Anyone ride Dirt Bikes or do MX?

My son had his pacer put in on April 26th. He is 23 by the way. He is feeling a lot better and has returned to regular activities except riding his dirt bike or jet-ski. He was a racer and we accept that that must stop, but should he give up casual trail riding? One Cardio doc said do what you feel you can and another said absolutely NO way.

The mixed answers are so confusing. I feel that the casual trail would be slightly more physically demanding than a street rider, but I assume many people on 2 wheels have pacers. Anyone with experience in this area?

10 Comments

go for it

by Tracey_E - 2012-06-20 04:06:13

There are some very conservative drs out there who tell us there are all sorts of things we shouldn't do. I don't know if it's fear of malpractice, truly believing we should hold back or just plain ignorance because they don't have other patients like us. I'm fortunate to have a supportive dr who never tells me no. I've been paced for almost 20 yrs now and have never run into a problem, and I do all sorts of things I've read we aren't supposed to do.

You didn't say why he has the pm. If he has an atrial issue such as SSS and uses rate response, he may feel the pm raise his hr too much when the ride is bumpy. It's harmless but doesn't feel too good. If he has something that paces mostly ventricle such as av block, this isn't an issue.

I'm no dr, just a veteran patient so take my advice with a grain of salt, but if he is otherwise healthy and the pm corrects his problem, I say go ride and see how he feels. If he feels ok on the road, try off road. If he still feels good, why not race? It's not going to damage the pm so I don't know why racing would be considered different than riding. We need to avoid anything that could result in a direct hard hit to the pm, tackle football and competitive karate are top of that list. They even make shirts to protect in that case. How likely is he to take a tumble and the bike land on his chest? If that's a possibility, he might want to check out the shirts.

no way

by Tracey_E - 2012-06-20 05:06:28

Did you ask that dr what his reasons are?

ride :-)

by kiml1123 - 2012-06-21 02:06:54

I say do what feel Comfortable. He may need to build up to racing again. I would think the chest protector would do while on the bike. Jet skiing even if he feels comfortable wearing it..
This should not be a hinder in life. Just be. Cautious and use common sense.
Good luck :-)

Mountain Bike Racing

by tmenssen - 2012-06-21 07:06:51

Hi

I had a PM fitted Nov 2011. I raced mountain bikes for many years before the PM. I did my first race with a PM early May 2012. No issues. I am just a little careful about falling.

Two opinions

by Sue H. - 2012-06-21 08:06:18

Oh how doctors can differ and make us nuts. Tracey is right on with her explanations.

I have switched doctors because I ride a motorcycle and doctor was "horrified" when I asked when I could resume after pacer implant. Comment from doc was oh, you are one of those organ donors. Okaaaaayyyyy, time to switch docs.

New doc says go for it on anything I ask with additional words of be careful and sensible.

I don't see a problem with your son continuing to ride both fun toys as long as he is sensible and careful.

Enjoy life........

Sue

Sue

pacing

by Tracey_E - 2012-06-21 09:06:53

If he paces atrial, he is likely using rate response. Rate response looks for signs of physical activity and raises our hr for us when when it doesn't go up on its own.

shirts are paceguard, developed by the parent of a kid with a pm. The owner has been on here but I haven't seen her lately. I haven't used a shirt but they get favorable reviews.
http://www.paceguard.com/Home.html

I would suggest writing down your list of questions before his next appointment.


Where can I find the shirt?

by Pacersma - 2012-06-21 12:06:08

I forgot to ask about the shirt? Is there a website? Also I didn't mention he is 96% pacing.

Thanks a million

by Pacersma - 2012-06-21 12:06:49

He has a form of muscular dystrophy that affects the heart. I am fairly new and I don't understand the terms SSS etc. his HR was in the low 30s without any other symptoms. We changed med ins and they did a background health question on me that led to genetics finding that I am a carrier and passed to both of my sons. Two daughters are ok. We see the cardio end of July. I will def be more educated by that appt. I know there was no electrical current in the top portion of his heart and they were only able to place one lead. Doc says they needed a small current to make contact and there was NONE. It's all very new to us and quite overwhelming. These are two boys that are very active and a blood test slammed them with a lifetime of docs, health restrictions, and muscle weakness. Lots to think about when you were feeling fine without symptoms. It's been a wild ride to say the least. I am thankful for this site and that others can share their thoughts and support.

Ride the bike

by Cheryl B - 2012-06-22 01:06:19

I agree with Magster up above. I know when I left the hospital, the nurse raised her eyebrows when I said how long before I can ride my motorcycle. But my doctors don't say no, don't say yes. They just smile. In fact, I made myself get on my bike last summer, 7 - 8 months after ICD implant because I felt scared of so many things, and finally decided not to live scared anymore. I also flew to Arizona last October, which I haven't flown in 15 years. Then three weeks ago, when I was trying to get my bike out of garage to go take a ride, the darn thing fell on my foot and broke it. Now I can't ride for about three more weeks!! But as soon as I can, I'll be back on my bike. So many people on this site say use common sense, and they're right. I'm thinking of going whitewater rafting pretty soon, too. I'm not out to injure myself, so I don't act crazy, but I'm not going to limit myself anymore. I feel I've been given a second chance because of my condition, so I'm not going to waste it.
Cheryl B.

Thanks again!

by Pacersma - 2012-06-24 12:06:08

There is so much contradicting info out there that hearing first hand from fellow pacers has helped me learn that life will be normal. He is doing much better as well. I am sure I'll be back with more questions. Thanks for sharing.

He does have a rate response pacer. BTW

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