Miche Bags

I'm new to the club and I have a question. I was invited to a Miche Bag party next week. The Miche Bag is very unique because you purchase the inner part of the bag or purse and the outside of the bag can be changed out to match an outfit or whatever. The outside of the bag attaches with strong magnets. This idea is great, but I'm worried about the magnets. Could the magnets reprogram my pacemaker? Am I just being paranoid? If anyone knows anything about placing magnets near a pacemaker I would appreciate the info.

3 Comments

Magnets

by cohara - 2012-08-15 07:08:17

There was another member who posted some time ago about powerful magnets in her purse casing a problem. If you do decide to purchase the purse, you'll want to make sure you don't sling it over your shoulder, especially on the pacemaker side. Since you are attending a party, you can test to see if it will be a problem. If it does cause an issue when you test it, just move the purse away from the pacemaker and all will go back to normal. I'd do this sitting down just in case.

Our pacemakers are well shielded, but one never knows how strong a magnet is. Small magnets can be quite powerful.

I hope you find a purse you like that gets along with your pacemaker.

Good luck,
Carol

Good Job Carol!

by donr - 2012-08-15 07:08:18

I posted a comment in the thread by the lady who had the purse.

You got it 100% correct. I cannot even recall her name now. Maybe she'll read this & chime in.

Actually - let me be a true nitpicker - you want to say that small SUPERMAGNETS can be quite powerful.

Don

Shielding from magnets

by ElectricFrank - 2012-08-16 01:08:17

Actually, the pacemakers sensitivity to a magnetic field is on purpose. The pacemaker is required to have a way of putting it in a safe mode for emergency surgery. This is done by placing a magnet over the pacer and is called "magnet mode".

The effect of magnet mode is usually to cause the pacer to pace the heart at a fixed rate of 85bpm. This is actually a safe condition, but with small external magnets it can cause rapid switching in and out of magnet mode. This could produce some strange heart beat patterns.

Bottom line though is to simply remove the source from near the magnets and all will return to normal.

frank

You know you're wired when...

Your ICD has a better memory than you.

Member Quotes

I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for pacemakers. I've had mine for 35+ years. I was fainting all of the time and had flat-lined also. I feel very blessed to live in this time of technology.