magnetic nametag

My work just started making everyone wear magnetic name tags. I thought it would be safe to wear it on th opposite side of my pacemaker but on the back of the name tag it reads "caution-magnetic device do notuse with pacemaker"
What do you think?
is it safe as long as its on the opposite side of my PM?

15 Comments

Hi Tracey

by IAN MC - 2013-10-29 01:10:07

I think you and I have the same debate every few months,my philosophy is simple .... if there is a non-magnetic alternative, go for it !

Your philosophy seems to be " I don't accept the warnings, let's test them " . We are both alive and well so I guess we are both right,

I bet you are one of those people who don't believe " Wet paint " notices . I imagine that you are sitting there right now with fingers covered in paint but ,why not, if it makes you happy.

Next time the same topic comes up, let us Copy and Paste our responses.... they won't change !

Best Wishes

Ian

because

by Tracey_E - 2013-10-29 01:10:38

Ian, there are still microwaves that say do not use with pacemaker! If I only got on the rides at Disney that didn't have cardiac signs, I'd be limited to the carousel. It's a cya world, overly cautious warnings are everywhere. I have a magnetic name tag for church. It does not cause me problems. I could have asked for a pin, but I tried it first. When in doubt, take it to your next check up and see if it will interfere. I did this with the magnetic cover to my ipad, no effect whatsoever.

Ian

by Tracey_E - 2013-10-29 04:10:43

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume your comment is meant tongue in cheek and not as insulting as it sounds. I am not in any way careless and since I'm dependent on this hunk of titanium, I have a healthy respect for it. I don't believe we need to live in fear and it makes me sad when I see newbies afraid of so many things when there's no need.

When I got my first pm and left the hospital, they handed me a magnet, said if I felt bad that I should swipe it across the pm. It created a "bookmark" so they could see what happened. Maybe this is where my lack of fear of magnets came from?? it's still in the drawer in the kitchen. You can barely see it because it's covered with paperclips, keys, even a pair of tweezers... much more than the magnetic church name tag that also resides in the drawer.

I thought the magnetic cover for the Ipad might be pushing it so I took it along to one of my checks, held it over my pm and asked the rep if anything showed up. Nope.

I toured a water treatment plant and felt odd in the generator room. I wrote down the date and time and had the rep check on my next appointment, nothing showed up. (interesting aside, they had no warnings in the generator room, but there was a big sign in their kitchen next to the microwave)

I could go on and on. After nineteen years of nothing showing up, and being given a magnet to use as a diagnostic tool, I know a little magnet is not going to hurt me. It's not carelessness or a cavalier attitude, it's experience.

Level Playing Field

by HK - 2013-10-29 08:10:43

Mars, Venus, when it comes to pacemakers it matters not where we are from. I am sure no insult was meant, right Tracey? But, there is also no reason to tempt the gods. Just because Mircrowave oven makers say their ovens are safe doesn't mean anyone should stand in front of it all day and for sure I would not trust my life to LG, GE or whatever any other corporation says. The same is true for a magnetic tag. It may seem like a small issue but experience or not why be the first to find out you should not have worn the magnet? Their are laws protecting people from such things. If it was me I would not wear a magnetic name tag all day. Protect yourself. You are a PM survivor and we all want you to stick around. If you are even the least bit uncomfortable about it Don't Do It!!!
Good luck,
HK

Tracey: Here comes your reserves!

by donr - 2013-10-29 09:10:23

I'm a piker compared to Tracey - only 10-1/2 yrs & not even 10% dependent on my PM.

I'm also old enough to be her father.

But - I refuse to crawl into a bed & pull the blankets up over my head & turn into a safe & secure mummy w/ all the excitement that one of them experiences.

I like Auntie Mame (The Lucille Ball version), where she says that "Life is a banquet and some poor SOB's are starving to death." (or words to that effect.)

I finally got up the guts to test my magnetic name tag - ZERO effect. I've even taken my wife's magnetic necklace clasp & tried it close to the PM - ZERO effect. Now that doesn't mean going out & grabbing any magnet & slapping it across my PM, That is downright insane. I'll not try certain varieties of supermagnet because I KNOW what their capabilities are.

Then you get to other things that the lawyers for Medtronic warns you about. I have not found a single one of them that affects my PM. Does that mean that every machine out there is safe - absolutely NOT, so you have to test them to find out.

There are, however, two tools I don't mess around with - Big ol' honking Bosch jack hammers & Reciprocating saws. Too much vibration at a frequency that feels uncomfortable.

The manufacturers' lawyers have created an environment of fear that starts off nearly all of us wondering what's reality or afraid to do darned near anything. The thousand mile trip of becoming a PM Host for life starts w/ a few small steps into a land of the unknown. Mankind has always been an explorer & I firmly believe that PM hosts are the true epitome of that characteristic. ElectricFrank was a real leader into that unknown land. His tenure as a PM host was relatively short, but he paved the way for getting out into the world & exploring the envelope of PM hosting. I loved his comment about using a chainsaw - "I gave up chainsawing when I ran out of chains that needed sawing. I've stuck to trees ever since then."

Exploring the envelope does NOT mean doing stupid things. Like peeking down the barrel of a rifle w/ the bolt closed; or walking up to a microwave & putting my face against the window (Wouldn't affect my PM if there were a leak, but surely would fry my eyeballs exactly like an egg!)

The denizens of the PMC represent the institutional memory of what you can & cannot do with a PM. They save the Newbies from having to reinvent the wedge (that's even simpler than a wheel.).

