Pacemaker

[Kendalghost]

Hello folks, I am due to have a pacemaker fitted in the coming months and am wondering ladies how you cope with the hair washing/drying and if I need to change from wearing t shirts to something else? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[pauljusa]

Kendal, I'm just a humble male but I've had a variety of PMs for many years and, after initial healing, I've never experienced any motion impairment or electrical interference or any other issues. We have microwaves and an induction cooktop - no problem. If you're concerned about appearance, the PM should not be visible through clothing if properly installed.

Best wishes - Paul

[Kendalghost in reply to pauljusa]

Thanks Paul your reply helps but doesn't answer a question that I have. A lady posted about her experiences and mentioned that she wore a different bra during her recovery. I was wondering if that was purely for comfort or for ease of putting on. Maybe I misread her message or reply but can't remember.

[pauljusa in reply to Kendalghost]

OK I understand - I have no personal experience wearing bras 😀, hope you get a good answer - Paul

[Bingo88]

Good morning Kendalghost. I have seen this question asked before. You can get special bra's but some have found it as easy to just use a large handkerchief , A piece of material folded up, or a piece of foam under the bra strap to save any discomfort. Hope this helps. Brian

[fantasyfanuk]

hi Kendalghost, I couldn’t bear to have a bra on at first and later on, I wore the soft stretchy type that I could step into and pull on upwards. My partner helped with dressing and hair washing for the first few weeks when you need to be careful. Luckily I didnt need to dry my hair or wash it daily for instance so it was not very onerous for him! I considered going to the hairdressers instead but was so nervous of the pacemaker area being touched that I didn’t go in the end. I did wear loose front fastening tops and cardigans rather than jumpers, as they were much easier to get on and off without inadvertently raising the arm. Hope everything goes well for you.

[Gerry15]

Hi Kendalghost,

I could only wear strapless bras for a few weeks ( I need support!) then wide, soft, strapped bras . I was very careful about lifting my left arm for six weeks so things like hanging out the washing was done by my husband, who has a unique way of pegging out some items! I also wore blouses and cardigans instead of T shirts and jumpers for the first six weeks as well. Hair washing was a problem, but I used my right arm, same for drying, or mostly I let my hair dry naturally.

Hope this helps. Good luck for your procedure.👍

[Peter-l-h]

just a comment - not directly related to your question - After my pacemaker was fitted to help with carrying money, water, a hat ets I bought a simple one strap rucksack. It was so useful that I continue to use it two years on - though it’s main contents now include a folding stick.

PS when my young grandson was asked to list items that ran on batteries for homework - top of the list was Grandad.

PLH

[MumLuck]

I had my pacemaker fitted in Jan 24, and did not even bother wearing a bra for a few weeks until the bandage came off. As I already had open heart surgery the year before I had to ditch the wired bra altogether, now I opt for t-shirts with fitted bra inside. You get these from M&S. My husband helped me wash my hair as I leant over the shower. The worst thing was not driving but having to sit in the back seat so the seatbelt did not go over the implant. Its now 3 months down the line and the pacemaker has settled into my body and now all you see is the scar. Hope you are now doing well.👍

[Kendalghost in reply to MumLuck]

Thanks for the info. I will be going to look at M&S again as my pre op has come through. Hopefully I won't be waiting too long after that.