Dead Battery???

I had my pacemaker installed in late Nov of 2004 - I have since stopped having check ups with both the cardiologist and Medtronics. I am low income and have no insurance so I can't afford to do the call ins or visit the dr. for check ups - it's been just over 8 years and I'm wondering if my batteries are still working and if I'll have any shocks or pains or anything like that when the batteries do go out - I just turned 59, am in great health, resting heartbeat is about 72 , blood pressure tends to be around 110/70, have low cholesterol and never believed that I needed a pacemaker and the doctors could find NO medical reasons for it but because of the liability/ malpractice issues, I think that's why they insisted I have one installed - what if anything should I do? Just let my batteries die and take my chances? or go into medical bankruptcy to get them replaced?

12 Comments

get it checked

by Tracey_E - 2013-05-05 10:05:07

My check ups are $275. It might be worth paying for at least that much to get a better picture of what's going on, small price to pay to find out what's going on. They can tell you when you get it checked exactly how often you pace. They can also tell you the state of the battery.

If you use it much at all, you will know pretty quickly when it reaches EOL, end of life mode, because it limits function and paces at a steady rate. If you pace intermittently or only at night, you may not feel the difference.

Bp and cholesterol have nothing at all to do with electrical problems. I have low bp and textbook perfect blood work, am a good weight, in the best shape of my life, never get sick... but I still pace 100% of the time. There is an electrical short circuit in my heart, a connection that's just not there. Many of us are otherwise healthy, have structurally healthy hearts, but still have electrical conditions. What happened to make them think you needed it?

If you do need it, talk to the dr and hospital, maybe even the pm manufacturer, to see what your options are. To be really blunt, if you do need it, letting the battery go is not a good way to die so if it were me, I'd be working something out and finding a way to get a new battery.

Have you tried a charity hosp?

by donr - 2013-05-06 01:05:23

Many of them can/will help you if you contact the right people in their billing office.

Perhaps a teaching hosp that needs subjects for training med students/ interns, etc.

You might contact Medtronics to see if they know anyone who will take care of interrogating you for a very nominal fee. The right cardio, if approached right, can easily make some sort of arrangements to help you.

I'd say that if your resting HR is 72 that the PM is probably working - or it's not needed very often. Most people have their resting HR set lower than that - BUT you did NOT tell us your lower limit.

IIRC, Medtronics' EOL default HR is 65 BPM - at least that's what mine is.

You still need to have it checked out. My guess is that unless you can get a local to do it, Santa Fe is the best bet - larger hosps, more cardios. That's about 100 mi, isn't it? Can you get to Santa Fe if it could be done?

Which brings up a question I should have asked first - Where did you get your PM implanted? Is there a reason you have not approached them for help.

Don

Possible Time To Change Your PM

by SMITTY - 2013-05-06 11:05:54

Hello,

Others have given you some good info about how to possibly get another PM, or to find out what condition yours is in now and I'll not try to add anything to what they have said. On second thought I will add a little to what Tracey said about what would happen when the battery gets weak. As you have been told the battery on your PM is good for 5 to 12 years, depending on how much it is used. Your dr can tell you the percent of time it is used when they do a checkup and how much longer it may last. My first PM lasted 9 years.

You mentioned you are wondering if the batteries are still working and if you will any shocks or pains or anything like that when the batteries do go out what happens to you if the battery on your PM runs down, or stops. With the battery being 8 years old and my having no idea how much it has helped your heart I'll not even try to guess its condition now. I would guess it will take a PM checkup to find out where you stand on that subject.

Having been through the weak, or low battery experience with a Medtronic PM I can comment on what may happen when the battery power reaches a certain level known as EOL (End of Life) or the PM goes into ERM (Elective Replacement Mode) or one called a VVI. In these modes there is enough battery power left to safely operate the PM for at least three months. From what the technician was telling me when mine reached this time to replace, that may stretch out to as much as 6 months, depending entirely on how much it has helped you heart during its service.