Yes, I want to slap my forehead I say "Oh, no, not again!" when I see a question we have all answered a dozen or more times each. And, to refer back to Ian's comment, we almost should copy & save our comments for use the next time. But we are a bit more personal than that.

I refuse t hide from life & reality. Like a turtle or a snake, you never get anywhere unless you stick your neck out a bit.

The only law I need to protect myself is an understanding the laws of physics. I do not need the Nanny State.

Don

try it

by Tracey_E - 2013-10-29 11:10:49

It's probably ok right over the pm, definitely on the other side. Try it and see. It's not dangerous, worst that can happen is it puts in in test mode until you move the magnet away, then it will go back to regular mode with no harm done. Rule of thumb is 6" but most little magnets like that aren't strong enough to make a difference.

Some looooong answers for a simple questions LoL

by PacerRep - 2013-10-29 11:10:50

Stacy....
Either wear it on the opposite side of the pacemaker or get a Non-Magnetic one to wear over your pacemaker. Safe..Simple

Perhaps I am being over-cautious

by IAN MC - 2013-10-29 12:10:17

.... but if it says " Do not use with pace maker " why even think about wearing it ????-- --refuse to wear it it and ask for a non-magnetic name tag ???

Ian

Magnetic attraction

by RobertS - 2013-10-30 01:10:49

I have a magnetic name tag and wear it on the opposite side to my pm [though it makes no difference if I wear it on the same side] with no ill effect. I have a pin on one too but the pin leaves holes in my thumb!

But my grandson's toy metal detector does affect my PM and it is only a small thing about six inches long and held in one hand and can't have a very big magnet. He 'swept' me when I was snoozing' one day and it put my PM in test mode. I woke up fast! Not sure who was more shocked him or me.

Moral of story: you never know till you try it and beware of grandsons with small metal detectors.

It'd probably detect electronic bugs too. Ooh! what big ears you have Nanny State!

RobertS



Legal Responsibility

by gleesue - 2013-10-30 03:10:52

Here's the deal. It's probably no problem on the opposite side. But there may be legal issues with your company. If you use it, they may be responsible for any issues you might have. Even if you decide there would be no problem, I would leave the decision up to there and
their legal department.

Interesting enough, I was just at a store to get my glasses adjusted and they had a magnetic glasses holder that attaches to your shirt. It had a statement, "not to be used by those with pacemakers.

Jerry

Cabg Patch

by donr - 2013-10-30 05:10:41

Hear! Hear!!

Don

Wow....

by pacergirl - 2013-10-30 11:10:46

I have had a tough day.... woman(?) at my social group pouting and saying out loud to me "I'M MAD" Arms crossed and looking at me all angry and pouting because I didn't choose them. Good grief I was upset!

But... after reading all of this I see that I am taking things way too serious and I should have just smiled at the woman and said "No, sorry today isn't your day".

But I am laughing now at the thought of a 62 year old woman pouting like a little spoiled child who didn't get what she wanted. Too bad, life is short, get over it. :-) realize how silly it all is.

Silly people, :-) Good night,
Pacegirl

Everyone situation is different

by Marie12 - 2013-10-31 08:10:01

I am required to wear a magnetic name tag at work but have not done so since returning to work end of August. I have congestive heart failure, significant damage to my heart from a heart attack a stent and an ICD. I'm not taking any chances.

I think it all depends on your own personal feelings and personally I am very nervous about my ICD going off that I'm not going to test anything but if someone else wants to, well go for it. We all have to make our own decisions.

TraceyE

by IAN MC - 2013-10-31 12:10:28

I have just returned to this thread and there are some extraordinary responses.

Tracey .... I see that you are suffering from one of the classic symptoms of over-exposure to magnetic radiation , that is imagining that innocent posts contain insults. This has been well-documentd in the "Lithuanian Journal of Post- PM Psychic Phenomena "

Apparently the only cure is to rip off all magnetic name-tags, magnetic I- Pad covers and then say 100 times :-

" Nobody is insulting me, I am imagining it ! "

Ian

YOU ARE YOUR OWN HEALER ~ ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2013-11-01 02:11:44

I am a young 69 and the way I look at it, 'You ONLY live ONCE! ! ~ ~ Sure, I could quit driving, going, doing, and stay in bed all day and say, "Whoa is me ~ too scared to leave my bed b/c of everything in the World might be against me and/or my PM" OR, as I prefer, try everything once in moderation ~ IF it does not bother you, you are ok.

I have been a member of the PM Club since 2008, had a PM placed in May, 2009 ~ I asked every question, worried about everything, cried, whined w/no wine, and pestered all members for months before my PM. Each one who 'commented' back to me gave Great educated advice from all their past years of Xperiences.

I found that the PM members who so nicely talked to me, offered advice, actually know/knew more than any of the doctors did ~ ~ TracyE, Smitty, Jessie, Cabg Patch, Pacergirl and so many other ol' timers on here to mention.

The PM Club, since I joined in 2008, have had their fair share of 'Know it Alls', arguers, bad attitudes, sore losers of opinions and so many other negative type people. In fact, I have known at least two people who had to be blocked by Admin of PM Club b/c of their attitudes toward the other PM Club members.

In my opinion for me, I try everything once and find nothing happens to me. IF in doubt, I write a note to myself to ask the Dr. and/or the well educated ones here on the PM Club.

Have a Nice Day ~
Carolyn in TEXAS

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