Hate to say no!!

Hi everyone! I am new today and am the mother of a darling, active 8 year old boy. He was diagnosed with complete HB at 2 and soon implanted with a biventricular, Medtronic pacemaker which was placed in his stomach. He has not skipped a beat - pardon the pun!! He is very aware of his condition but is still very active. He plays a lot of sports including tennis & golf and have really encouraged sports with as little contact as possible. He did not like baseball but has asked to play soccer now. I know that soccer can have a lot of contact later on, and the drs told us not to encourage sports that he cannot continue. We have a lot of trouble getting other boys to understand that he is not to be tackled, but other than that, I really haven't had to limit his activities. I often forget that he even has a pacemaker!!! Now, his buddies are starting to play football and other contact sports, so he is finally realizing his limitations. I've told him that he could be the kicker, and he is very excited about that. I just don't want him to feel different or limited. It is the most painful thing in the world to have to tell your child that s/he cannot do things that other kids can. We try really hard to focus on all of the great things that he can do. I am looking into the paceguard. Maybe this will open other opportunities for him. Does anyone else struggle with this?
Also, what do people with pms really need to avoid - hairdryers? wii? I keep reading conflicting info & want the facts!!

Thanks in advance!!
Michelle

7 Comments

Pacemaker limitations

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-28 01:09:45

Welcome to the forum. As far as most appliances and electronics there is no problem. Modern pacemakers are pretty well filtered to handle them. Even things like motorcycle engines aren't a problem.

It would seem like in the next few years your son will be coming up for a replacement pacer and my be able to have it implanted in the area under his left clavicle. This is where most of us have ours. While it is more exposed to impact the result isn't as likely to damage an internal organ as when it is implanted in the stomach. There are protective pads that can help.

There are several teenagers on the forum. Some of them may be able tell you more about life with a pacemaker.

best,

frank

My Mistake

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-28 07:09:09

I also had Rheumatic Fever back in the early 40's only didn't pay any attention to their instructions. So I developed healthy and when I put RH on my draft registration they put my in the Army anyway.

Fooey!

frank

football vs soccer

by Tracey_E - 2009-09-28 08:09:09

If you enroll him in soccer, the season overlaps with football and (at least around here) kids can't do both. That could be a roundabout way to get football off the table without telling him no...

let him be a child

by Tracey_E - 2009-09-28 08:09:18

Does his dr have a lot of other child pm patients? I'm wondering why he's being so conservative. I would just let him go! Full contact sports like karate and tackle football are a bad idea but I don't see any reason he can't play soccer if he wants to. Paceguard is a good choice.

I play on the Wii all the time! The only thing to avoid is getting his chest near the balance board, like the push ups in the yoga exercises. Other than that, it's all good! Home appliances are not a problem. As Frank said newer pm's are well shielded and very little interferes with them.

Another point of view... I was one of those children with limitations. I was diagnosed when pm's were brand new so they wanted to delay giving it to me as long as possible. That meant there were a lot of things I wasn't allowed to do... like all sports! I turned out just fine. ;o) Not getting what you want is part of life. I was diagnosed so young (5) that I don't remember ever not having the heart problems, so to me it was perfectly normal to have occasional limitations and more drs appts than the other kids. I rarely resented it, most of the time I didn't give it a thought. Still don't, for that matter! I don't let it hold me back or define who I am.

This is what my doc said

by COBradyBunch - 2009-09-28 12:09:52

Okay, I am not an 8 year old boy but my doc said I can do anything I want (including some very physical things like mt. biking and kayaking) as long as it isn't likely to cause direct blows to the pacemaker and if I wanted to do something like soccer that I should wear some sort of protection over the site but that most normal 'blows' to the area would be okay but a particularly hard blow would not be recommended. Basketball, soccer were okay, Rugby, American football and MMA were not without protection over the area.

So I would work with the doc to see what is okay and what is not. Having had Rheumatic Fever as a child in the days that they then told us to not even walk up and down stairs I fully understand how things change. Today a RF child who had the outcome I did (little or no valve or heart damage) would not be told to sit on his can for the many years I did. Led to fitness and weight issues I still struggle with today (particularly the weight issues, if I don't keep working out on a regular basis I put weight on quickly and seems that my body likes to be about 30 lbs over what I like it to be).

hold on TV paced folks!

by slarnerd - 2009-09-29 03:09:22

You have to remember that the advice that you are getting to "go for it" is coming from people with TV pacers - where the leads are in a vein and not as susceptible to fracture from impact. Because your son has an epicardial placement, his leads are basically exposed to breakage with a firm blow to the abdomen. I wouldn't worry too much about the pacer shell itself, but the leads are sort of fragile with that placement. For this reason, I don't know that Paceguard is a great option - it protects the generator but not the leads. You might consider a kidney belt or hockey shirt instead - they do a better job protecting that area. Also, is your son big for his age? He might then be better protected in a contact sports setting. I have corresponded with over 100 parents of children with pacemakers and I have yet to meet one over the age of 5 who play soccer. That doesn't mean that he can't -- it just depends on what kind of risk you want to take, if you are okay with a possible lead replacement and assuming, of course, that your son has an underlying rhythm that would sustain him should he break a lead. I do know of kids with pacers that play hockey (as goalie only), basketball, baseball (no sliding into bases), and do cheerleading. Lots of kids are precluded from playing contact sports - especially ones that can be aggressive and at an age where impulse control is low. That said, if you are going to let him do it, look into hockey shirts like http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Junior_Padded_Protective_Shirts/catpage-HJRPADSH.html

My kids are 4 and 3 and both of them have pacemakers. We are just starting to deal with the "can't do that" issue - especially for my son who is tiny (25 lbs at 3) and easily hurt by his peers. At this point, we are avoiding soccer, karate, and bounce houses with big kids inside. However, if my son really wants to play a contact sport (other than football), we will entertain it when he is big enough for protective gear. Currently, my daughter dances and takes art. My son takes golf lessons and swimming.

Good luck with you decision! And you might get more answers in the parents w/ paced/heart block kids support group - http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/heartblockkids/

Sterling

thank you

by mmsligh - 2009-10-04 09:10:55

Wow! I am blown away by all of your thoughtful and helpful answers. This is a great place since I do not know anyone else under around age 60 with a pacemaker. Thanks so much for all of the great information and advice!!!!! We go on Thurs to find out about his replacement surgery next summer.

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Member Quotes

A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.