lots of questions

I am a 24 year old college student who received a pacmaker last friday. I have lots of questions that I think the DR was not answering honestly. I enjoy working on my car and doing home improvements but I was told I cant use power tools. I do a lot of a shopping, will the anti theft doorways you walk through in the mall upset the pacemaker? How long will my arm and chest be tender? Will I beable to play competive sports again? How long will the battery in the pacer work for before it needs to be changed? Will they change the battery through the same scar I currently have? I am young are there any young members here?I have a lot more questions someone please reply!

11 Comments

I can answer some

by boatman50 - 2008-03-20 06:03:24

I am 51 so I am not sure about contact sports but I can answer a bunch of questions. I have been told to stay away from the egines electrical and ignition systems while the engine is running. No more welding (arc or Mig TIG) gas is fine. Keep power tools a foot away from your pm. I have had them closer by accident and have not felt any changes but also have not kept them close for more then a few seconds. Do not stop between the anti theft devices in the doorways. I end up moving my wife out of the way when she seems to like to stop right after she passes thru! Depending onhow much you are paced, the battery could last 3-10 yrs. I believe there was a post on here from a person that went 15 years with the first battery. I bet 5-7 is a better average. Take 6 weeks before you use full range of motion in your arm, I felt better from my operation after a month but I had it done twice in 4 days. I have been told that when the battery needs to be replaced they will go in and place the new pm in the same spot. If I can help any more feel free to private message me.
Good luck and welcome, Boatman

Ditto from Heckboy

by heckboy - 2008-03-20 07:03:12

I couldn't have said the above better.

Welcome

by NH - 2008-03-20 08:03:24

Welcome to the PM club! You will get much support and encouragement here.

I will answer from my own experience all that I can. I am not young in age, but I hope young in thinking.

I agree with what has been said above. I just wanted to tell you my experiences.

Go thru anti-theft doors quickly and don't stand near them. They make my PM feel "funny" is the best way I can describe it.

Don't go thru the airport screening metal detector at all. It is set to a higher degree than the anti-theft doors, You will tell them you have a PM and they will pat you down.

Don't use the cell phone or bluetooth on the side of your PM.

My battery lasted 5 1/2 years. My replacement is in the same place, but the scar is about 1/2 inch lower.

Don't do any heavy lifting or raise your arm until told to by the doctor.

Hope these things help and welcome to the club. I know this sounds like a lot of don'ts, but the PM has been a real blessing to me. It has kept me living a normal life. If I had not had it, I imagine I would have been an invalid. I am so glad that medical science has advanced to this point that PMs are possible.

Take care,
NH

welcome

by bini - 2008-03-20 08:03:57

Welcome to the club. It is great that you joined this site...everyone is so very helpful.
I am 31 years old and got my PM in June. It took me a while to mentally get adjusted to having this new device in me...but I am doing great now.

Anyway, as to your questions-
Pretty much I agree with what everyone has already said. However, I asked my Cardio about the store anti-theft systems. He said that you shouldn't be to concerned about them...however don't stand in front of one for a long period of time. Like NH stated never go thru the airport detectors...always have someone pat you down instead. I had to fly 2 days after my surgery....my first time getting patted...at first it was very strange for me. Now I fly and am so used to it that it does not even phase me anymore. A woman has always patted me down and they ask wether you would prefer having them do it in a private room..or are you comfortable enough to have them do it there. They are very gentle and it doesn't take that long.

As for sports....I was told no contact sports...like boxing, football. I am horseback riding, and yes I can be thrown off and damage the PM but my cardio said the chances of me landing in a position that would damage the PM is pretty slim.

The battery life as everyone mentioned depends on your situation and how much your heart relies on the PM. I was told that bc I have a duel chamber PM and one of the leads is working 53% of the time, then I will have my battery changed @ 4 years.

Also as NH said do not raise your arm above your shoulder until your Dr. tells you when it is ok. However, do move it around to make sure you don't get frozen shoulder.

Anyway, of you ever need to talk or have any other questions...please feel free to private message me anytime.

Christine

triam21

by jessie - 2008-03-20 09:03:46

welcome to the pacemaker club. there will be many people who have the answers to your questions. i think right now you need to get feeling stronger and maybe get another professional opinion as to what you can and cannot do. i know about flying becasue i have flown five times in a year and a half since i got my dual lead pacemaker. it is only that in flying you can't go thru the metal detectors. tell them you have a pacemaker and they will give you a patdown or if they have not been trained properly may offer you the wand which you need to say no to as well. the patdown will not harm you the others probably will. so as for store metal detectors i never linger i the doorways why would i take that chance? oh yes triam would also dearly like to hear from some younger pacers to be able to ask some questions. take care and welcome again jessie

Working on cars, etc...

by turboz24 - 2008-03-20 10:03:12

The rules about pacemakers/ICD's and welding/power tools seems to fluctuate from company to company, doctor to doctor. The Hospital info I left with said to keep the welder and cable 12" away from my ICD. The manufacturer said 24", so I can still technically weld as long as I do it at a distance of 1-2 feet.

Contact sports are out, but I read it's because they are more worried about damaging the pocket than damaging the lead, which makes sense. At least in my case, there is very little skin over the implant and having a 2x3" section of skin that isn't attached to anything, one good impact and I'd rip open.

