Rugby and PM.. bad news ??

Hi all ;) So had my pm/df for about 4 years now and doin ok i guess, Bein young i still wanna live my life and i love sport. Been told by my doctor not to play contact sport 'however' i love rugby union and cant say no. Playin fullback and havin a ball!! Everytime i make a tackle or get tackled i hold my breathe just hoping im not gonna hurt my machine. I know the machines r rock hard but honestly do you think i could stuff my machine or wreck my leads ?? Or do you think the muscle will cover it enough ?? Im stupid i know.. my folks tell me everyday hehe. Just curious i guess...

Aims xx

5 Comments

YES YOU COULD

by peter - 2008-06-25 06:06:34

The doctors dont warn you for nothing. You are taking an extreme risk. Please look after yourself. Hard to think of anything worse than playing an extreme contact sport like rugby. If you damage your leads and or pacemaker and survive the doctors will be very annoyed with you for not heeding their advice. Cheers Peter

be careful

by rickprigge - 2008-06-25 06:06:44

I participate in mixed martial arts with my ICD. I never let my opponent know that I have an ICD before a match. I also try to keep the fight in the center of the ring and avoid contact with the cage. Good luck.

hi, from a Mom!

by pacergirl - 2008-06-25 10:06:47

Aims, I know what you are thinking.... please don't let the pm/df go off now!
You know what the doctors said, you know what the risk are.... no more ruby when you are injured.
The fact of the matter is you are showing complete disregard for your life and for those who love you. Please reconsider what you are doing and find a sport that satisfies your need for competition.
And another thing......I do not believe you are stupid. It troubles me that anyone would tell you that everyday. You are obviously intelligent, you are smart enough to ask some very important questions about your health. You certainly can use a computer as well.
Please won't you let us know what you have changed you activities to?
Just a Mom's thoughts, take care... please,
Pacergirl

Risk v gain

by petemanning - 2008-06-25 11:06:46

Interesting!..I have had arguements with myself about what is ok and what is not now that I have a pacer for 1 year

I know how you feel!My normal activities include Mountain bike riding..and i do mean MOUNTAIN bike riding.Uncluding downhill riding on dirt tracks up to 60 kph and drop-offs up to 2 feet and very rocky ground.Neeedless to say if i fell and hit my pm on a stick or rock I would be in all sorts.But then again, even without a pacer i would be hurt possibly badly so whats the diff.

I played a game of Mens basketball and got a whack in the PM and it hurt like heel and mostly scared me.
I thought of getting a cover for it but I don't love bball that much so I stick to other fitness activities like triathlon.
What I'm saying here is that all you can do is weigh up the pro's and cons and protect yourself as best you can.
All said there does seem to be a significant con in actually playing a sport in which you can EXPECT to have regular blows to your PM.

Everybody has a balance of risk versus benefit.

Enjoy yourself
Pete

Rugby

by grasshopper - 2008-07-01 12:07:39

Yes it will eventually damage the device. I fell and hit my chest and had to have it reprogrammed and broke a lead. As much as I love sports unfortuanately I try to steer clear of contact sports. It's too expensive to replace. I just had a new one put in after 10 years and it was $18,000, that was just the device ,not the leads. Have fun!

You know you're wired when...

Bad hair days can be blamed on your device shorting out.

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I am 100% pacemaker dependant and have been all my life. I try not to think about how a little metal box keeps me alive - it would drive me crazy. So I lead a very active life.