Hello, My mother in law, 87 years old, had a pacemaker installed on Wed. A few days ago. Today her left hand is swollen, the back of her arm to the elbow has been painful for the last 3 days. She has been walking the past 3 days 3/4 to 1 mile with a couple hills, this is her standard regimen. Is the swelling and back of arm pain normal? Thank you, Mike
Hello, Brief Answer: Check with your cardiologist to make sure everything is good and no complications happened. Explanation: My opinion is that after pacemaker insertion. Some warnings are given to the patient. First Chat Doctor.  Arm sling is worn and no manipulations to pacemaker site. Some complications happen, unfortunately. Infections and hematoma are common, vascular complications also do happen like deep vein thrombosis. I suggest my patients the following; clinical examination and Doppler on the vascular system of the upper limb. The information provided by you is not sufficient to provide a good opinion. If someone comes to me with this condition I would ask them about electrocardiography of the patient to make sure that pacemaker is functioning. Conclusion: I suggest you check with your physician. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  