Pain in wrists after pacemaker/defib installation

[Praleshthor99]

Hi everyone. First time here.

has anyne experienced pain in the wrist after installation of a pacemaker. My wife was diagnosed as having Rhuematoid and then Lupus, however I suspect that it could be related to regional pain after pacemaker install.

would love to hear from other experiences.

thanks

P

[Telboy1162]

Hi there. Never heard of this being due to the implant being done. I got mine 3 months and haven't felt wrist pain. The only thing i can think of is you are advised that while you have to be very careful how you use your arm on the side of the wound, you should try to move it some as your shoulder joint can freeze up. I don't know if this could also be the cause of the pain if the wrist has been immobile for a while. I doubt that will help much but i hope she gets better soon. Welcome to the forum.

[Rosie1066]

I recently had a Pacemaker implanted 2023. I had quite a lot of pain in the area where the Pacemaker is but it hasn’t affected my wrists or anywhere else. Welcome!

[Blearyeyed]

It could be more likely that the operation itself , if it was relatively recent , caused her an autoimmune response from the RA or Lupus which made the pain worse in an affected area like her wrist.Or possibly your wife was suffering radiating nerve pain as her body recovered which felt more obvious in a wrist that already suffered with pain issues and weakness.

Women can quite often suffer radiating pain and pain from the chest area can be felt in the extremities , stomach or lower back which is why women can sometimes have heart issues presenting on not realise that the heart or chest is origin of the pain.

Or, if you wife has changed her usual range of movement or how much she used that arm to compensate for pain and discomfort in the chest area as she recovers , over exertion or the change in joint position could cause more pain.

If it continues, and it is in the wrist and arm on the same side as her pacemaker , and your wife's usual pain medication or arthritis wrist exercises don't help it , it might be worth getting it checked by the GP.

[Travellingman76]

Good Evening, I have recently had a pacemaker fitted and am going for my pacing check on Monday. I have suffered a little bit stiffness in my shoulder but nothing in my hands or wrists. Have also felt some twinges in my chest. Perhaps the pain in your wife’s wrist could be due to slightly different way of movement as a result of not been able to fully move the arm after pace maker installation. I hope everything resolves itself soon but I have found the cardiac nurse helpline on the British Heart Foundation very useful to ask questions about my pace maker installation and any twinges I have.