How can I disable my Pacemaker

On 24 June 2010 I was implanted with a Medtronic Versa1 two lead pacemaker.

In the following two months the unit was readjusted 5 times.

On the 7 September 2010 the PM was removed and tested and the bottom lead repositioned then the pm re-implanted. The following day I insisted that the PM be adjusted because of the number of server shocks and discomfort that I was experiencing.

On the 13 September I attended the local Cardiology Practice where the PM was again adjusted, on this occasion I insisted that the bottom lead be turned off, I am told that this was done.

In the following two weeks I have experienced three days of health similar to where I was prior to the PM being implanted, the rest of the time life has been hell. I experience a heart rate of 90 bpm whereas before the PM I had a rate of 50.

Today I spent two hours at my local GP's Casualty room on oxygen with a pain located between the PM and my heart.

I have had enough.

My Heart specialist says, "try to put up with it for the next ten days and then we will look at it again".

Can anyone advise me how to disable this monster that has been implanted in me.

I am considering:
1. Grabbing hold of both terminals on a 12 volt battery with the hope of shocking the PM and causing it to stop.
2. Hitting the PM with a hammer with the view to disabling it.
3. Driving a small screwdriver into it with the view of stopping it.

I am a 73 year old man who considers that I have had a good life and would rather be dead than put up with this monster.

Enough is enough.



13 Comments

second opinion

by Tracey_E - 2010-09-27 03:09:55

I'll second Smitty's advice. Don't give up on your pm, go find someone who can help you. If your current dr hasn't by now, he's not going to. It's time to get some fresh eyes looking over your situation.

I agree

by janetinak - 2010-09-27 05:09:54

with everybody. CALL your Dr & discuss or show him this, please. Do not try & disable your PM like you suggested. I fear that you may stop your heart due to electricution & then your brain may very well be damaged beyond repair. I doubt any one wants that. So talk to your dr.

Good luck,

Janet

you are kidding me?

by jessie - 2010-09-27 07:09:04

print this and take it to your cardiologist. something else is going on because this should not be happening. doing the things to yourself would be inappropriate and hurtful. please reasess your situation and get a friend to help you in getting reasessed. good luck jessie

Many thanks......

by jrc - 2010-09-27 07:09:31

My sincere thanks to each who replied to my plea for help, I will endeavor to get a second opinion and/or look at the option of having the PM turned off. The advice of mentioning legal intervention might be just the thing to get some action.

best regards to you all,
JRC

Another thought!!!!!!!!

by Pookie - 2010-09-27 10:09:03

I forget what it's called in the hospital but every hospital has a person (or department) you can go to if you are not receiving the care you need...that person will act on your behalf...check to see if your hospital has such a person.

Pookie.

2nd opinion

by Pookie - 2010-09-27 10:09:19

I agree with getting a 2nd opinion, however, I don't know if I personally agree with the mentioning of a lawyer at this point in time....why do I say that? because I went through hell and back with my pacemaker (5 surgeries in total - 4 of which were within 10 days, then the 5th was to reposition the darn thing 5 months later)...and back to my point of holding off about mentioning the word "lawyer" as I have developed a very good relationship with many of my specialists (I have numerous medical problems) and we've had the discussion of when a patient is angry (and rightfully so in most cases) and the word "lawyer" comes out of the patient's mouth ---> the first instinct most doctors will have is to "mark" you...then you will have a very hard time getting that 2nd or 3rd medical opinion that you need as no doctor will want to see you in fear that you may sue them...so for now, my suggestion is to take someone with you to see your cardiologist or whoever put in your pacemaker and sit there and tell them exactly what you just told us here. Tell your doctor if he/she is not able or not willing to help you immediately, then perhaps they could refer you to someone who would. Anger may not get you any where with the doctors...it's a chance you take.

Personally, I got further when I ended up bawling my head off in pure frustration begging them for help.

Just my 2 cents worth.

There is an answer out there for you, so please feel free to be the squeaky wheel and you just may get the grease:)

Don't give up hope. Please don't. I know where you are coming from, truly I do. I used to cry when I went to bed hoping I wouldn't wake up in the morning, then when I did wake up, I would cry all day long because I didn't die in my sleep like I prayed I would.

Be firm, be tactful, do anything you have to to get the service you deserve, but for God's sake don't harm yourself. Even if you have to go to the Emergency Room a few times (and wait for hours) you may just find a doctor compassionate enough to help you. And did you know that legally an ER cannot kick you out!! Tell them you can't leave because you fear for your safety in going home with what you are enduring.

Never ever ever give up hope.

Hugs,
Pookie

Turning Off A Pacemaker

by SMITTY - 2010-09-27 10:09:20


Hell JRC,

I know how you feel because I felt that way about mine for the first 3 years I had the thing. BUT DON’T TRY ANY OF THE THINGS YOU MENTION!

It is your body and your pacemaker so tell that doctor you want it turned off. If he refuses to comply ask him when will be the best time for your attorney to visit him? Or, my first recommendation is find another doctor. One that knows something about pacemaker settings, as from what it sounds like, that may be the problem with yours.

