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NEED INFORMATION! Implantable Loop Recorder

Has anyone had one of these implanted before?? My cardiologist discussed putting one in. I am personally all for it if it can potentially help figure out what is going on. It has been a long, very frustrating road. He seemed a bit reluctant because of scarring. At this point, I dont even care if it will help with a diagnosis. Can anyone offer me information on the scarring and what to expect from the procedure itself when it is inserted? Do they just use local? Does it hurt? Is it like a surgery? Please...any information will help. Thanks!
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Avatar universal
I just had one implanted about five days ago. Tachycardia and suspected a fib.  They put it in my left breast and so far not much pain but due to severe sensitivity to adhesives, plastics and latex I've had itching out of this world! I seem to be itching from the surgical glue as well.  At least I hope that's all it is! I also have lupus and a few other autoimmune diseases. My lupus rash is currently like a bad sunburn so I know my body is overreacting to the implant.  I MUST STRESS that those who have decided against this device because of placement, pain or the fact that they've only had a fib once etc etc, I've some advice.  A fib is rarely caught on a monitor. If you've had one episode, odds are there are many more your not aware of. I had mine in my sleep that led to a stroke and heart damage.  I've no risks for either and I'm pretty young.  I've seen fellow lupus sisters far younger than me never wake up and die in their sleep. A fib is no joke and as far a I'm concerned, no scar, pain or discomfort can keep me from having the piece of mind that I'm being watched 24/7. I had no idea I was having a stroke as I was sound asleep at the time.  I woke up unable to speak at all and recovery was slow.  That said it could have been so much worse.  Just think about what you value most and what can you gain from this device.  The answer should be fairly simple. I totally get its not for everybody.
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3 Comments
I Just Had Mines Put In Yesterday 4-19-17. I Am Only 19
They can't figure out what's going on with my heart, lately pulse rate has been in low 30s at night during the day it's all over the place.
It’s my 3 rd day. My left breast is itching so bad I can’t stand it. I’ve took Benadryl and put hydrocortisone around the implant and nothing seems to relieve the itching. Any advice please?
Avatar universal
I keep reading that women feel their recorder move around and even slip in between their breast after placement to the left of the sternum or in their breast! What about breast implants? Is this device going to interfere (or be interfered with) with my saline implants?  Mentally, I may not be able to handle this “thing” free floating around in my chest!
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Avatar universal
Hi. I don't want to scare anyone away from getting a medical procedure that could save one's life, but I do feel the need to warn any women who are going to get this device implanted. . . BEFORE you have it done, please get a MAMMOGRAM. I am  not a doctor, so, I cannot say what caused my friend to get breast cancer, but, I will say that having the device in her chest, along with the pain that it gave her, made such a situation where she did not get a mammogram  during the whole time that she had the device. I cannot say whether she had the beginnings of the cancer before the device was installed, but, (1) the device was left in her chest way longer than necessary, due to the fact that her insurance changed and no longer would pay for the doctor to remove the device, (2) when it was finally removed, it left a painful scar that she kept telling her primary care doctor about, but he wasted 6 months telling her it was scar tissue and kept prescribing antibiotics (3) when she had a followup appointment with her primary care, he happened to be out sick that day, and the doctor who examined her said that she needed surgery ASAP. (By this time the "scar" was the size of an egg sticking out of her chest) (4) Surgery revealed a grapefruit size tumor in her breast, Stage 4 and extremely aggressive. This was around September 2016. After months of painful chemo, etc. she is now in hospice and will only be on this earth a few more days. Your decision on what to put into your body is your own, but, please, if you are a woman, be sure to eliminate any possible risks beforehand by getting a mammogram, and once the ILR has done its job, demand that the doctor remove it pronto. I only hope that your insurance will put your best interests ahead of their bottom line. I wish all of you well.
