DIY analysis

Hi Everyone,

New to the group. I’ve had a Medtronic pacemaker for a couple of years which was fitted in Japan to control rhythm and suppress arrhythmias. In general all good. However, on occasion I get a low level atrial fibrillation which the pacemaker cannot stop. Unfortunately the only way I can detect it is by noticing weight gain and a general “feeling” at which point I go to my doctor and they read the pacemaker and congratulate me on detecting it. Then we go through the fun of a cardio-inversion and I go home. Problem is that I travel a lot so basing it all on a “feeling” is not exactly reliable. I know that in the US there are home scanners which connect direct to the hospital but that doesn’t seem to exist in Japan and frankly is not that useful when I travel. Does anyone know if there is a device that lets me read my own pacemaker so I can see if there is an issue? I won’t be adjusting anything, I just want to know what is going on.  When I suggested to my doctors I buy one of the scanner laptops like they use in the hospital there was a rather horrified silence.....

 

Any information welcome.

9 Comments

afib

by Tracey_E - 2019-08-16 09:31:26

Do you have a home monitor for your pacer? In the US, it can be set to send in an update once a day. Not sure how that would work traveling or in Japan but the technology is there.

The newer Apple watches are supposed to be able to catch afib but I don't know how accurate they are. I have one but I don't have afib. 

Afib

by Duracellbunny - 2019-08-16 13:52:36

No, no home monitoring in Japan. There are certain areas of technology that are not available here. I had heard that the latest iwatch could pick up arrhythmias but seeing as most ECG’s can’t detect mine I’m skeptical that a wrist scanner could do it. 

Heart care app.

by Duracellbunny - 2019-08-16 16:36:54

Thanks for the app link, I will definitely look into that. But yes, like you I want to see my own information, I’ve been dealing with my heart issues all my life and know a darn sight more about them than the average doctor I’ve had to deal with. Besides, if I can understand more car or my computer how hard can it be. 

internet

by dwelch - 2019-08-16 16:57:22

unless there are firewalls between countries. the internet based (or even phone if you call long distance) take home monitors should work anywhere.  Just as easy to get from point A to point B as it is from point X to point B over the internet.

Learn to read your own EKG

by crustyg - 2019-08-16 18:14:23

You can buy a portable EKG gadget from Amazon for about $70 - and your EP team can quickly teach you what to look for.  You can take it in your carry-on luggage, it's rechargeable battery powered and there are at least two vendors who have paid for FDA approval.

Then you can monitor yourself every day - multiple times a day if you want, or just when you feel odd.

None of this stuff is now exclusively doctor controlled.  It's your body and you can soon learn to use the simple tests to monitor yourself.

Take home monitors.

by Duracellbunny - 2019-08-16 19:00:06

Ill take another look at these but the main issue is that my hospital in Japan doesn’t seem to be set up for this (although they are world class in every other way). 

EKG

by Duracellbunny - 2019-08-16 19:02:50

This seems like an obvious answer which I am very tempted to try. However there has been more than one occasion where the EKG has not shown up something that appeared when the pacemaker was accessed. Frustrating to say the least. 

Home/Portable EKG....

by BOBTHOM - 2019-08-23 21:33:14


I tried the EKG on amazon, didn't work for me.  I returned it.  I couldn't get a reading at all on the legs, very rarely on the chest and difficult to see if/when it was/wasn't reading properly.  The hand/wrist was totaly inconsistent so I couldn't tell which reading was actually the real reading.  You may have better results, but didn't work for me.

Portable EKG

by Duracellbunny - 2019-08-24 02:35:41

I did wonder about that. I did a bit of reasearch on Home EKG’s and they seemed to 3 or 5 sensor which is nowhere near the 9 or more that hospital ones use. So I wasn’t sold on them. Thank you for the info though. 

You know you're wired when...

Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.

Member Quotes

So, my advice is to go about your daily routine and forget that you have a pacemaker implanted in your body.