Mammogram and chain saws

Hi PM members,
I am going for my first mammogram after getting my PM and I heard that it can pull out your leads if not done right and then you face surgery again.
Has anyone gone through this?

Also I just got a chain saw and it works great. It has a battery pack so I don't have to pull to get it started. But my friend told me not to use it because a friend of hers died using a chain saw and had a PM. Any information?

Linda

5 Comments

mammo

by Tracey_E - 2012-06-15 03:06:18

Mammo's are fine, just make sure they know you have it before they start. My pm is buried under the breast so the first time I went they did a gentle image so they'd know where it was, now they reference that before they start. There have been a few cases of women having problems but it's very very rare.

Chain saw is probably ok too. Most newer pm's are well shielded and very few things will affect them. Magnets are what we need to avoid because it can pull a switch closed and put it in test mode. It does not turn it off and as soon as the magnet is removed it goes back to full function with no harm done. There is no way it would kill you, there is no chance it would do permanent damage. If you rarely pace, you probably won't feel the difference. If you pace a lot or are dependent, then you might feel funny until you get away from it. If in doubt, have someone with you the first time you use it. You'll know right away if it affects you or not.

I've had a pm for 20 yrs now and have a liberal dr who always says go for it rather than telling me to be cautious. I've never once found anything that affects it. I do all sorts of things more conservative drs say to avoid lol.I run with my ipod clipped right over my pm, I hold my cell phone on my pm side, I even got a magnetic cover for my ipad and like to read in bed with it propped on my chest. I wondered about that one so I asked. I wasn't worried about it going into test mode since I'm flat in bed when I do that, but it doesn't show up in any of the reports so it has no effect either. I could go on!

I was cautious at first too but after a while you learn to trust the pm, to stop worrying about every little thing. Don't let having this turn you into a worrier, they're extremely dependable and tough little hunks of titanium.

Freedom........

by Tattoo Man - 2012-06-15 05:06:56

....what a great name...this is what your PM gives you..!!

Fears, Anxieties,Lack of good info, all conspire to stop you having a fantastic life.

Tracey is spot-on.

Your new best friend is pretty well near bomb proof...get that chain-saw out and give that lumber some grief...pull that cord and whoop ..." I'm Chainsawing For The Pace Maker Club"

You are going to feel SO good !!!

TM

Tell me More ...

by donr - 2012-06-15 09:06:04

...about your chain saw. And your device.

Is it an electric chain saw w/o any gasoline fueled engine?

How did the friend of a friend w/ a chainsaw & a PM die? Heart attack? Cut a major artery - like the femural artery? Bitten by a rattlesnake in the brush? Had a huge tree fall on her? Makes a big difference!

What do you have? PM? ICD? Combination? Your Bio says ICD; You say PM herein. Which is it?

Like Tracey said, your PM is well shielded - BUT - beyond that,. generating an electro-magnetic field at the distance that the PM would be from the chain saw is pretty tough! They decay w/distance VERY rapidly! Doesn't matter whether it is a DC powered motor on a chain saw or a magneto ignition system on a gasoline fueled saw. You are just going to be hard pressed to generate such a field.

There are many of us here who use chain saws frequently w/ no ill effect. Ditto for battery & corded power tools.

Now - there is another issue - if the vibration of using the chainsaw might trigger your ICD. Dunno if there are any Rate Response features in your particular device, but if there are, vibration could trigger the RR function if it is not set high enough.

You say the Chainsaw works fine - therefore, you have used it! Congrats for being adventurous!

My first guess is that you are being the potential victim of urban lore.

BTW: I'm going to send you my monograph on "Limitations" via PM. It may help you w/ an understanding of what we can & can't do..

Don

Whoops! I already sent it!

by donr - 2012-06-16 02:06:46

In a PM a week or so ago. My bad for forgetting.

Don

Chainsaw Women

by ebfox - 2012-06-16 05:06:21

Linda,

Any woman with a pacemaker and chainsaw is OK by me. YOU ROCK.

EB

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