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1 Comments
Exactly!  That is my question and I can't get any answers!  I had mine out in June, and honestly, I am not comfortable with this!. Was not from the beginning.  My family has heart history, yet my heart seems to be health except for extra beats SVT.  I don't consider myself clinical, just tired, feel anxious a lot, and heart pounds when I lay down, bit other than that, no real emergencies stemmed from it. My cardiologist insists that I have it (due to Brugatta syndrome in my sister), but not at the rick of getting breast cancer!
Avatar universal
I had mine put in 2 weeks ago, I have AF, SVT, 3 episodes of asystole requiring cpr and a mild heart attack last year. I am experiencing terrible pain and burning in the area, and extremely swollen in my left neck, shoulder and sternum area. Has anyone experienced anything similar, the insertion didnt even hurt this much.
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1 Comments
I rang the hospital when this happened and they gave me antibiotics as I got an infection.. twice in fact... breasts move alas and this pulls on the device I think
Avatar universal
Mine is a little to the left of my sternum. If you watch insertion on Youtube, that is where the standard area is to place them. On the sternum. I had numbing injections to the site and it was over in a matter of seconds. Only problems I am having is finding someone that can explain the darn thing to me. And there is no booklet that explains what the different displays mean on the plug-in unit that sends the info. I even contacted the makers and all they had was one piece of paper with a vague description of the thing.The people at the doctor's office are not well versed in it either but yet they say the doctor has put in thousands. How could this be if they are not knowledgeable when I ask questions. This causes me to be very leery of the device. No one ever tells me what the readouts are. I have had it for 3.5 months now and keep having uncomfortable feelings with my heart especially when I lay down.
I have no pain with the placement of mine at all and there was no pain with insertion. It was a simple procedure.
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2 Comments
Been trying to get info on device to but everyone just pushes me off to another person. Haven't got an answer yet.
I have also asked if insertion in the breast has caused breast cancer. Everyone seems to either say: " I don't think so", I would think it wouldn't, otherwise we wouldn't be using it" , or (the best one yet), "Call the company"  SERIOUSLY??  This is a recording device!  Is there any information out there that links these loop recorders to breast cancer?  Might as well have a cell phone implanted!
Avatar universal
I had one implanted in November and they gave me Lidocaine to calm me and numb the area. However, the medicine wasn't strong enough and I felt them implanting it which really hurt. It healed in about a week and the doctors have been receiving recordings from it about once a month. Before this, I had to wear heart monitors but my condition is so random that the monitors never picked anything up.
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1 Comments
I hear that, mine are random too, could never get to ER in time for them to figure out what was going on
Avatar universal
I just had this done on November 22,2016 when it was fine the doctor numb the area the needle felt like bee stings the area now has a burning pain when I bend over and there's a nonstop itching
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Avatar universal
Make sure your doctor only leaves it in a max of 3 years.  Just had mine removed.  3 years 10 months.  Doctor kept putting off removing.  Still don't have answers.  I was told that removal was very minor.  I ended up having to get extra anesthesia, still no explanation on that.  Cut is more than twice the size, and is going to leave quite a scar.  Not trying to scare anyone, I just think that all these problems were caused due to having loop recorder inserted too long.  If I had to do it all over again, I would not.  I also have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which could explain the fast and odd heart beats.  My family is convinced that the loop recorder added to my Fibro.  I'm not sure about that, but very glad it's finally out!
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Avatar universal
Wow! Some very varied posts and responses here. I too had a loop recorder implanted on Tuesday. (5 days ago) it was via NHS in UK. The procedure itself took no more than 15 mins. The Dr's & Nurses were amazing!! It was pretty painless barring the local anaesthetic needles. The dressing i removed after 48 hours, which had stuck to the glue used to seal the incision but with a little patience the dressing came off no trouble. It is bruised and a little sore but seems to be healing with no problems. The only pain as such, I'm experiencing is a little pain in my collar bone above where it is...(?)
Otherwise all is good. Lets hope it captures the info it needs!!!
