car travel

How long did you wait after getting your CRT pacemaker to travel by car to another country as in 7 hours drive for a few days holiday and then drive back again home?

4 Comments

passenger or driver?

by winesap - 2008-08-28 01:08:41

More precisely - will the shoulder harness be on top of the PM? That of course depends on the side of placement and the side of the car with the steering wheel. "Normal" placement of the PM is on the left and with left hand drive (US or mainland Europe) that means it is more uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to drive than to be a passenger. I waited about 10 days after surgery before driving. I'd say a long trip as a passenger after a couple weeks would be a breeze. I did a flight to Europe from San Francisco at 3.5 weeks - seat belt only of course.

One day

by bowlrbob - 2008-08-28 07:08:35

My pacemaker was put in on an emergency basis on a Sat. afternoon. I was 300 miles from home. I rode home on Monday A.M. No problems. I was driving myself in a week. Bowlrbob

not long

by Tracey_E - 2008-08-28 10:08:55

There are people here who travel quite a distance to have their surgery and go home again a few days later. It's safe to travel but you may not be comfortable and truly enjoy your holiday unless you wait a bit longer. It'll take 4-6 weeks before you're feeling fully yourself again. What do you want to do on vacation? Sitting on the beach and seeing the sights will be doable after a only week or two. If you want to hike, ski, have an active vacation, you will want to give it 6 weeks.

When I had my last battery change, I had it done on Fri and left Monday for a 6 hr drive to the beach. I enjoyed my trip and did most everything I wanted to do (did not go in the water) but we took dh's cute little sporty car- which has a bumpy ride. I didn't even think about it before we left home but the bumpy ride left me a little sore. Highways in a comfortable car would have been fine, but 6 hrs on A1A in a car with a stiff suspension wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done!

Depends

by ElectricFrank - 2008-08-29 01:08:43

A lot depends on why you received the pacemaker in the first place. If it is for something simple like AV block or bradycardia there is no reason for not taking a trip as soon as it is comfortable. If you have complicating problems like afib or congestive heart failure then it would be a good idea to stay close to home a bit longer to see how your heart responds to the pacer. As far as driving is concerned it is a good idea to wait a few days just to be sure all is working OK and you don't find yourself light headed.

frank

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