Tattoos

I am terrified of passing out, and the hospital will attempt a MRI. I know that won't happen, but... So, I decided to get a tattoo of my Medtronic PM directly over the PM. I asked my Cardiologist, and he said no... He told me, he did not want to have to worry about the TAT, when he replaced the PM, after the battery dies.

Has anyone had the same response? If so, are there any suggestions, as to how i can point out the PM?

Thank you.

14 Comments

obvious signs

by Tracey_E - 2013-11-29 01:11:22

My pm does not have a lump because it's buried, I can barely feel the edges of it if I poke around looking for it. My scar is on the side, hidden by my bra. No one would notice my pm at a glance, or even a close look.

And we have a member who was in a car accident. She was conscious but not alert and forgot to mention her pm until she was being wheeled to an mri. She snapped out of it at the last minute and stopped it. So, yeah, it can happen and we should all wear an alert bracelet or necklace.

I wear my bracelet and hope that either it will be noticed or they'll get me on a heart monitor so they see the spikes before any testing is done. That's about all I can do.

I am a big baby

by rfassett - 2013-11-29 02:11:27

I hate needles and see no reason to intentionally inflict pain on myself. I got my medic alert bracelet with "pacemaker dependent" inscribed right away after getting my PM implanted and plan to wear it for the duration. It's visible. It's fashionable. It gets the message across. And it doesn't hurt even a little bit.

As to the tat. I would be afraid of infecting the area around the PM.

MRI Scan procedures

by IAN MC - 2013-11-29 03:11:51

Once a week I partner a lovely lady called Rose at tennis.She is a radiographer and spends much of her life doing MRI scans . I E-mailed her about an hour ago and asked her about MRIs and PMs in conscious and unconscious patients

Her reply said " Before the patient enters the scanning area we ALWAYS ask if they have any metal objects implanted in their bodies particularly medical devices like pacemakers , in fact ,now in the NHS ,all patients complete a questionnaire prior to the scan.

In the unconscious patient we don't scan without first ACTIVELY looking for outward signs of having had an implant anywhere in the body and would have an Xray first if possible"

(she then went on to say derogatory things about my tennis which is not relevant here ! )

Anyway that is good enough for me , my PM scar is visible, my PM is MRI compatible , so no bracelets for me !!

Ian ( jewellery-free and happy )

mri

by Tracey_E - 2013-11-29 05:11:19

The way I understand it, the ends of the leads can heat up and damage the heart. Fry is the word my radiologist friend used. I'm not sure about the unit itself, he only mentioned leads.

If you want a bracelet tattoo, go for it!

MRI - PMs

by mom0f6 - 2013-11-29 05:11:59

What exactly does the MRI machine do to PMs? will it pull it out of my chest, move it around? I guess I never really asked the question before because I have never had an MRI. But this thread is making me question it.
oh, and I already have 3 tattoo's so I thought a medic alert one as a bracelet was a great reason to get another one.

Sharpie

by Marie12 - 2013-11-29 06:11:45

I've thought of a tattoo but since then I've been thinking a Sharpie might work just as well. I can "refresh" it when necessary and no surgery will affect it. Nice big red letters "ICD" with an arrow pointed to it right on the left breast!!
I do wear a medic alert bracelet and never take it off but I have been told it is "too pretty| to be effective. Oh well, there's a few bucks down the drain.

tats

by mom0f6 - 2013-11-29 10:11:44

Hi There. I am getting the medic alert (with the heart beat) tattooed as a bracelet this weekend. Its going to be on the inside of my wrist with the "chain" around front.
Here in VA (or the area I lived) tattooed medic alerts are not recognized and first responders will still have to find my card, but they see it and acknowledge it. They won't ignore it. (I call many different paramedics, emts ets). That said, I was told they look for bracelets and necklaces and cards. They might not see one over your incision unless they have to take your shirt off.

Good Luck to you!

No

by Tracey_E - 2013-11-29 10:11:59

I don't think they can do them right over the device anyway, and your doc is right, he might mess it up when he does your replacement. You could get one somewhere else. I wear a bracelet.

On the other hand

by IAN MC - 2013-11-29 11:11:06

you may be hit by an asteroid , more worries !

Ian

Tats

by Quemal - 2013-11-29 11:11:06

Thanks for all the input. I have a "Road ID" dog tag, but am afraid they won't pay attention to it, when I remember to wear it...

As far at the asteroid, I live in Southern California, so I'm more worried about sinking into the ocean during an earthquake...hehe.

The "bump" and scar are minimal (I'm uploading a photo). Unless the first responders look hunt for it, I fear they may miss it.

Alternativesite

by Theknotguy - 2013-11-29 11:11:33

Because the doc may have to move the site around a little bit I'd go with TraceyE and mom0f6 - use the med alert bracelet. Maybe sometime they'll start using the chips like they do on dogs. Who knows?

I collapsed on the trail and my heart rate was 20 when the EMT's got to me. Then my heart stopped in the ambulance and they had to do CPR. The EMT's cut off my clothes so by the time I got to the ER I was naked. (Don't remember as I was unconscious at the time.)

Afterwards, depending upon the medical facility with which I was working, I had two complete body checks for wounds, surgery scars, etc. I'm pretty sure they did that in the ER. A PM scar will show up quickly and they'll catch that.

We'd like to think modesty still rules, but in the US they're more concerned with keeping you alive than keeping modesty. You're just another body and they've seen it all before. I had people whom I didn't know handling parts of my body to which I had exclusive use and to which only my wife had exclusive use. Between modesty and keeping alive, modesty goes if I can stay alive.

I have the fear of passing out and being put flat on my back. I have OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and if I'm put on my back I'll suffocate. Two thoughts about it - 1) It's an irrational fear. - 2) There's nothing I can do about it anyway. So acknowledge your fear, get the med alert bracelet, and go on with your life.

Theknotguy



What are the chances of you …..

by IAN MC - 2013-11-29 11:11:40

… i) passing out ii) needing an MRI and iii ) then staff not noticing the tell-tale bulge ????

pretty unlikely !!!!! probably far less than the chances of you getting an infection from tattoo !

Please find something else to worry about.

Ian

tattoo would be fatal for me

by Reboot1212 - 2013-11-29 12:11:36

Because my wife would kill me.

MRI

by Bostonstrong - 2013-12-04 09:12:21

One of my sons worked with an electrical engineer doing MRI testing when he was in grad school. The day I got my pm he told me he once made water boil with a St Jude's pacemaker in one of their experiments. Bracelets are a great idea.

You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

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