I say have it turned off unless its implant was so botched that it is causing you pain. If it presence it not causing pain, then having it turned off will just leave you with a dormant pacemaker that can be restarted at a later date if you find yourself in real need of a pacemaker. That is what happened to me about two years after I had mine turned off only this time I got the needed changes and it worked fine without any of the previous problems.

The battery on my first pacemaker ran down and it was replaced last Oct. and it was replaced with a Medtronic VERSA. I have had a few problems getting the best settings on it, but I don’t think it is any fault of the pacemaker. I asked for and got the old one as I thought I would open it as I wanted to see the circuit board. To date it has resisted my every effort to get it open, So don’t try any of the things you mention as all you will do is increase your pain. Even the attempt to electrocute it with the 12V battery could be bad. That may stop the pacemaker, or it may totally screw up the settings and you could have a pacemaker making your heart beat a couple of times a minute.

That recommendation of "try to put up with it for the next ten days and then we will look at it again" is pure B.S. I have to see a problem caused by a pacemaker get better with time. That’s like the auto mechanic that knows the vehicle has a bad spark plug tell the owner to wait for 10 days to see if it will get better. Ain’t gonna happen.

For what it is worth, I got my first PM in 2000 at age 71. I can truthfully say I know how you feel because mine shocked the hell out of me daily. They told me it wasn’t shocks, it was just nerve stimulation. I let them call it whatever they wanted to, but it felt just like an electrical shock with out the muscle contraction to me.

Good luck to you,

Smitty

Listen to Smitty ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2010-09-27 11:09:02

jrc, take Smitty's advice. When I first turned to the PM Club with my PM questions pre-PM, Smitty & a few others with the most experience came forward with great answers and solutions for me to take to my Dr.

I am so sorry you have to be one of the people who did not feel much better after the PM implant. This is so unusual, even though you read on here of a lot of people with complications. There are thousands who do not write who do not have complications.

Like Jessie said, I would take a copy of your 'post' above to your Dr., change Dr.'s, whatever it takes to improve your physical well being, but destroying your PM in your own body is not the answer.

Good Luck,
Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ Crisp, Cool Air in the Autumn ~

Time For Doctor To Put Up Or Shut Up

by J.B. - 2010-09-28 01:09:31

Tell the doctor you want the thing turned off. If he doesn't do it ask him to refer you to another doctor and if he balks at that then tell him you are referring him to your attorney, Somebody suggested being tactful, I say be tactful hell, you have already done that and all it has gotten you is pain. It is now time for that doctor to put up or shut up.

Answer to your question

by ElectricFrank - 2010-09-28 12:09:00

There's no way that you can gracefully disable your pacer. It would require access to a programmer like they use to adjust it.

As an electronic engineer I can tell you that none of the methods you described would work. The devices are very difficult to physically damage. Several of use here have had accident where our pacemaker received a heavy blow and it just kept pacing.

The 12V battery across the terminals might electrically damage it, but to get to the terminals you will have to open the pocket surgically. At that point just pull it out and cut the leads.

By the way hooking 12V across the leads while it is still hooked up is not a good idea. Remember the other end of those leads is embedded in your heart wall. 12V would likely cause immediate arrest, and when the circuit was broken when you fall over it would have a defib effect. What a mess.

Now for those who are horrified at this description and it should be obvious that I don't recommend any of it. I just wanted to answer the question.

best,

frank

Followup - - - - -

by jrc - 2010-10-01 08:10:53


Saturday morning...........
Following my first post last Monday I started to apply some logic to my situation, I recalled all those warnings about not getting too close to electronic equipment or magnets because the PM may be affected by such devices.

I took one of those small magnets that hold note on the refrigerator door and passed it slowly on my skin from the top of my left shoulder across the PM towards my heart, I did that twice.

Within several minutes my heart rate had dropped to a regular 60 bpm and has remained that way since, with the following results:
I have had 5 nights good sleep.
No nightmares.
On Wednesday I drove 450kl and attended a 3.5 hour meeting all with no adverse affects.
I now feel as good as I did before the PM.
No pain in the chest area.
After 3 months of hell life is again worth living.

I am scheduled to visit the cardiologist next Thursday and was to have the PM tested again, I will see what the next 5 days brings to determine my attitude to the situation.

Thank you all for your support.















Follow up 2

by jrc - 2010-10-26 07:10:34

The visit to the cardiologist and interrogation of the PM showed that from the time I applied the magnet that there had been no episodes of AF, I did not advise the cardiologist of my actions.

No problems for the next three weeks till 2,00am 10 days ago when I received a shock from the PM and again I experienced AF and pain, after 6 hours I ran the magnet over the PM and within minutes I was back to normal and have been since then.

I am convinced that I have discovered a method of controlling my PM, I have no evidence that this procedure will work for anyone else or it would even be advisable to try. However if you are as desperate as I was then I know you would try anything.

Have a good day.

Follow up 3

by jrc - 2010-12-13 03:12:40

I am convinced that by passing a magnet over my PM it is then disabled. There have been no shocks or discomfort in the past seven weeks, only the occasional AF.

You know you're wired when...

Trade secrets can be smuggled inside your device.

Member Quotes

I'm a runner, mountain climber, kayaker, snow skier, bicycler and scuba diver. The only activity among those that I'm not yet cleared to do is scuba diving, and when I am cleared, I'll be limited to diving to 50 feet.