Coping

Hi everybody.. I am 21, got my pm at 20, and I was wondering if anyone else on here got one at my age, or even at a younger age and has some advice? I am having trouble accepting it and having to explain to my friends and new people why I cant do certain things that they can do..thank yall


9 Comments

coping

by Tracey_E - 2018-01-29 09:32:21

What do they do that you can't? My list of restrictions got a lot shorter once I was paced. Before  I was always too tired to keep up. With it, I do pretty much whatever I want.

I am congenital so don't remember ever not having a wonky heart. My friends mostly knew but no one ever made a big deal of it. I should have had one at your age but didn't get it until 27. It rarely comes up now (I'm 51 now) so people either don't know  have it or knew but forgot. When I had my last replacement  I was amused at all the  "OMG, I forgot about that!!" comments. It's a part of me, a tool that allows me to lead a full active life. 

I've found that people follow our lead. If we take it inn stride and don't make a big deal, they don't either.

What can't you do?

by Scout - 2018-01-29 14:04:58

Hello!  As far as I know the only things I cannot do is mow a lawn, stand in front of a running car engine, use an arc welder....things that involve big engines.

Don't be afraid.  You are bionic now and you are so much better than you were before you didn't have your PM IMHO.

Best wishes!

Coping

by haley108 - 2018-01-29 18:29:03

thank y’all for taking the time to reply to me, both of you made me smile! I can’t do things my friends do like roller coasters and things like that. But Tracey, you’re right, if I am confident about it and act like it’s not a big deal then everyone else will probably do the same. Also, scout, I had no idea you couldn’t mow a lawn? I never heard that one but it does make sense in a way. I was told I couldn’t get into a Prius! 

what we can;t do

by Tracey_E - 2018-01-29 20:57:04

The list of things we can't do has gotten smaller and smaller over the years as pacers are better shielded. Magnets are the issue. When they interrogate, that white puck they use is a magnet that pulls a switch closed and puts it in test mode where it paces at a steady rate. So to cause a problem, it has to be strong enough and close enough to pull that switch (6 inches). Worst case that  happens, it goes into test mode until you get away from it.

We can use lawn mowers and other motorized equipment because it's more than 6" from our device.. I have jump started a car, run a generator, mowed the lawn, driven and ridden in electric cars. Unless you are hugging the engine, it's perfectly safe. 

Roller coasters, once the pacer is a year old, those leads aren't going anywhere. The only thing I'm careful about is the newer coasters with magnetic brakes,, the ones that do the very fast starts and stops. I do other coasters and rides, no issues.

I've always had doctors that encouraged me to forget it's there. I've been paced since before you were born, have never held back and have never had a problem. I'm either a cardiologist's nightmare or poster child lol.  Things I've done, with my doctor's blessing... hike, ski, crossfit, kayak, roller coasters, ziplines, rock climb. Things  did that I felt fine but may have forgotten to mention to the doc (tho if it switched modes it would show up on the pacing report)  tour a power plant, ride an Olympic bobsled. I read in bed with my magnetic ipad cover propped on my chest, run with my ipod clipped right over the pacer, work next to my router, hang out near my husband's ham radio. No. Issues. 

I asked about laser hair removal once and was told no but asked again more recently and was told yes. Arc welding is a big no no, but somehow I've managed to muddle through without. Oh! And you know those giant magnets at the junkyard that pick up the cars? We can't operate those, Dammit. 

Seriously, MRI's  are the only thing I can think of that is a potential problem but if your pacer is newer there  are hospitals that can do it if it came down to it. We can't do TENS on the torso. Thst's about it unless you are hanging out in an industrial setting, want to pilot a plane or drive a tractor trailer. Go have fun and forget about it.. 

Bionic is better

by Bionic babe - 2018-01-29 21:38:16

Hey hey

Ive had my pm since I was about 6 (im 29 now). The only thing I can't do is go on rollercoasters and quite frankly I'm totally ok with that. At first it was a bit of an adjustment when I got the implant but now its the best party trick ever haha I thoroughly enjoy peoples reactions when I tell them and get them to feel it. Bionic is definitely better girl :)

Coping

by haley108 - 2018-01-29 21:48:08

Tracey, thank you you are such a blessing! I guess I have to give up on my dream of being a welder, darn lol. I did ride one roller coaster And I was fine, but I guess I’m just worried I’ll get on one with the magnet like you mentioned. And yeah, sayin I’m bionic does sound pretty cool!! I couldn’t let someone else feel it, I can’t even handle feeling it without being weirded out 

coasters

by Tracey_E - 2018-01-30 09:03:50

If you accidentally got on one with the magnets, worst case you'd feel funky for a few minutes when you got off. Magnets cause a temporary mode switch, nothing permanent, If it's one of the bumpy ones and you have rate response on, your rate will be high when you first get off. Again, annoying but not harmful. 

You can tig and mig weld, just not arc. ;o)

Bionic babe, shocking people never gets old, does it? lol We do not look or act like heart patients. 

 

Well...

by japandata - 2018-02-06 20:05:52

After getting my pacemaker, I had much the same feelings as you. I didn't like a machine in my chest and had to push my friends away when we played rough. I also have to be careful near magnets or working over a car. I have one friend who still wants to punch me in the chest, so I've learned a little karate. 

Biggest problem is that having a pacemaker gets into your head. When my heart wants to go lower but is being stopped by the pacemaker, it doesn't feel good and that makes me fearful and worry. It's psychological and is problably the worst thing I've faced. 

However, the one thing that's saved my sanity is context. I'm alive. Every day I wake up and see my sister and family and my dogs and realize I didn't die. I'm here to make each day count. 

And so are you. Put away the fear and realize that everything is OK. In this moment, everything is OK. 

 

Had a pacemaker since I was two

by FionaG - 2018-02-15 21:00:49

Hi Hayley,

Sorry to hear you have been feeling like that. I have had a pacemaker since I was two years old, so I know no different or really what’s it’s like without one. It must be hard getting your head around it all. It’s so technical and there is so much information to process about it all. I am 25 now and really try to have no boundaries. I go on rollercoasters like the rest of my friends. The only things that I am cautious about are bumper cars, metal detectors and induction cookers. I have tried everything else and NOTHING HAS EVER HAPPENED. I know if something were to even potentially happen ,like Tracy said, it would only last a second, make you feel a bit icky and then go. 

You should also be proud you’re a bionic babe and show it off to your friends rather than be embarrassed! Embrace your wires! 

You know you're wired when...

You read consumer reports before upgrading to a new model.

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