Motorbikes and pacemakers!!

Hi everyone are there any fellow bikers on here that can advise me about living with a pacemaker and riding motorbikes, my local pacemaker clinic here in england are not good with advice, i'm being told 2 answers to a problem and it's getting confusing!!. I especialy want to find out if i can do track days and do i have to wear a chest protector??? Many thanks in advance!!

7 Comments

donr yes I do

by Red1958 - 2012-12-16 08:12:14

more than ride on paved roads.I also have a polaris 700 4 wheeler I bang around in the woods with
I still cut my own firewood using a chainsaw and I still weld with small welder
Im not going to quit living and hide in a bubble
just saying :)
















I would say no.

by TLR - 2012-12-16 08:12:37

I really cannot see the point in a chest protector for pacemaker protection when riding a bike that hard. The sudden stop when hitting the ground/tyre-wall will be the problem and a direct hit to the PM is less than likely realistically.

That being said, if you're on a track day I would say it wouldn't hurt, if only just to protect your ribs and vital central nervous system which are more likely to be critically injured.

I sold my TL1000R (yes thats where my user name comes from) and haven't touched bikes since my mate died on his Fireblade. I would always ride with full armoured leathers and back protector as a minimum. I've come off a few times and thankfully walked away.

biker

by Red1958 - 2012-12-16 11:12:09

I have a crt-d implant and I ride a harley.

Only TWO Answers

by donr - 2012-12-16 11:12:44

Gee, I'm surprised at the small number!

Remember that the advice given by the medical community is written by lawyers.

You did not say WHY you have the PM. That has a bearing. Relative risk is the reason. Supposing you're 100% paced & totally dependent on pacing for heart function. In that case, I'd say hang up your leathers & become a spectator. Risk of damage to PM causing death becomes significantly greater than for those of us who are NOT PM dependent. F'rinsance, I'm almost 100% paced, but kill my PM & I just feel like crap due to poor Sinus node. There will be lotsa time to get me to medical help.

Second - You did not mention a capability of a PM called Rate Response. RR is an accelerometer that tells the Pm what physical activity level your body is experiencing. It adjusts your PM's rate to increase it's HR assuming that your heart will not perform that function.

Your RR on means that all the vibration will make the PM think you are really active & drive your HR way high.

Third - WEAR a chest protector if you do decide to ride, after considering the other factors I've mentioned.

Lots of us do hare-brained things w/ PM's implanted, & we get the same unintelligible advice you get. The difference is that we intelligently compensate for the risks involved.

There will be other ghosts of other Christmases come by w/ advice - how about helping them out w/ more details about WHY you have a PM & what it does for you & what its settings are - like the RR function being on or off.

Don

Ah, Red, but do you...

by donr - 2012-12-16 12:12:38

...do things other than ride on paved roads for travel &/or relaxation?

Big difference than riding at a track doing something competitive. The OP obviously thinks what he doers is a bit risky - he asks if he should wear a chest protector.

I assume you wear a helmet - do you wear a chest protector, also? I am on Coumadin & wear a helmet in our car. Go ahead & laugh, Red, I get a lot of guffaws from bikers who look into my side window & do a double take. I got the last laugh when I went through the side window of our van head first w/o sustaining any injuries to head or neck. I got into this weird situation because of a conversation w/ our ER Doc Daughter about ladders & head injury. I unfortunately commented "If it's such a good idea to wear a helmet when doing ladders, why not while driving/riding in the car?" She pointed a boney little index finger at me & said "Good idea, Dad!" So, here I am today, alive & well because I opened my mouth at the wrong (or was it right) time.

Don

Ride on

by Cosmic - 2012-12-16 12:12:54

I have a 500 Polaris ATV that I ride hunting deer and pigs, and a Medtronics ADDR01. I often ride in rough country and bounce around a lot. The activity level on my PM is adjusted all the way up as it wouldn't react as it should when I walk.

Bottom line, no interference from the engine and yes sometimes I have to stop for 30 sec to let the rate slow down. Nice break to get a drink of water or beer and go again.

As for as your bike you can tell if it emits any electrical spikes by holding a small AM radio close to the bike. If you get a lot of noise you might have the ignition checked to see if everything is properly grounded.

Hope this helps.

Cosmo

Riding motorbikes and pacemakers!!

by Cprice - 2012-12-19 08:12:28

I have a boston bsi scientific altrua 40 pacemaker fitted due to very severe vasao vagal syndrome and pots. I also own a 2003 fzs600 fazer motorbike and have no intention of giving up my beloved bike!!

You know you're wired when...

Airport security welcomes you.

Member Quotes

My pacemaker was installed in 1998 and I have not felt better. The mental part is the toughest.