Some things I wondering about...??

Okay, here goes...I do have speakers by my monitor...directed at me..they are small. Will and can they effect the PM? I had no clue if they have magnets in them or not.
Two.. silly me got to thinking of the blow dryer for my hair...? Anyone have problems...

I love to sew and do crafts...and woodwork. There are things I use like sanders, saws and routers. I was told no chainsaws...lol for a woman..I have used them ...and go after the burger too(wood, bushes etc)...I am a doer and don't like being idle. I jsut don't want to get into trouble doing the doing. Thanks...seems a little silly but there it is.

Today has been my bad day. Post surgery 3/5/12...seems to have my heart going all over the place...palpations...dizzy like..not bad but constant...got to wondering if something was setting the pM crazy. Just don't know. Thanks! Lori

3 Comments

Limitations - you need wonder no longer!

by donr - 2012-03-12 08:03:35

Loriann: Every Newbie worries about what they can/cannot do. Well, I did also - 9 yrs ago - & since then have developed a list of limitations to explain PM's to the Newbie. I cut & pasted this from several other comments, but have edited it a bit so it kinda applies to you.

For starters, EVERY speaker has a magnet in it. You need not worry about them, unless you grab a great big honkin' ole bass speaker & hug it to your chest. & then it may not affect you. General rule - just keep magnets away from your PM site - 6 inches will do.

Blow dryer will be covered below - under power tools.

Don

Tongue in cheek on Limitations
Comment posted by donr on 2012-02-29 14:39.
Loriann: I've posted this several time when folks ask what kind of limitations there are on us PM hosts. You will see several versions of it.

In practice, there are few limitations - we have to find out how we each react to potential threats to our PM's. BUT - there are some very real limitations - I've addressed them below.

Begin Quote:
"Limitations? You want limitations?

Before the surgery, I was given a book to read that outlined all the stuff I couldn't/shouldn't do. Which scared the daylights out of me. Over the years, I've developed a more definitive, realistic list of limitations for PM hosts. Here it is as I sent it to some lady last week. Yours to read & enjoy. Hope it helps you cope w/ your responsibilities as a PM host::

Comment posted by donr on 2012-02-15 21:34.
XXXXX: You commented on limitations; Electric Frank gave you one - well, I've cobbled up a bunch of limitations that are pretty much absolute. Had I talked while writing these, I'd-a bitten my tongue - it was in my cheek. But... they are very realistic in the end. Read around in here & you will find out that we collectively lead a pretty normal life. BTW: I have copy & pasted them for you w/ almost zero editing - only enough to protect the guilty & punish the innocent. So, lighten up fly right:

Don

There are REAL limitations!
Comment posted by donr on 2012-01-27 10:42.
Lessee, now - a 57 yr old woman - yes, there are some limitations on activity w/ a PM! These are based on experience & practicality & some guessing because I do not know all of the reasons you have a PM.

The day before I had my PM put in back in Feb 2003 I read the manual they gave me & choked! I was about to become an invalid! Oh, woe, is me! Got out of the hosp 2 days later (I had problems not related to the surgery that they wanted to ensure were stable) & wife drove me home. Stopped at Home Depot on the way & picked up a bunch of lumber for our house we were building. Ate lunch at the local Cracker Barrel & ran a few other errands. All the while, I was looking for Arnold Schwartzenegger - I felt so good I was ready to take on the World. Normally, I'd look for new - born babies for a start, but today I felt so good, I was ready for Ahnald!

Then reality set in - I temporarily could not drive; couldn't raise the elbow above the shoulder; couldn't lift more than 5 lbs; couldn't take a shower & get the scar wet. All those niggling little things that follow any surgery.

Well, harsh reality set in as I slowly figured out what was real & what was a great, big, CYA horse blanket for the Medtronics Co. Here's what I learned:

1) I can no longer work as a pneumatic jack hammer operator for a highway crew demolishing concrete all day. Besides, I'll bet you couldn't either cause you don't smoke smelly cigars or have a big belly that flops out over the handle of the Jack hammer.

2) Operating a chainsaw all day is also a no-no. As is operating a gas-powered weed eater. But, OTOH, why should any 57 YO woman (or ANY woman for that matter, regardless of age) want to do those things anyway???? The book said the ignition MIGHT interfere w/ the PM, or if you have the RATE RESPONSE function turned on it MIGHT affect that. The ignition system DOES NOT affect my PM (Don't ask how I know) & I don't have the RR turned on. Besides, Who, in their right mind wants to do those things ALL DAY? Only Paul Bunyan, & you probably don't have a Big Blue Ox named "Babe." Also, Electric Frank, but he's another case - & he gave up part of the chainsaw work when he ran out of chains to saw & stuck to trees..

3) You cannot climb the Channel 5 TV tower & hug the antenna output - might affect the operation of the PM. Channel 1 is OK, however - IF you can find a channel 1 somewhere.

4) You should not enter the Thai National Kick-Boxing Championships. Short as those guys are, they can kick pretty high.

5) You should NOT run away, join the circus & become a member of the "Flying Walendas" trapeze artists.