You will know when this level of battery power has reached one of the above modes as the PM shifts from being an on demand PM to a full time PM. As a full time PM it will make your heart beat at a constant 65 BPM, regardless of the settings it may have. When this happened to mine I knew it without a doubt. The low setting on my PM was 80 and one morning I got up with a constant heart rate of 65 with a good measure of irregular beats thrown in to really get your attention. The attention getting for me was immediate, I can assure you. If this happens to you I say go to an ER with the simple story your pacemaker is acting up or you are having heart pains or something simple like that.
Fortunately for me I had read what happens when the battery reaches EOL, ERM or VVI. While it was not extremely painful (about a 3 to 5 on the 1 to 10 scale), it was uncomfortable enough to cause me to call the dr. office ASAP. I was told to it was probably a low battery and to come in for a checkup. The low battery was confirmed and I was scheduled for a new PM the next day.

The thing is, don't be concerned about being left without a working PM because of a the battery. Our PMs have enough safety features we will not be left out in the cold without any warning the battery on your PM is reaching the end of its life.

Good luck,

Smitty

ditto

by jessie - 2013-05-06 12:05:38

i second tracey e. please try to work out some sort of thing where you can get a replacement when you need it.as she says not a nice thing and you are far too young. where there is a will there is a way jessie

Replies to all

by pegstaley@gmail.com - 2013-05-09 03:05:22

When I had my PM installed, it was when I was in the hospital for meningitis - loaded down with SUPER strong antibiotics and painkillers due to a broken tailbone; I was also previous to check-in on Wellbutrin and patches in an attempt to quit smoking. I think the combination of all these chemicals was causing my heart to skip random beats ONLY when I was sleeping - how weird is that! I actually told my cardiologist that I had programed my heart to skip random beats when I was sleeping because it is the only muscle/organ that never gets to rest so I told my heart to rest on occasion when it could without impairing my health. And yes I do believe that we control our bodies and our health - if we don't then who does? I just happen to actually work it.... An MRI of my brain was run and came back perfectly normal - I ask if I could get that in writing because there were people I needed to show that to! They also ran an ultrasound of my heart and could find absolutely nothing wrong with the heart - not even any evidence of cholesterol buildup or anything. Medtronics donated the PM due to the fact I am without financial resources and that condition still exists today. My cardiologist charges $400 per visit and that's a mortgage payment for me - I cannot pay a doctor's bill. There is an indigent fund here but it only covers the hospital costs, not the doctor, the anesthesiologist, or other charges involved. I am currently on unemployment but uncertain as to how long that will last and I've had no luck getting a job and have been looking for over 6 months now....Every time I've called medtronics they give me no information - they say they send a report to my doctor and I've argued with them that I am the patient and need to know what their report says but they won't tell me. At this point I still believe that I do not need a PM and would just as soon have it removed! I really don't like having a foreign piece of hardware inside my body! I just checked my pulse and its a steady 68 bpm so that's pretty good I would say - the change in bpm would indicate that the PM is not pacing all the time. Found my medtronics card but have no clue where the test equipment is - most likely packed in a shed in one of many boxes! Guess I'll go outside and see if I can find the equipment and then call Medtronics to see if they will do a check....then I guess I'll have to call my cardio....Some of you probably think I am totally certifiable but I assure you I am quite sane and mostly normal....I just have very strong belief systems about my body and my health - and yes I have done some work with NLP and other similar programs - I highly recommend that everyone take charge of their own health! Thank you all for the feed back I do appreciate your input!

Lower Limits

by pegstaley@gmail.com - 2013-05-09 04:05:09

Thanks Don, for the feedback but as I said early in my response, I have no clue what my limits are - Medtronics would never tell me anything and I haven't spoken to the cardio in at least 5 years....it's taken that long for my credit to recover from the first surgery and now I have to have another! Do they actually replace just the batteries or the whole thing?

Your HR is suspect

by donr - 2013-05-09 04:05:53

Peg: I say that because if you are taking your pulse by counting at the wrist & using a clock or watch, just the inaccuracies in the method could easily determine a PM default rate of 65 to be 68. When my PM went into EOL mode, Wife checked pulse & got 66. But my lower level is set at 75, so we knew that I had just slipped into EOL mode because my actual was LOWER than my lower limit set point..

You have not said what your PM is set at for a lower limit. That is key to deciding if you have slipped into EOL. Any measured pulse below the lower limit means you are there. Counting beats & using a clock are not accurate enough if you get 68.