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2 Comments
encouraging to hear this, thank you. I'm due for one tomorrow
encouraging to hear this, thank you. I'm due for one tomorrow
Avatar universal
I had the Medtronic loop recorder inserted into my left breast in early June. It healed fairly quickly and didn't really hurt at all until just the last couple days. Now it stings when I move around or bend over, or it aches. But this was inserted because I have random episodes of pre-syncope every once in awhile--not often enough to catch them on a 30-day monitor. I never faint completely but I see stars and have to stop and lay down so I don't fall down.  I feel a thud in my chest and then it goes straight to my head, like a head rush, and I get tachycardia with it. I get nausea and an intense headache that can last for anywhere from 1/2 hour to several hours. Now I know I have a-fib and several other arrhythmias, as well as tachycardia and bradycardia. I haven't had one of the big episodes yet; only medium sized ones. Still waiting. I'm glad I have it, despite the pain.
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Avatar universal
I normally just go to these types of forums for advice but since it seems every one else has had basically the same (miserable) experience as I did I feel compelled to give whoever is thinking about getting this done the honest truth about the procedure. I had mine put in 6 days ago for arrhythmia, syncope, and an abnormally fast heart rate. I had the problem diagnosed about 5 years ago, right out of college, and have been dealing with it ever since. I have done the 24 halter monitor, a week long heart monitor, and a month long one about a year ago- all yielding no results because my symptoms are relatively infrequent but when they do come they come in spurts. The loop monitor was the next step because of the way my symptoms appear and as a patient who trusts in her doctors, I decided that it was the best fit for me. I was told the procedure would be short, simple, and relatively painless. I have a small frame (5'3 115lbs) so the nurse on the phone suggested I opt for light anesthesia (I'm also not a big fan of hospitals or needles). I've had anesthesia before and never had a problem with it, so I assumed this time would be like any other. When I got to the hospital I was reassured again that it would be easy and I could get back to my usual activity later that evening (it was at 8 am). Fast forward to after my procedure and 3 hours later I am finally waking up, after being told I wasn't put under enough and grabbed my chest the second the doctor made the incision. I had to be given even MORE anesthesia and strapped down following that (luckily I don't remember a thing). The nurses had to massage my face and pull open my eyelids to try and wake me up after. That was the first nightmare. Prior to the procedure, the anesthesiologist told me he would prescribe me some pain killers, however afterwards, the nurse said I would be fine taking two 500mg tylenol tablets for the pain. Boy were they wrong. I left the hospital, still very loopy and sore, but not in much pain so I thought it was going to be a cakewalk. I napped when I got home and when I woke up was in the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced in my life. It felt like knives were being stabbed into my chest and through to my back. It hurt to breathe and do any sort of movement- sit, lift my arms (my left especially, which is still hard to lift), bend my legs to go to the bathroom. Literally ANYTHING. I went to the ER because I was literally shaking and crying from the pain and thought something was terribly wrong. Why? Because I was told this would be essentially painless and if I did have pain, it wouldn't be bad at all. After 5 hours in the ER I was finally able to get my pain under control and given some pain meds as well as a high dosage of ibuprofen to help with the swelling. I had three days of sleepless nights following the procedure. The second the pain meds wore off I was again in excruciating pain and needed assistance to do anything. I ended up back in the doctors office on Friday morning (2 days after the procedure and subsequent ER visit) and was ultimately told because of my stature, my pain was more severe than most and it would get better eventually. It's now the following Tuesday and I am still in pain, stiff, and feel worse off than before I went into the whole thing. I know it takes time to recover and I understand that but given the information from my doctor I was NOT prepared and I feel like I was 100% misled, which is why I came on here searching for the answers I have yet to receive from the doctors who are supposed to be looking out for my best interests. I guess my point besides venting out of frustration is to let everyone know who is considering the procedure and who has questions about how it ACTUALLY will be versus what you are told. My ER doctor, who was actually a Resident, explained the whole thing to me perfectly- he said that it may be a simple "in-and-out" procedure for them, but for the person on the table they are cutting into your chest even if its routine for them, it is not for you. I hope by writing this I am not freaking anyone out too much and I hope that it helps someone to be better prepared than I was. Best of luck to everyone!!
