How long should I have signif pain after pacemaker insertion, I am 9 days post op and still very uncomfortable?

I am 32 yrs old. I had severe pain and extreme muscle spasming after my pacemaker insertion 9 days ago. For the first week I had tremendous mm cramping and spasming in my neck, scapula, traps, medial portion of my clavicle region and sometimes even my face with any simple movements or transfers. Things are now calming down, but I still am very uncomfortable when I do not have a bra on, I can’t lay on my side or stomach, and if I don’t move cautiously I still get sharp pain and cramping in my pectoralis and clavicular region. I am a PT and have seen many of my elderly patients have pacemaker insertions with very minimal pain. Is all of my pain normal, or should I worry about a problem. My incision looks good, and I have had no fever.

Your pain is most likely normal. All people respond differently to surgery, and your body has a brand new (relatively large) foreign object in it, and it’s trying to decide what to do about it, so-to-speak. It takes about 2-4 weeks to recover from this surgery, and it can seriously hurt, as the surgeon has to cut through the cartilage linking the ribs to the sternum. Cartilage is notoriously slow to heal.

Constant twitching at first is also normal, as you have a brand new source of electricity in your body. It’s like someone poking you constantly. At first it’s annoying, but after a while you get used to it. If it continues for an unreasonable amount of time, tell the doctor about it, it could be a complication like lead slipping or broken wire insulation.

Some things to ask yourself, though:
Is the pain sever enough to interfere with your daily routine? If so, the doctor can prescribe you some pain medication to help. Take it following his directions for best results, even if it doesn’t hurt when you’re supposed to take it next.

Did you frequently touch and fiddle with the incision site after surgery? This can interfere with healing, and in extremely rare cases can move wires into bad areas, interfering with healing further.

Do you have trouble breathing at all when normally you wouldn’t have any? For instance, sitting in a chair reading, standing up and petting the cat, walking down the street etc? If you do have shortness of breath, talk to a doctor. It could be a normal post-surgical response, or it could be a serious complication. Don’t stress yourself into it, though.

And don’t miss any followups! After surgery, the cardiologist may have to spend months tweaking the programming in the pacemaker to find the perfect setting to help you while keeping the battery usage to an acceptable level. That can also help reduce twitching as the pacemaker is more attuned to your own body’s impulses, and doesn’t seem as “foreign”.

Yo Stomach – T-Pain + lyrics

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