Swine Flu

Hi
I am fully dependant on my pace maker ,and a little worried about the current outbreak of swine flu is there anybody out there who can tell me what possible effect of catching Swine Flu might have on me other than the usual high fever ,aching limbs etc.
As I apparently got my heart problem through catching pneumonia you can probably see my concern
Regards to all
Stuart

6 Comments

Hi Angelie

by pupu - 2009-07-17 02:07:05

Thanks for the info, but the question (as I understood it) is not whether we are more likely to catch this flu, -because as you say, we are not - the question is are we more likely to have complications if we catch it... And of course the answer to that can also be NO. Take care! Anu

oops

by Angelie - 2009-07-17 03:07:14

allow me to re-phrase:

A pacemaker / ICD helps your heart maintain a normal heart rhythm......and that is all. The flu is the flu, a cold is a cold. The fact that I have a pacemaker doesn't make my sniffles any worse than someone without a pacemaker. The h1n1 virus doesn't know the difference if you have a device implanted or not, so I would guess that we would all be equally miserable.

Now if you have OTHER medical issues other than just electrical heart rhythm disturbances, than you might the standard flu, h1n1, or cold bug might effect you differently, but that is based on your other medical issues and not just singly on the pacemaker/ICD.

These are all issues that people need to talk to their doctors about, because only they know you first hand.

Only YOU and your medical provider know your individual circumstances and how compromised you would be if you were exposed to h1n1, the flu, or other "bugs". It is impossible to answer these type of questions through a website, because even if someone actually was exposed to h1n1 and got the illness he/she might respond totally different than you or I would.

FLU

by pete - 2009-07-17 06:07:51

The older you are the less likely that your symtoms from swine flu will have a severe effect on you. We are all at risk but I consider the risk at the moment to be low. The real risk will come from the way this virus changes over time, it could become much more aggressive . They are making predictions of 65000 dead in the uk at the moment, but I think this is madness to even try to predict the outcome. We have had these scares before and I still remain to be convinced it will develop into a disaster. Only time will tell. As you are an "at risk patient" can go to your doctor in the UK every autumn and ask for the flu jab ,as I do every year. This years jab however probably wont have the swine flu protection in it as I think they are holding back the stocks just in case there is a real pandemic. Still any jab is better than no jab. I do agree that an attack of "severe flu" would be really "life threatening" to anyone with a pacemaker. Flu can be one hell of a strain on the heart. Cheers Peter

swine flu

by pupu - 2009-07-17 09:07:37

I am a little concerned about this too and have read some articles about this to make myself aware of the risks. One article said that the biggest risk is pulmonary constriction (hope I get the right words), because the patient can have severe respiratory problems with the flu. Other risk groups mentioned were people with asthma, overweight, diabetes and cronic heart diseases; also immune deficiency was mentioned. The article said that the most common reason for deaths from swine flu has been pneumonia. Symptoms include fever, cough and, unlike 'normal' flu, often stomach ache and diarrea, and as a secondary disease or complication pneumonia. Here in Finland we are told that the ordinary flu vaccines do not prevent swine flu and a new vaccine is supposed to be coming some time in the next few months. What all of this means to us pacers in practice, remains to be seen... If anyone has already had swine flu or has it in the near future, I am sure all of us would be really interested to hear how they coped...

no....Patch

by Angelie - 2009-07-17 12:07:10

It just simply makes you part pig......

oink, oink.....

no wonder I always smell bacon when you're around. Your ICD is fryin' you........

as a health care worker......

by Angelie - 2009-07-17 12:07:49

Having a pacemaker or ICD does not make you more susceptible to anything more than anyone else. A pacemaker / ICD helps your heart maintain a normal heart rhythm......and that is all. It doesn't increase your chances of getting any communicable disease more so than a person without a pacemaker or ICD.

Other health issues that you might have, on the other hand, might make your more susceptible so it's always a good idea to mention these concerns to your health care provider.

The most important thing you can do to help prevent catching any kind of communicable disease (flu, H1n1, colds, etc) IS HANDWASHING.

The most important thing you can do to help prevent the spread of the flu and colds is by covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, stay away from people and stay home when you're sick, and HANDWASHING.....

You know you're wired when...

You can hear your heartbeat in your cell phone.

Member Quotes

Pacemakers are very reliable devices.