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1 Comments
I have no clue what happened to you . WOW. Mine was a simple procedure. Local numbing and that is all. I felt nothing but the novocain going in at the site a little to the left of my sternum. Procedure was only a matter of minutes. I needed NO PAIN MEDS. Cut was maybe half an inch. Scar is very tiny and not noticeable. I have fibromyalgia as well as A Fib and arthritis all over my body. I have had many surgeries in my lifetime and this was nothing. I have no earthly idea why you were in so much pain all over. Makes no sense. Your doctor was truthful to  you and did not mislead you in any way. Having a small device implanted on your chest would have no effect to the rest of your body at all. Perhaps anxiety and stress played a part in creating pain all over.
Avatar universal
Hi, just had one last week. The surgical bit was very straight forward. Local anaesthetic. When that wore off I took 2 paracetamol, that was all that was needed. Minimal discomfort. Slight bruising the following day. Sleeping is quite uncomfortable the first few nights, you need to find what position is comfy for you. Have had to sleep with bra on every night else it is more uncomfortable. It is nothing to be scared of. Hope this helps.
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2 Comments
To add to that I went straight back to work after.
thanks. I just need to hear this..im due for one tomorrow,
Avatar universal
I too am skinny. My first issue was I felt like I was railroaded into having this implanted. Dr walked in and said this is what we are doing. I had ONE time of going into A-fib on the same day I had given blood. Have heard from others since that others had same reaction to giving blood. Will not again. BUT went ahead and had loop put in. My husband heard the Dr say after that it was more difficult that he thought. I am VERY sorry I did. It was 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am in so much pain at night. Woke up last night in pain and was on my back and the device was standing straight up in my chest. I have appointment to meet with the tech in Dr's office in next day. I will ask some questions. If I do not like answers ( after reading here I would say I won't) I am going to ask to have it removed. Going into A-fib once was NOT reason enough. My hope now is that removal goes ok. I may ask for a different Dr to do removal.









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4 Comments
Hi LD65.  Did you have it removed? I just had one implanted and it is still hurting and I am also skinny.
Hi LD65.  Did you have it removed? I just had one implanted and it is still hurting and I am also skinny.
Hi LD65.  Did you have it removed? I just had one implanted and it is still hurting and I am also skinny.
Hi LD65.  Did you have it removed? I just had one implanted and it is still hurting and I am also skinny.
Avatar universal
I am glad I found this, I had a loop recorder placed in the hospital about 2 months ago. It's probably a good thing I didn't see this site before I had the surgery. I was admitted to the hospital for the second time this past summer due to syncope and collapse while at work and cracked the back of my head open because I fell so hard. So first stop after the ambulance was 5 staples in my scalp in the ER. Spent the night in the hospital with IV fluids. The EP consulted with me bedside the next day after the neurologist expressed that he was pretty certain it was not a seizure. The EP urged me to have the "chip" implanted and basically said a holter would be useless in my case, which I agree since my episodes were a little over a month apart. He told me that it is a simple procedure, can be done outpatient! Battery lasts up to 3 years! I said that sounds good, he seemed very experienced and trustworthy. I was not told when the procedure would be, I was confused by what he said and thought it would be outpatient. Next thing I knew, my nurse came in and said they're going to take you to the cath lab for the implant in 30 min., make sure you use the bathroom. I was surprised but figured it was just as convenient since I was already in the hospital anyway! In the lab the nurse came in and began prepping me, showed me what the recorder looks like and it was way bigger than I expected. I still trusted that this was the right decision. My episodes come without any warning.  me to bash my head on the floor so hard that I woke up with a puddle of blood where my head was. Who knows what could happen next if this happens again (don't worry, they took my drivers license. As if I needed any more complications in life right now. But I would be devastated if someone else were hurt or killed because of my "condition".) The surgery was quick, I felt great until the lidocaine wore off. They kept me through that night, and surprise! Echocardiogram the next morning! Imagine how that felt!! The poor tech didn't know what to do, every time she ran the transducer over the area I tried so hard not to squirm or moan but it was extremely painful. I survived nonetheless and went home that afternoon. I have the same problem others are describing though, its in my left breast. Sleeping face down has become relatively impossible, and it will wake me up. Also when I lay flat on my back or spread my arms apart while wearing a low cut top, you can see almost the entire outline of the device under my skin and makes me a little nervous that it will bust through. So far so good though. I am also 5'4 and 115 lbs so it feels like its digging into my ribs all the time with any pressure applied directly to it. In my case I feel as though I should put up with it since my EKG has shown a prolonged QT before which is associated with sudden death. This monitor will hopefully detect something they can fix so I can go back to a normal life, and driving. I am only 27 and just started my own career in healthcare and I cant believe I am in this situation. Everything this summer has been a huge wake up call and reminder that I am not invincible. Good luck to everyone else living with ILRs or considering receiving one.
