Most Recent Messages in General Posting

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Hacker and our pacers

I have studied the recent research article on pacemaker hacking and done some of my own. To start with the following article on frequency use in the world shows that there are radio stations in Europe of1 million watts or more on the frequency band mentioned in the hacking article.

(155 to 281 kHz: This is another AM broadcasting band in Europe and parts of Asia. In Europe, there are numerous high powered (1,000,000 watts or more) stations here. These stations are capable of coverin...

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Pulling Leads Loose

Does anyone know how common it is for someone to pull leads out of place after surgery by doing too much with the arm too fast? Has it happened to anyone here?
I'm just scared to death I"m gonna do that, and wondered if I did , would you even know if you weren't PM dependent?
Christina

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Hackering IMD's! What???

Have anybody heard this on the news or read about it on the web anywhere? It's horrible and scarey!!! But I think it is worth sharing... Here are some of the sites on the computer that are carrying the news: secure-medicine.org/icd-study/icd-study.pdf, schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/03/hacking_medical_1.html, nytimes.com/2008/03/12/business/12heart-web.html?_r=3&oref=slogin
Just a little bit spooked at the moment...

pacie

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Not necessarily a death wish

I've noticed that every time someone says anything about wanting a pm/icd removed or wishing they'd never got one, people seem to think that's the same as saying they don't want to live. People have varying degrees of needing or not needing their devices. Some of us never had a serious life threatening emergency, just indications of that being a possibility. Kind of like everytime you drive a car, you risk having an accident. I know people who had a car accident, and never drove again becaus...

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Hello!!!

Hey guys, I know you are tired of hearing from me, but I think this place seems desserted any more. Hardly anyone posts comments, although you may prefer to email an answer instead. A LOT of people have left, and I don't understand why. They say there are problems with others, but I have resolved all my issues. On a more positive side, I am thinking of publishing a book of qoutes, so if you know any please let me know! Bye! Remember, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." -...

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Query

Is an ICD the same as a pacemaker? Sorry to be so ignorant but only had mine since January, a pacemaker that is.

By the way, don't want to speak too soon but since they altered all my settings I have been feeling better. Still tired but I think at last I am on the way up.

Thanks for all help given when I have been whining on the site - all your responses were helpful and I still log on daily just to have a read.

Take care everyone

Love Jules

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Patient restrictions

I am a retired 70 year old active male (I play tennis year round)
who on February 21, 2008 passed-out while walking from my car to a restaurant. This is the first time this has happened.
On the second day of my hospitalization a defibrillator was implanted into my chest after the completion of a number of tests. It has been 3 weeks and recovery is going well except for some swelling which the cardiologist is not concerned about.
I would like to hear from other implant patients wha...

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Time for a Update!

Hi my friends!
I am still in Chicago for a couple more days before returning home. I have enjoyed my trip besides the hospital stay from hell.
My heart is still a little out of sync though on the 19th I will figure out what is going on exactly.My doctors gave me help and advice over the phone to prevent myself from not landing myself back in the hospital here.
I have had some problems lately and I believe some of you have heard me talk about this before. As the weeks hav...

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Thanks

Thanks for all of your input, to set things straight it's not a joke nor am I in need of a pshrink,and I don't have a death wish. I do have issues with implanting foreign objects the human body be it mine or yours..it's not right. now we went back and forth about this and in the end it came down to being tired and beaten so I gave in. A fact that I am not proud of but there you have it. As for considering the consequences I have weighed everything time and time again and my answer is always the...

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Chat

Going to the chat room to see if anyone will join me.

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I want my icd removed

I am the recent recipient of and icd that I fought tooth and nail against. My Doctors overrode my objections with their sanctimonious arguments about how they know what is best for me and implanted the damn thing anyway. Should I have one? Most definately my EF is less than 35%. This is not, however,about treating my "condition",this about respecting the wishes of the patient. What can I do, who can I see or talk to? I completely understand the risk of sudden death due to ventricular tachycardia...

