92 year old mother doesn't want new battery

Hello everyone,
I am new to this club. My 93 year old mother has had a pacemaker for about 10 years. The Dr. said she needs a new battery... I sure this is true. But, she does not want her life artificially prolonged due to a number of factors. Does anyone know if a new battery would actually prolong her life, or give her a better quality of life without necessarily prolonging it?
Thanks

4 Comments

It depends

by Edouard - 2010-12-05 05:12:05

Hi Pearls
It's difficult to answer your question. You don't mention how dependent your mother is on the PM nor is there any indication of her condition.
There is a high likelihood that keeping the PM operational would have a beneficial effect on your mother's quality of life. If she's prone to syncopes, a recharged PM might keep her from fainting and risking a fracture. Some people suffer from shortness of breath; a new battery might solve that problem for your Mom.
Really, it's up to her doctor to explain where the benefits lie. A pacemaker is a useful assistant. In my mind, it does not constitute an extraordinary measure to prolong life, but rather is equivalent to taking blood pressure or other pills to maintain a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.
I hope you manage to convince her to listen to her doctor.
Good luck and regards
Edouard

Get The New Pacemaker

by SMITTY - 2010-12-05 06:12:37

Hello Pearl,

Welcome to the Pacemaker Club.

First, a new pacemaker will not artificially prolong your mother’s life. Second, she needs a visit with her doctor and let him tell her how much her pacemaker is working, which is something that is available to the doctor when a PM checkup is done. He can also tell her what happens if she lets the battery run completely down,

If the battery has lasted 10 years I would bet her pacemaker is not helping her heart very much. This probably means she has an on demand pacemaker and it is just helping out when her heart rate drops below the low set point on the pacemaker. I will also guess that her low heart rate, at which the pacemaker kicks in and starts helping, is not life threatening even if she does not have a pacemaker. But having a pacemaker gives her a much better quality of life.

Depending on what kind of pacemaker she has there could be another issue to be considered if she lets the battery run completely down. Pacemakers are not designed with the thought in mind that the patient would let the battery run completely down. So when the battery strength reaches a certain level, which is about three months life left, it shifts into a battery conservation mode. When it goes into conservation mode it quits being an on demand pacemaker and starts pacing only one heart chamber at a constant rate. This happened to me and I have never been more miserable in my life. If this happens to your mother, it is not something that will go unnoticed or that she will enjoy.

I’m 81, so not quite as old as your mother. However, I can understand perfectly well what she means about not wanting her life artificailly prolonged. But please tell her that pacemaker will not artificially prolong her life. When it is her time the pacemaker will not try to extend that time. In the meantime it will just continue to make what life she has more comfortable, so please let the doctor replace it.

By the way, getting a replacement pacemaker is about like getting the first one.

I wish your mother the best,

Smitty

Encourage her!

by GMan - 2010-12-05 07:12:16

Tell her my Uncle will be 90 in 2011! He thinks his Pacer is keeping him going. Tell your Mom to be hopeful, pray, and go out fighting!!! The Pacer is minimal.

Things to consider

by ElectricFrank - 2010-12-05 11:12:15

1. They can temporarily turn off the pacemaker so your mother can experience what life will be like without it. She will also know whether eliminating the pacer will produce the results she wants.

2. If she decides not to replace it they can turn the old one off (or make adjustments that disable it) so that she does have it go into the mode Smitty described.

3. This is very important: As long as your mother is able to make decisions she should be allowed to make them without undo pressure. You mention there are other factors that influence her wanting to decline replacement. There is no way you can know what another person is going through.

frank

You know you're wired when...

Your pacemaker interferes with your electronic scale.

Member Quotes

I feel so blessed to have this little gem implanted in me. When I think of the alternative it is quite overwhelming sometimes.