st jude pacemaker and merlin monitor

Nary A Beep

by Marybird - 2021-02-09 13:56:38

I have a St. Jude Assurity MRI+ dual pacemaker, (got it June 2019) and the Merlin@Home monitor, it sits on my nightstand. If the green light on the right side bottom of the monitor is lit, that's supposed to indicate all is ok. 

There are other led lights in a row below the three icons on the monitor, but the only time I have seen them go on is when the monitor is powering on ( like after a power failure), I'd guess that indicates the monitor functions are being checked. The little quick start manual for the monitor ( hopefully you or your wife got one of those with the monitor), indicates that if there was a problem with a transmission from your pacemaker to the monitor, the icon on the left will light up, if the monitor was unable to send a transmission, the middle tower icon will light up, and the third icon lights up in the event your clinic wants you to contact them. I haven't seen anything about audible buzzers, beeps or whistles on the monitor. 

If you already have a cell phone adaptor with your monitor, and it's working properly, you have a good cell phone signal in your location, in my humble opinion there isn't any point in switching to the land line. Especially if your wife's monitor is already connected to that, and if you'd have to share one land line.. 

Don't know if your cell adaptor is the same as mine, but if so you can also see if it's transmitting the signal from the monitor. My adaptor is a Huawei cellular data "stick" or "dongle" if you will. We looked up the model and serial number for the adaptor, and found that the small green blinking light under the logo blinks twice a second when it's searching for a cell signal from a tower, once a second when it's found a signal, and either green (2G) and/or blue (3G) which stays on for a few seconds when it is transmitting data. Though I've only seen the latter a couple times, but I don't watch it much and have plenty of evidence that the monitor is transmitting at the appropriate times. I'd think if you had problems with the cell signal or adaptor, your tower (middle) icon would be lit up.

Sounds like a great idea to call the Abbott customer service people at the number listed on your monitor. I've called them a couple times for questions or help ( the first time home after the pacemaker implant, they had handed me the monitor with no explanations or instructions at the hospital, so I called to see if I needed to set it up, or was it done already), and they were very helpful. They can tell you everything you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask, about your monitor, and your setup. 

cellular merlin

by Tracey_E - 2021-02-09 16:19:31

Mine is cellular. I'm a light sleeper and frequent insomniac. I've never heard it once in the 5 years I've had it. That said, mine only downloads every 3 months, not nightly. Ask if nightly downloads are necessary. 

Another thought, I keep mine wrapped in a towel under the bed. It just needs to be within 10 feet of where we sleep, nothing says it has to be next to our heads.  

Merlin@Home Uploads, Transmissions

by Marybird - 2021-02-09 17:53:20

Tracey, I remember someone saying they kept their monitor wrapped in a towel under the bed, and I get a chuckle out of that everytime I think about it. I can understand, that little green light is pretty bright. I'd probably notice it more if my "roomie" wasn't the Night Light King, he's always had to have nightlights plugged into every outlet- though I often take some out or rearrange so it doesn't look like a party in our bedroom. But between the light on his CPAP machine, the nightlights, and some electronic gadgets he has in there, I don't even notice the light on the Merlin, not even the little blinking green light on the cell adaptor. I must admit to being a pretty sound sleeper, though.

Thing is, I have no idea when uploads to the monitor are made, or data transmitted by the monitor, it never looks any different to me. And until I started getting phone calls from my cardiologist's office in regards to issues they've seen on the remote reports, I kind of thought maybe the monitor just sat on the nightstand collecting dust. Now I know it's doing it's job, and I've also learned my little titanium buddy taking up residence under my left chest really does have a life of its own.

Marybird

by Tracey_E - 2021-02-10 10:32:45

I don't like the light, but mostly I don't like the reminder in my face and the ugly box taking up real estate on my pretty nightstand. So yeah, towel under the bed :o)  They can tell me I need to have it, they can't make me look it it.

When it downloads, it blinks and beeps, then it goes back to sleep with no sign it ever happened. 

Beeps?

by Marybird - 2021-02-10 18:32:30

Tracey, I can't say I have ever heard the monitor beeping, but it's entirely possible I have missed it. Of course our bedroom is home to,a number of my husband's electronic gadgets, and his C-PAP machine has some buzzers and whistles on it, so I assume whatever I hear is coming from those. 

light

by new to pace.... - 2021-02-11 08:26:10

i have a medtronic carelink.  never heard it beep,.  But it has a round  green light which stays on during the day and when there is a light on at night.  Otherwise it is not lite at night.

new to pace

beeps

by Tracey_E - 2021-02-11 10:16:56

My Merlin only beeps while doing a download, never any other time. It's not loud.