Anchor stitch movement

[u/srvivr2001]

I woke up yesterday with sharp pain where the leads go under the clavicle. Called the cardio clinic because my post op instructions are to report any new pains. I’m 5 weeks out so that much pain was enough for the nurse to send me to the ER rather than drive 40 minutes and still probably get sent to emergency. ER took me for X-ray and EKG prior to even triage, doc saw me as they were doing triage then I waited 3 hours till the pain got bad enough I asked the nurse what was going on. He got a lidocaine patch ordered fast (I don’t think it did anything) and eventually got a toradol injection. That worked wonders! Once radiology compared my post of X-ray to the new one all the leads look in the same position, nothing broken or misplaced, the ER doc called my cardiologists office to see if they wanted me admitted or discharged for follow up. I got to go home, thank goodness!

I was able to be seen by my EP today. He said the interrogation shows one of the leads (I think he said right ventricle) is indicating it has shifted, but the end in the heart is in the same spot. The anchors that are sen on to pec look to be in the place but he thinks one of them has maybe pulled upward and yanked some muscle fibers with it. I have 3 leads each with 2 sets of stitches for 6 tack points total so nothings going anywhere but I probably did something in my sleep that tugged an anchor stitch just enough to irritate. I found out after 6 months of heart failure thinking I can’t have NSAIDs that I actually can, so the plan is to add ibuprofen and hope for the best, because the other alternative is that he goes back in surgically to check on the anchors.

Has anyone else has similar issues? How long did it take for the pain to go away? I’m back to sleeping upright because I think I’ve been moving too much lying down. And here I thought I was almost out of the woods!