5a) You should not run away & join the professional rodeo circuit as a Lady Bronc Buster, steer rider, bull dogger, or goat roper.

6) You should NOT take up Skeet or Trap shooting, using a 10 gage shotgun that you place against the shoulder where her PM is located. You can, however, if you use a pop gun that shoots a cork.

7) Do not take up African big game hunting using any rifle larger caliber than a US .22 rim fire.

8) You cannot get a job in a super magnet factory testing magnets that hold name tags on clothes at the site of your PM.

9) Last, but not least, DO NOT to join the Marines w/ a view toward earning a spot on a rifle drill team. Throwing that M-14 rifle up into "Left Shoulder Arms" will hurt like Heck when it smacks the PM site.

10) You cannot swing from the dining room chandelier by the arm on the PM side while eating a banana w/ the other hand.

11) Just remembered this one while talking w/ my "Baby Sister," who is 65 this year. It is not recommended that you swim around in the tank at Sea World in Orlando where they keep the pelagic sharks (Tigers, great white, hammerhead, etc). When I asked Medtronics about doing that, they said they didn't know if it was safe or not. Those sharks in particular can sense weak electrical fields emitted by their prey & they had no idea if the PM fields were strong enough to attract them.

12) Do not fall in w/ a crowd of rowdy college students whose idea of fun is to crawl inside a BIG microwave oven & turn it on. After it fries your eyeballs like a pair of sunny side up eggs, it might fry your PM.

Those are the REAL restrictions. All the rest are kinda nebulous. Given physical healing time - about 6 weeks, you can drive, do anything reasonable for a woman (or man) your age, & live a normal life.

If you read here long enough, you'll find out the things we all do & be amazed. You just have to creep up on them slowly to find out what affects YOUR PM. F'rinstance - I operate all sorts of corded & battery operated power tools - no effect on PM. I've operated all sorts of ELECTRIC hammer drills, breaking concrete - but they are relatively small & don't beat me up. I'd guess that the hair dryer falls into this category.

I have a large, green transformer box in my front yard that supplies electricity to my house. The input is about 13,000 volts & the output is 240 volts. Hence there are some pretty healthy electric & magnetic fields inside the box. I routinely sit on it while taking a break while working in the yard, & once, w/o thinking, I actually laid down across it on my chest w/o any ill effect!

I hunt deer & ducks - but limit fire arm use to .257 Roberts & 20 gage - not much recoil. I get near magnets all the time, but stay away from those that are right over my PM. I hammer, nail, do all sorts of construction at home & at daughter's houses. Less than a yr after getting my PM, I took an 18 mile hike w/ a bunch of teenagers - at night on rough terrain. PM did fine - I did not. tripped over a boulder & bruised a thigh muscle. Couldn't walk w/o crutches for a week. PM sneered at me for being a wimp & just kept on ticking, just like the Energizer Bunny!

To take tongue out of cheek - You have to stay away from MRI's unless you have a PM that is MRI compatible.

How tough is a PM & its leads? I took a Jeep Cherokee at 35 mph into the RIGHT shoulder 6 weeks after getting a new lead implanted. No effect on the PM system. Pretty well busted me up, however - 12 days in hosp.

It's too soon to worry about limitations of the PM. After about 6 weeks, you can start exploring the envelope & find out what YOU can do - it's really individual - using common sense.

Don

Welcome

by Sue H. - 2012-03-13 09:03:27

You are now an official "pacer chick".

Don't think any of your questions are silly...ever.

Our pacemakers are pretty well shielded from any interference. Standard answer from the mfgrs is keep anything that might cause interference at least 6 inches away.

I have speakers on my computter, wireless connection and never have had a problem.

Your palpitations could be caused by numerous things....heart is sensitive right after pacer implant. I had same issue and after some time, the palpitations stopped....except and this is important. Caffeine will trigger them as will stress. I found the more I worried about them, the more I got them.

Try to relax and let your "internal bling" do it's job and it will.(-:

Best to you

Sue

LOL

by Loriann - 2012-03-13 12:03:04

Alrigthy then! I had crazy thoughts going through my head. I am so independant that I had orders from the other half! I am a country gal who thinks you can hang ten on chandelier! Well at least climb anything. lol
I have don't and do's has it is due to my spinal fusion but absolutely try to live life to the fullest that I am able. I believe in living the life of the living and not put in a shell somewhere . I think there is common sense somewhere there and to use it. lol...tho I get myself into trouble at times with paydays...overdoing it...and is it worth it?? If I did it...yep. I thought about it and planned to do it..so yes. One thing I will not do is intentionally mess up that PM cause they will have to drag me there to correct it or replace it or whatever til I have to. My knuckles will be still holding that doorframe all the way to the operating room ...about that with this trip. Just didn't want to go through yet again another surgery. What changed my mind??? Grandchildren, independance/driving and the safety issues...plus the worry of everyone else about me. I did it for us all. I will be so happy when I stop hurting tho so I can do. Major drawbacks but know worth it. You have to have a sense of humor with all things tho and that is a must. It gets you by the hard times and helps others too get through...laughter helps the pain center in the brain and that is no joke! It really does! Thanks for the info and taking the time Don! All take care and heal up ....Lori

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