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Avatar universal
hi there, I had a reveal Loop LINQ device inserted in the UK on the NHS.  for anyone who knows nothing of the NHS it is free to UK residents because of this its pretty 'no frills' hence why I had the device fitted without sedation or in-hospital recovery, I literally walked into the surgery and walked out and off home (didnt even take my shoes off!)after reading this forum I was petrified, however I shouldn't have been! the surgery was very painless and the recovery period very non eventful. i'm a week on and still waiting for the tiny 0.5cm scar to heal. I had it inplanted on my breastbone a little to the left.  I feel really sorry for those in this forum who are experiencing a lot of pain, I wrote this for the people like me who are scared of the op and having one implanted.  Not many people post good experiences online so please do not panic yourself, you are more than likely going to have the same experience as me,hopefully,  for all those who are still experiencing pain, I hope it eases up soon :)
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1 Comments
Hi fellow NHS patient,

I also had mine done on the NHS and have had problems, I found out later it was not inserted by a surgeon or a doctor or a nurse.
It was an assistant, basically cheaper and less training. I have had pain for a week, The wound opened up 5 days after with blood and oozing.
The woman put the local injection in my veins by mistake which meant it was bleeding a lot. She then I feel put so much pressure on my ribs I thought they were going to snap, she didn't put it in far enough and now I am suffering because of it.

Anyone else here who has had one fitted in 2018 ?
NR
Avatar universal
Hi all,I'm a 38 yr.old female who in the last year started having dizzy & fainting spells so my Dr.sent me to a wonderful Cardiologist who placed a medtronic loop recorder in my chest.The whole process took less than 15 minutes,pain was minimal & I healed rather quickly.About 3 weeks after,I noticed the tiny incision site was warm and felt kinda like a sunburn.I just blew it off,then the next day it was raised and starting to ooze a bit of fluid.The third day my son told me it looked like I had a blueberry under my skin.It was the recorder pushing it's way out.This happened over a weekend so Monday I awoke to it literally sticking 1/3 of the way out of my chest! I called my cardiologist's office,they said to come right in.I kinda got the impression they thought maybe I was over-exaggerating,when I showed them,their eyeballs just about popped out,Doc came in shook his head&said "I've put in hundreds of loop recorders on patients&have NEVER seen or heard of this".He was quite impressed & said the odds of it happening were remote.So he pulled it out,I got 2 stitches&we scheduled another to be implanted.I had my second one implanted on May 5& it has healed wonderfully...UNTIL 2 days ago,then guess what? You got it,it's doing the exact same thing!!!!!!! Doc even stitched it in to ensure that didn't happen again.As with the first one,I've taken daily pictures documenting the progression to show him.Now if the odds of one being rejected are remote,the odds of 2 being rejected must be astronomical!!! Anyway,apart from that,I think the recorder is a great thing to have.Good luck to all of you who are considering getting one..
