Living With a Pacemaker: What It's Like

A pacemaker is one of the small marvels of modern medicine: a device, not much bigger than a coin, that sits under the skin and quietly keeps the heart beating at a healthy rhythm. For people whose hearts beat too slowly or unreliably, it can be life-changing, and yet most who have one soon forget it is there at all. Knowing what it does, and what living with one is like, takes much of the fear out of the idea.

This is a companion piece for people considering or living with a pacemaker. It is not medical advice. It is an honest account of what people describe, and it is no substitute for the guidance of the cardiology team who would fit and follow up yours.

What a pacemaker does

A pacemaker is a small device implanted under the skin, usually near the collarbone, with thin wires that reach the heart. It monitors the heart's rhythm and, when the heart beats too slowly or pauses, sends tiny electrical signals to prompt it to beat. People most often need one for a heart that beats too slowly or with faulty electrical conduction, conditions sometimes related to ageing or to rhythm problems such as those described in our companion piece on living with AFib. Modern pacemakers are sophisticated, often adjusting to activity, and many last many years before the battery needs replacing.

What getting one is like

People are often relieved to learn that having a pacemaker fitted is usually a relatively minor procedure, commonly done under local anaesthetic with sedation rather than full open-heart surgery, which our companion piece on what to expect after heart surgery describes for more major operations. Most people go home within a day or so. There is usually some soreness and bruising around the site at first, and advice to avoid raising the arm too high or lifting heavy things for a few weeks while the wires settle. People describe the recovery as manageable, often easier than they had feared, with the relief of a steady heartbeat soon outweighing the discomfort.

Life afterward

The most reassuring theme is how normal life becomes. Once healed, most people return to their usual activities, including exercise, and often feel markedly better, with more energy and fewer symptoms like dizziness or fainting that the slow rhythm had caused. There are sensible cautions: people are advised about certain strong magnetic or electrical fields, are given a device card, and attend regular check-ups, increasingly done remotely, to monitor the device and battery. Everyday electronics like phones and microwaves are generally fine with simple precautions. People with serious heart disease behind the pacemaker still manage that underlying condition, and our companion piece on heart attack recovery speaks to that wider picture. None of this is a prescription for you; it is the ground others have walked with their cardiology team.

A quiet companion

What people most often say about their pacemaker, after the initial adjustment, is that they simply forget about it. The device does its work silently, the regular checks become routine, and life carries on, often more fully than before. For something that sounds daunting, it tends to become one of the most undramatic parts of a person's day, a quiet companion keeping time in the background.

If this is relevant to you, you can explore more in our Heart & Cardiovascular Health collection.

This article is a companion, not medical advice. It reflects what people commonly describe; everyone is different. Decisions about a pacemaker and living with one should be guided by the qualified cardiology team who know your heart.