rollercoasters?

In case you didn't notice I've been posting alot this past hour haha just had a couple of things causing me to become curious

When I got my ICD the technician said I wasn't allowed to go on rollercoasters. I'm pretty cool with this because I had just gone to a theme park and gone on almost every roller coaster just a few months before the implant. Anyway, I was wondering and didn't ask at the time, is this because of interferences, damaging the ICD because of the big belt that hits the site or having a heart condition in general??(I always had it but it's become abit worse)

Thanks (:

5 Comments

depends

by Tracey_E - 2013-02-25 05:02:13

It depends who you ask. There are drs that say it's ok as long as we avoid the newer ones with magnetic brakes (causes interference). Some recommend waiting 6 mos to a year to let the leads grow into place well.

Some drs automatically give us a long list of restrictions including coasters, I think probably because they don't have a lot of patients who want to push it rather than solid reasons why it's not ok. When asked they usually say lead damage, but my dr and rep both pointed out that they're so grown into place that it would take a special laser if they had to come out, nothing I want to do is going to pull them out.

Parks don't want us on the rides because of liability. Pretty much everything faster than a carousel has heart warning signs. I have a collection of pictures of myself in front of such signs.

If straps cover your device and put pressure on it, it will hurt so it's not a good idea. The device is titanium so you're not going to damage it but your skin isn't so tough. A roller coaster ride isn't worth a bunch of bruises.

Ask your dr his reasons- the doctor, not the technician- then decide for yourself what you are comfortable with. I've always pushed it :o) I'd rather live life to the fullest and deal with anything that goes wrong than sit on the sidelines. In almost 20 years, nothing has happened so that tends to make me a little blase about warnings. But that's just me, I'm no dr so take my words with a grain of salt

Let's put inertial forces in proper...

by donr - 2013-02-25 07:02:10

...perspective.

I took a Jeep Cherokee in the right shoulder through the door post on our Chrysler minivan. The Jeep was doing 35 mph when we collided.

9 weeks before, I had a new lead implanted. Here's what happened to me:
8-12 broken ribs
broken collarbone
collapsed lower right lobe of lungs
Lacerated liver
bruised kidney
Fluid around heart
created an aneurysm in the aorta, just above heart.

Cardio & ER Doc Daughter said the impact was great enough to have killed me by ripping my heart from its moorings.

Now for the important part - the NEW PM lead was not affected at all. The X-rays taken in the trauma hosp showed it was as good as new.

Now - does anyone out there think that the forces experienced on any coaster running will beat that?

Don

Don

by Tracey_E - 2013-02-25 08:02:45

If there's a coaster that can beat that, I'm not getting on it! LOL

peers

by Tracey_E - 2013-02-25 10:02:09

Morgan_Renee is a new user who is your age. You might want to say hi to her

Rollercoasters

by golden_snitch - 2013-02-26 10:02:00

Hi!

My heart rhythm specialist was recently asked the same question during an interview he did for a TV station. The question was posed by a 24 y/o girl. The professor has worked in electrophysiology for 30 years, and he answered that he had never heard about problems with an ICD or pacemaker and a roller coaster ride due to magnet fields. However, he also said, to be safe she could give the ICD manufacturer a call and ask, because the company know best. He said, he's pretty sure it's no problem, but another opinion won't hurt.

I just checked a German forum for young ICD patients, and there were several posts about rollercoasters. Some users said that they had no problem with the ICD when riding a rollercoaster. One wrote what Tracey already mentioned: It can hurt with the straps over the device, and you can actually end up bruised. Another young patient wrote that since such a ride usually is very exciting, with lots adrenaline rushing through your body, your heart rate might increase so much that it reaches the programmed rate at which the ICD will start to interfere (either anti-tachycardia pacing or even a shock).

Inga

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