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support needed

can anyone tell me if lying on the side of your pm can cause damage / i cant lie on my right side as my pm(implanted on the left) flips over but by lying on my right i always wake up inpain i think im squashing the pm.also ive developed a feeling of pressure in both sides of my neck tight chest heaviness and fast heart beat especially on standin/minimal exercise and after eating ive tried beta blockers that ease symptoms slightly but make me feel ill with asthma like symptoms so ive stopped the...

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Heart defibrillator implants can be hacked-experts

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - Implanted heart
defibrillators, which automatically shock a fluttering heart
back into a normal rhythm, can be hacked from the outside, U.S.
researchers reported on Wednesday.

There is no immediate danger to patients, the team of computer experts, electrical engineers and cardiologists
said.

But they made one Medtronic Inc device give up
patient informat...

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EP Study

Hello Everyone!

I am sure that you are all tired of hearing from me by now, but I wanted to finally post some good news! Well, good because my doctor now has an idea of what is going on with my rapid heart rate, but not so good because I will be going back to the hospital for another EP study.
I have been wearing an event monitor for the last three and a half weeks, and finally, two days before I am scheduled to send the darn thing back, I have a really bad episode. I was walkin...

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Pacemakers & Young People

Hi All,

I am new to the site, and somewhat new to the pacemaker world. As some background for you guys, around 3 years ago now, at a general doc check-up, they were concerned after an x-ray that my heart looked enlarged, and that my pulse, laying on the table was nearly 130. I was rushed to the cardiology unit, and had a huge battery of tests done to see if they could figure out the cause for my pulse (my heart was found in an echo to not be enlarged, thankfully!). On beta blockers...

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Birthdays!

I may be behind on some and don't have my list with me on vaccation but I did want to make sure to all the people celebrating a birthday this month I pray that it is an amazing month for you.

To all the people celebrating there pacer b-day enjoy your day and celebrating the very special day that God blessed you with a different look on life.


Enjoy celebrating your birthdays!

Tammy

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Livestock Electric Fence Chargers

Ok, I've read through all kinds of the EMI stuff and can't find an answer, and my EP said " Hmmm, thats one I've never been asked before...I'm not sure. You can call Medtronic."
I have horses, goats, etc. and also have a one strand electric fence running around the bottom of a large fenced in dog area ( to keep mine from digging out, and neighbors Pitbulls from digging in).
I have two of these fence chargers ( just regular ones like you see at Lowes or feed and seed stores.) one w...

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pacing from yawning? and Raynauds

Hi everyone!
Just a question, actually 2 questions before I see my doc:
Is pacing (for those of us who know when we do) common after stretching/yawning? Is it triggered by the motion, or breathing pattern associated with it?
Also, since my Raynauds syndrome has reappeared out of the blue ( 4 new episodes) after a decade or 2 without it, I will be seeing my family doc. I think this is not a problem related to the syncope/PM, but thought I'd check with "the Club." Might just mean...

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THANK YOU !!!

Many members responded to my original posting regarding SOB. Your responses and concern were very touching, and very helpful. I am curently in Gainesville Fl where I have had a winter home for the last 23 years. I contacted my internist here who is affiliated with the UF Shands Medical Center. She examined me, ordered bloodwork and an Echo and set me up with an EP Cardiologist. Upon meeting with the Ep Card. I was informed that my ejection fraction had dropped from 55 to 25. She ordered a Cardia...

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Exercise & drug side effects?

Hi ICD/PM friends,
I need some advice and help; I have an ICD since 2004, (upgraded from PM in 2002) and been in and out of hospital past few years due to lead complications etc.etc.. To cut the story short after another surgery non-cardiac related,last October I've been trying to get back into shape by going back to my gym. I love to use the elliptical machine and basically I'm rather athletic person( I'm 56 female); Have been jogging till five yrs ago when all the heart rhythm problems de...

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You know you're wired when...

You can finally prove that you have a heart.

Member Quotes

My quality of life is better already and I know it will extend my lifespan.