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Avatar universal
I meant this as a reply to Mikla.
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Avatar universal
Just wondering if you and others who don't experience the discomfort are also people who can tolerate IVs without feeling like you have to rip your veins out to get the needle out?  I am debating accepting one, but I think I would be one of the people who is hyper aware of it and am looking for clues as to which types of people don't feel it versus those who do.
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1 Comments
Wow, this is a late follow up.  I can tolerate almost any procedure.  BUT, this gives me ABSOLUTELY NO discomfort whatsoever. I still have it in, going on 3+ years, and really do not know it is there other than I tend to play with it when I am bored.  Those that are having problems with it, no offense, but to me are the typical folks that would complain about a band aid hurting.  If it really hurts then the doctor probable botched the simple procedure and placed it too deep under the tissue... IMHO (and based on input from my electrologist that did the procedure).
Avatar universal
I had my linq recorder implanted last Tuesday, May24, 2016 for my A-fib episodes.  I never consented to having it implanted into my left breast, but I think that's where it is!  My cardiologist just told me that it would be implanted "under the skin", I guess I should have asked more questions.  My left breast is still sore, and very bruised - it was purple/red now it is still red/yellow.  I have soreness in my breast, especially on the left side of it.  I, too, like others I have read about, have pain in bed, especially when I turn over and change positions.  I am really concerned about this thing being IN the breast -- what are the complications of that, and is there a concern for possible breast cancer or problems down the road, like 5-10-15-20 years from now??  I want this thing taken out, but wonder if the damage might already be done.  I wish I would have asked more questions beforehand.  I looked it up on the internet, and saw the video of insertion, and thought they "know what they're doing".  I just hope and pray for us all, that there will be no after-effects!
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Avatar universal
I just had one implanted yesterday and while i was terrified after reading some of these comments, found it to be a pretty simple procedure. They had told me i would be sedated, but ended up just using a local to numb it. It's a weird feeling when they insert it, but not painful. I was sore the rest of the day (like a paper cut and a paper weight on the site), took some pain pills, but today am almost pain free. Hoping it continues to heal properly, but figure I'll just have to be careful for a little while and also realize even a cut on your finger is sore and takes a while to heal, so we'll see how it goes from here!! But it wasn't anywhere as bad as what I thought it would be!! And hopefully it will find out what is causing my problems!!
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1 Comments
Did it help you?
Avatar universal
Im a guy and had the implant yesterday,so still feeling it a bit.. I have been told that the incision will have healed within a week, 2 at the most. It is a bit painful but painkillers and ivs help that. The procedure itself took 30mins but there were some complications, and normally takes 15mins
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1 Comments
Has it helped at all? I received mine a few days ago I'm wondering if I made the right decision or if i wasted insurance money
17282788 tn?1455254013
I got my loop recorder implanted on 1/14 and have not had much pain with it but the insistion is not wanting to heal any one else have this issue? I had my gallbladder out one week after the loop and it's healed just fine. Just not the loop surgery. And to answer the above question is I think it depends on the person. Mine was placed in left breast and I had some pain after but not much I gor used to it pretty fast. I recommend sports bras they help a LOT. I never take my bra off unless to change to a different one and it keeps the pressure of my breast from pulling on the device.I would do it again because it can save your life if it finds the problem.
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Avatar universal
Wow... lot of "life is bad with a loop recorder" posts.  On the other hand, I had it placed a few months ago.  After a couple of days, I easily forgot it was there.  No pain, no bulge... nothing.  Every 30 days I get a call from the Doc letting me know the results of the data transmitted back to him.  Would do it again in a heartbeat (pun intended).  
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Avatar universal
I have a reveal implanted recently , it was placed on the left side of my chest...but has migrated into my cleavage. It is uncomfortable and does catch, but if they get the results to find why I am collapsing I can put up with it. How long did it take to get results guys?
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