Some people have continual pain or discomfort from the implant, some don't. It depends on how active you are, how large it is, and pretty much you. Mine doesn't hurt all the time, but hurts/pokes, etc on occassion.

Hello Triam

by pacerpacer - 2008-03-21 03:03:58

I will try to answer some of ur queries. I can relate myself wth u , I had first PM at age of 5, 2nd at 18 and third last year when i was 29. All these years i remain active, i play outdoor games like badminton, cricket , go to gym. But i am carefull now to do anything silly with my pm. All i have learned that u will always try to prevent a blow in pm area. Likewise since childhhod many times we hv fallen down during play or otherwise, but v r always able to protect areas like eyes, nose, tooth now pm site is also included for ppl like us. U should be able to play most of the non contact sports but they should not be very competitive in nature. While liftin weights in Gym i always see that it does not overload my PM site. 6 weeks is the time when u should take atmost care and 6 months before u go to playground with full force.

Regarding interference dont worry much as they cause only temporary problems. Just avoid exposure with them for longer time periods. I never faced problem with metal detectors.

Battery is likely to last 6-7 years depending upon many factors. During EP visits always insist them to keep setting to promote battery life. During replacement they cut below 0.5 inch or so the previous scar in my case.

I am also young as u with lot of experince with PM. i will be very happy to help u in any way. Pls send private msg anytime u wish.

All the best!

Saurabh

To Triam21

by Swedeheart - 2008-03-21 05:03:08

Hello,

I am new to this pacemaker world. 3 weeks for me. I have had lots of the same questions. I have a dual chamber Medtronic pacemaker. I have been to the Medtronic pacemaker website and emailed them directly with several questions on what I could or couldn't do with my pacemaker. They were great an emailed me direct answers to my questions. Medtronic also has a downloadable pdf file that lists general things to be aware of... has a chart like, no problem, sometimes a problem, avoid... If you have another maker (St. Jude, etc.) you might try their websites as well.

When you have your first post-op checkup they will likely check your device. This device check is called an "interrogation". At this time you can ask exactly what you are paced at and get numbers. Make a list of all the questions you have and verify them at this appointment. You can also ask to have a copy of the print out of your interrogation and ask them to explain what all the wiggly lines mean. You have paid a lot of money for this device, and it will be with you a long time... you might as well become an expert! :)

Battery life.... at your first check up they should tell you how long to expect (in ball park terms) your pacemaker to last. Most of the information already posted addresses that, and it is hugely dependent on how much pacing you need. Mine is very minimal, 2% or less so they said mine would last 10+ years. It is my understanding when you get a replacement if the leads that are implanted into your heart are still viable (good) they will simply replace the pacemaker, plug it in, and they will use the same "pocket" where your PM is now located. Many folks just get a local anesthetic have it done and are out and back home in a few hours. If your leads go bad or they need to be replaced, then it will be a much more delicate and time consuming surgery at replacement time. It is my understanding they don't just put in a new battery, they replace the entire pacemaker.

I received a little booklet from Medtronic when I left the hospital that addressed some of these things. Did you receive anything?

You need to take it easy if you are just 1 week out from implant. Be sure you don't raise your arm (on the side of your pacemaker) above your shoulder or yank on stubborn doors with that arm. I was told not to lift anything with that arm over 4 pounds for a month. This is to insure the leads get settled in well. So if you like to work on mechanical things, take a break for a bit until you get the okay from your doctor.

Good luck.

Welcome

by OIMAPRINCESS2477 - 2008-03-21 12:03:38

Welcome and Congrats on your new Pacemaker. I am a 21 year old college student. So Im a little younger then you but I can relate to what your going through right now. I received my pacemaker 12-05-2007. I can help you with one of your questions. I am a huge shopper and I constantly walk through the anti theft devices. I have yet to have a problem with just walking through them. I will recommend that you do not stand directly in the device. Ive done that once on accident and started to feel dizzy. And yes as far as I know when they change the battery for your pacer they will use the same scar that you currently have. I wish you luck in adjusting to your Pacemaker. Please feel free to send me a message at anytime. If you would like to chat you can send me an IM on yahoo messenger. My screen name on there is OIMAPRINCESS13.

Britt<3

another new member

by WDC6736 - 2008-03-30 11:03:03

Trlam21,
I'm also in college and just had an ICD put in. A pacemaker must be similar so I know the pain-- but somehow after only a week I feel much better, almost like I can use my arm entirely, despite restrictions. I'm sure I'll always be aware of it. As for sports, I was told I had to give up running but could do weights, but I'm sure I'll find myself at least on the treadmill. Doc says mine will probably last 10 years, but that's if all goes well--I imagine the latest pacemakers are similar, best case scenario.

I'm new, too... Thanks for the info!

by SandyG - 2014-05-18 09:05:03

Just got my first PM two days ago. 52 years of age, and my arteries are clear, so apparently it's only my heart's electrical system that decided to go. This all happened so fast, I'm still trying to get my head around this. I'm very active, so was worried about still hiking, kayaking, Zumba-ing, and still being a "fixy-chick" with getting a house ready to sell. Thanks everyone for the info... you have put my mind at ease. So, it looks like I just need to hold the electric sanders, drills, routers etc. in my right hand well away from my PM?

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Your pacemaker receives radio frequencies.

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