You need to use a pulse oximeter. A lot of fire stations do BP checks & should have an oximeter. They usually do it free.

Don

Don

Battery Replacements

by donr - 2013-05-10 08:05:29

Peg: they replace the whole thing. The battery is hermetically sealed inside the can that contains the PM. Cuter 'n a bug! This way, they increase the reliability of the entire system by only having one container inside you & the technology of PM's changes so fast that they can update the capabilities of a PM by a replacement en total.

It's a quick job if your leads are OK. They just cut into the pocket through the original scar, take out the old PM, check the leads to make sure they are OK, insert the new PM, check it out & sew you up. About 30 min on a good day.

IMHO, the cardio is a dork! You need to find one who believes in the Hippocratic oath & will find a way to treat you.

A simple test that will help determine if the battery is still working. Sit down & be still for about 30 min - watch boring TV, Check your pulse. If it's close to the magic number for a Medtronic - 65, it is suspect. Now - get up & walk briskly around the room - NOW check your pulse. If it's higher than when you were sitting there's a fair chance that your battery is still good & your natural pacemaker, called the SA Node in your heart is working correctly. The PM did not try to run you at 65 BPM & make you feel like crap.

IT really depends on exactly what was/is wrong w/ your heart. There are so many ways things can go wrong that I cannot list them (Mainly because I do not know them all) & they affect your pulse differently when you go into EOL & the PM drops down to its default rate of 65 BPM. But that little simple test will give you an idea how things MIGHT be going.

Don

Heart rate

by pegstaley@gmail.com - 2013-05-10 12:05:14

Hi Don - thanks for all the info - what does IMHO mean? just curious! I do go dancing quite a bit and elevate my heart rate (thank you polka!) for an extended period of time - seems like at least 80 bpm but I'll check it tonight when I go out - my fav band is playing! So is the surgery a day surgery or do you have to be admitted to the hospital? sounds simple enough to do, but not looking forward to the cost of it! Thanks again!

IMHO - Sinh Loi

by donr - 2013-05-12 03:05:41

Peg: IMHO = In My Humble Opinion is a common web abbreviation.

Sinh Loi is Viet Namese for "Sorry 'bout that!" Probably not a direct translation, but that's how Americans translated it.

Battery replacement is a day job, just like the implant - that assumes you have no complications. When I had my battery changed out, it was scheduled for 1 PM. Actually done at 2 PM. Next thing I knew it was 10 PM & I woke up & said to my wife "I'm hungry!" I woke up just long enough to remember being wheeled out of the OR then went to sleep & they could not awaken me. I slept nearly 7 hrs, ate a sandwich, went back to sleep & woke up again at 6 AM.

Don

one day one night in a hospital?

by pegstaley@gmail.com - 2013-05-12 04:05:12

So when I was dancing the other night, after a rousing swing dance I checked my heart rate which was about 112 bpm...so would that indicate that my pm is not yet at EOL? I do get a weird body sensation when I get my heart rate up there - pounding in the ears, a bit of a headache, pulsing/throbbing in my neck region....can't help but wonder about those sensations....I'm still debating whether to contact my cardio or not - still have too much anger energy towards her....did find my test equipment and some supplies - enough I think for one check up - will go to medtronic website and see what that reveals...thanks for all your insight and suggestions, Don R - do appreciate them! and Thank you everyone else too!

Wow! 112 BPM

by donr - 2013-05-12 11:05:27

Peg: we at least know that your SA Node works & that you have conduction between the SA & AV nodes.

The last question is what about your resting HR? You have not told us what that is. If you are in EOL, that should be close to the magic 65 BPM of Medtronics PM's. I cannot tell you what you would feel like w/ your PM trying to pace you at 65 & your own SA node trying to run you at something else. You see, the PM quits sensing function & just runs at 65 BPM. But based on everything you have told us, you really need to see someone. All those symptoms can well be indications of other problems not yet identified since you ahve not seen a cardio in so long.

The procedure is just a DAY job, UNLESS you have something unusual that makes them want to keep you overnight.

You know you're wired when...

“Batteries not included” takes on a new meaning.

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