What to expect re recovery after pacemaker

[grandadbren1]

I am having pacemaker inserted 19th September for sick sinus syndrome and am thinking of going away for a week or two in caravan for part if my recuperation can anyone advise if this is wise and how soon would I be able to go. I would not intend to drive obviously

[Judygb]

Hi, hope all goes well. I would suggest asking your consultant that question because they will know your medical history. Do you have his secretary number? If not ring the switchboard at the hospital and ask to be put through. Good luck and let me know how you get on.

[Hemming1 in reply to Judygb]

Hi I am sure it will go well - the procedure is OK and I found it a better experience than a previous ablation. I also have sick sinus syndrome & I also spend a week recuperating in our caravan - it was 2 weeks after the op & I checked in with the local health centre as a visiting patient to have my dressings checked & changed. Just don't overdo it & rest as much as possible - actually this is better to achieve when away I find!!

All the best & look forward to feeling MUCH better, getting more energy & seeing the world with brighter eyes!

[sarat1]

Personally, following my pace maker surgery, I was exhausted as I think my body had been struggling on before my heart rate really decided to drop. So I recommend plenty of rest, give in to the urges to nap, eat well, go for very gentle walks and, based on that advice, a break away in a caravan sounds like an excellent idea. Just think ahead that when you have had surgery, you might be tense when car turns corners, accelerates and decelerates and you will end up tensing up your body for the entire journey to wherever you are going to and will end up truly shattered by the end. I had mine fitted under armpit as am relatively young apparently (35) so wanted it hidden away. Found any journey for next few weeks really exhausting as a passenger as found I held my body as still as possible when travelling to avoid twinges. Just a thought. Hope it all goes well and you enjoy a restful recovery, wherever you are

[Hidden]

Hi,

I would avoid any locations/situations where you may have to do any lifting. I don't have a caravan but I'm thinking about hooking it on to the car? This might be tricky.

After the operation, there's a tendency to keep your shoulder still because it feels strange and obviously there's a dressing and scar tissue forming. Some people can get frozen shoulder if they don't move enough tbh!

I think I would play it safe and stay at home for a couple of weeks at least. You may feel much better if you have been very unwell with a slow heartbeat. Lots of people do feel better....so think positive.

However, if you think about it, this device is trying to replicate your heart's natural action and as a "device" it has standard settings. These don't suit all of us, and often tweaks and adjustments are needed to get the programming right. This can cause initial niggles and worries are a natural part of that, so being somewhere close to your pacemaker clinic might be helpful.

If you are going away, and travelling in a car, something like a soft pad to place under the seat belt on your chest/shoulder to protect it can help if you are a little sore or slow to heal.

There is an excellent peer support website called the pacemaker club if you google it. I'd recommend becoming a member (it's free). There's a wealth of advice on there.

Good luck & think positive. Most people feel much better afterwards.

x

[sarat1]

Really good points made by missdiagnosis about the time it takes to settle (my cardiologist explained my heart is like a lambourgini and it takes very careful adjustments to get it just right!). Definitely got niggles about the weird sensations I had over the following days/weeks/months but it all settled eventually (7 months).

[Hidden]

Hey Grandadbren,

How are you feeling after your operation. We're all routing for you!

x

[grandadbren1]

I really do not feel any different from prior pacemaker implantation probably due to the fact that I had learnt to live with my arrhythmia and had not had an attack of being unwell since June however my 7 day heart monitor showed my heartbeat was slow at times and I had 1 short episode of fast beats so the advice was to have 2 lead pacemaker. The implantation went very well it took about 90 minutes and a lot of tugging and pulling which was uncomfortable I was discharged the same day but went back 2 days later as my wound was swelling and inflamed but this was put down to adverse reaction to the dressing so I was sent home within 20 minutes with new dressing which seemed to relieve the tension quickly. I have been taking paracetamol for the pain around the incision and I would still not be comfortable with such as a seat belt over the area but have been out and about every day , I did a 3 mile walk 2 days after and had no problem but did feel tired at night . So all in all I think I am progressing normally I have been for my dressing removing today and will have to go back in 5 weeks for pm check which I presume will give us some answers as to how often it has had to speed me up and also if I have had any fast beats I am then looking forward to being able to pick up a more active life as I had been doing before without the danger of passing out or fainting as I was told that was the risk I was running. Hope all you other pacemaker patients have a trouble free implantation as well as me.