General questions

Hi SabrinaWh

by NiceNiecey - 2016-12-14 05:58:55

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club!  You will find other 'kids' your age on here so hopefully having a community in your situation will help you moving forward.

First, I travel all over the world on a regular basis: GO FOR IT!!!  Even when I am going into a third-world country, I'm confident having my PM.  In fact, I am relieved and delighted to have it and think of it as a wonderful safety net.  Are you planning to go to a developed country?  The only thing you'd need to plan is your first-year check-ups which will probably be more frequent at the beginning.

One more word on travel: Others may disagree but I would not recommend traveling outside Australia for the first few weeks.  Give yourself time to adjust to the device and get back to normal.  My doctor said I could make a major trip one week after my surgery.  My husband was so excited but I said, "Not so fast!"  I stayed home and for many reasons, that was absolutely the best decision.

Scars . . . Mine has faded nicely.  I've had a PM for 3 years but it looked good after 1.  It is not really noticeable.

Sticking out?  Again, on me anyway, it's not really noticeable but yet it does stick out a bit.  Depending on your sports activities and preferences, it may be placed in a different area so be sure to ask.

Keep us posted on your surgery and your travel plans.  When you know more, please update your member profile because it really helps us when addressing questions.

Oh to be 18 again!  Have fun!

Travel with pacemaker . Placement

by Selwyn - 2016-12-14 06:18:24

I go all over the world. I do have with me a pacemaker  ID card to show security at airports so that I can avoid their metal detecting magnetic fields ( though this is probably over cautious these days). You should automatically get a card when you have your PM.

Once the pacemaker is inserted there is a follow up appointment for fine adjustments and then you are on yearly check ups. It is good to try to be back 'home' for the check up. 

You should ensure you have health insurance for travel that covers your pacemaker and cardiac problems.

Off to Tanzania shortly.  Was in Indonesia, New Zealand in October.

With regard to whether the pacemaker sticks out- the answer is it depends as to where this is implanted. You can negotiate the site if you discuss this with the person doing the fitting before hand. Over the years, especially ladies have said they are self concious of the pacemaker box lying, usually, just below the left collar bone. You can have pacemakers implanted any where from the abdomen ( in children) to around the side of the chest, to more under the muscle to hide the box.  Being left handed I was going to have mine on the right side, however after thinking where my car seat belt went ( as the driver), I opted for the traditional left side.

As for me, I have little fat under my skin, others, and myself, can easily see the box, and even the leads coming out of it.  I do a lot of swimming. I have never had anybody pass comment about it.

Scars can cause problems ( especially if you have had previous keloid scars). In general scars will be red/brown for 6 months and then start to go white ( in Caucasians). You have to look really hard to see mine. The problem with the www. is that people talk about problems! Searching the www. may well raise anxiety levels. Routine happiness is not news worthy.

Welcome to the pacemaker club. By all means try the search facility in the top right corner to see what people have said previoiusly.

Kind regards,

Selwyn.

Pacemaker

by Lana11 - 2016-12-14 08:06:28

Hiya, it's nice to meet younger people on here, I'm 21! I was so worried about the pacemaker sticking out, especially after googling photos of what it would look like. But no, I was actually amazed when I took off the plaster after a week to find that it's really not that noticeable at all. My EP put mine under the muscle though as I'm quite small, to stop it being to obvious. Have you asked whether yours is going under the muscle or not?

welcome!

by Tracey_E - 2016-12-14 09:52:48

Talk to your surgeon about placement. They can do it a litle lower and deeper than the usual spot so that there is no lump, it's out of your way, and the scar is covered by a tank top. As Lana said, they can also do it under the muscle. I was young and underweight when I got my first one so my cardiologist brought in a plastic surgeon to assist. Easiest job of the day for the plastic surgeon, less stress for the cardiologist and I was thrilled with the results. 

Traveling is fine, tho you'll want to be able to get follow up after the first 4-6 weeks because they adjust settings once it's had a chance to settle in. 

I was in my early teens when I was first told that one day I'd need a pacemaker, got the first one at 27. I'm 50 now, healthy and active, there's nothing I want to do that I cannot. Getting it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd built it up to be in my head, and I was amazed at how much more energy I had after. I declined so gradually that I didn't realize how tired I really was until I felt better again. I've never looked back. Wishing you a similar experience! If you have questions, please ask away. The unknown is always the most scary. 

Welcome Traveller!

by LondonAndy - 2016-12-15 17:22:32

Hi Sabrina, and welcome to the club.  Some good advice already of course, though I think AngrySparrow may have misunderstood your motivation for asking questions - don't worry.

I can't add much, but would agree with Selwyn and TraceyE that it would be sensible to wait until they have got the settings right, and you feel comfortable.  I have generally had no problems with mine (I am 100% paced following surgical complications), but there are several tweaks that they can do to optimise your pacemaker for you - eg many start with a setting floor of 60 beats per minute, but as a young person you will probably want it higher (mine is 70 bpm), and the timing between one chamber of the heart being sent a zap and the other (I'm assuming it's a dual chamber pacemaker?) can be adjusted too, and more too.  It can tae a visit or 3 to your pacemaker experts to get this just right.

When I travel, although I always carry my pacemaker ID card, I go through the airport scanners without telling the security people.  It doesn't trigger the arch to beep an alarm, and does not interfere with my pacemaker (which is MRI compatible and so well screened.  I assume most pacemakers are like this now).  I don't know if this is completely the story, but I read that if there WAS ever interference it is simply that the pacemaker goes into a basic mode, and then resumes normal operation when you move way from the interference.  If you want to be more cautious than I have been that is understandable.

I have no bump with my PM, which is just below the collarbone, but I am a big guy.  Scar is almost invisible already - I rubbed Bio oil into the wound daily once it had healed for months, and that apparently helps reduce scarring. You also should not sunbathe for a good six months, as that can cause the scar to discolour. 

Hope all goes well - I am sure it will - and you are soon off exploring.

Dont worry

by Thapaisha - 2016-12-17 10:32:26

Dont worry. i had mine at the age of 14. it lasted 10 yrs. i travelled a lot in that period. i even moved to Dubai all by myself when i was 21 and had best 3 years of my life. but i used to travel my country to check my pacemaker status annually. as i had more faiths on my own docs at home. i just left Dubai two months ago and had my 2nd pacemaker surgery last month. i am travelling again to Europe in next two months. so you dont need to worry much about travelling but dont miss your follow ups. and its better to be more careful in the first year. talking about the bump after surgery. i was worried about the same. but talk to your doc before surgery normally that depends on your body structure if you do work outs and some sports then i might bulged out else i dont think it bulges out. 

Scar heals with time. it doesnot dissapear totally but it gets so light that anyone will hardly notice. but do take care of the wound for few good weeks and months. 

Stay positive and take care. dont feel low and limit yourself. its there to make your life more easy. you will live a very normal life. trust me :) cheers!!

Takecare