I am having a pacemaker put in. I sleep on the left side of the bed. How do I get out of my bed without straining my left side?

You could get a bed riser - a post you fix to the bedstead under the mattress, so there's a handle for you to grab hold of with your right hand when you get up.

The other thing you can do (assuming you're at least minimally gymnastic) is roll over on to your tummy first, then hold on to the bed with your right arm and slide/swing your right leg out and onto the floor.

But I think on the whole by "straining" the people who write this kind of advice mean racquet sports and heavy lifting, rather than natural everyday movement (within reason). Ask your cardiology team for tips - dos and don'ts - if you're still worried.

You should get a whole bag of booklets and pamphlets about your pacemaker from your doctor after the pacemaker is inserted. My Mom had one inserted in 2000 and has done all of her usual housekeeping activities, including cooking, vacuuming, lifting boxes, etc. You will need to take it easy for awhile after the surgery.

I have included the website for Boston Scientific as this is the brand of pacemaker that our cardiologists use and is one of the most popular pacemakers used in many hospitals in US. Even if your pacemaker is a different brand, the concept and what you do after the insertion are similar. Good Luck with the procedure.

bostonscientific.com/en-US/patients/about-your-device/pacemakers/after-your-procedure.html

I had a small bar that my Mom used to pull herself up. Put in search "bar for bed" and u should see what I mean. Its L shaped the long part going under the mattress. The bar coming up the side. Its only 18 in wide.