart attack but was sent home with instructions to take paracetamol if it started again (I’m allergic to morphine), all ok for a few days then it kicked in again and instead of disturbing my husband I sat up all night, I was eventually taken into A&E with no diagnosis. When it happened again with another visit to A&E they discovered that the sac around my lung was slightly perforated and that was what was giving me the pain and that it would improve on its own. It was really scary at the time I can tell you, which left me breathless but it did improve after about 6 weeks. My biggest concern was that I may have had to have another procedure so you must have been really worried and I can understand why you thought of asking them to take it out. Pleased that you are on the mend now, onwards and upwards.