what devices interfere

hi all! what i really want to know is what are the devices that interfere with our pacemakers. i have a medtronic ; mri safe pacemaker. but i wonder about our daily and regular use of microwaves, mobile phones, wi-fi,radios etc. also i want to know about laser hair removal and other therapies; like a photo facial....can i get these done..?????
thank you

4 Comments

devices

by Alma Annie - 2013-04-03 06:04:51

Interesting Cabbage Patch. I recently needed an MRI as I had had ? TIA (trans ischaemic attack, a precursor to stroke) They would not do an MRI due to pm. I asked about the MRI compatible ones and they said no way as they had had a problem with those too and more research was needed! I have also been told to keep away from induction stoves, ear buds and generators. I was told better to use headphones for Ipods and the like.
Mobile phones should be used in opposite ear to side of pm, and put in a pocket opposite to pm, if at all.
Induction stoves were a no no on the list from Medtronic. Some time ago I had a problem with a pa system of which I was standing much too close and went very dizzy. SInce I had to go and sit down and the seat was well away from pa I felt better in about 15 mins, with no further problems. I think different appliances affect different people, and it could be trial and error, but keep away from the obvious ones and the ones that Medronic advise.
Alma Annie


gadgets

by Alma Annie - 2013-04-04 09:04:20

Thanks Tracey for your input. Yes I think I have been overly cautious. knowing that I am also 100% paced. I don't know what happened with the pa system except that it packed up anyway so I think something was wrong with it. I was at a funeral, but certainly not stressed out about it. As for the MRI the guys at the clinic said no way would they do it so I did not have a choice, but the CT scan was ok anyway so was ultrasound, so I really don't have to worry.

Do you know anything about cosmetic tattoos? A few years ago my eyebrows fell out and I would really like to have them tattood in. (Vain aren't I !!)
I hope all this has not confused you sims g. I think it has me!!
Alma Annie.

interference

by Tracey_E - 2013-04-04 09:04:37

I was told no when I looked into laser hair removal. I didn't shop around or pursue further, I was more curious than seriously interested in doing it.

Any time you think something is causing a problem, just step away from it and make a note of the time so they can check the pm next time they interrogate. If it caused interference, it will show up in the report.

In almost 20 years of being paced, I have never once run into any gadget that caused problems. Patch is correct,it's the industrial stuff we need to watch, not the home electronics. I'm 100% paced with a very low underlying rate, so I'd know right away if anything was causing interference. I'm an electronics geek. I not only talk on the cell phone holding it on the left side, I hold it with my shoulder more than I should. I lay in bed reading with my ipad propped on my chest, complete with magnetic cover. I clip my ipod right over my pm, put my ear buds in and go running. I work all day next to my router. I rode in my friend's electronic car multiple times before I heard we're not supposed to. I live in a hurricane area so we crank up the generator every time a storm comes through. I don't hang around it, just plug in the coffee pot then back off and I've never felt anything. I think most of the warnings are written by the lawyers, it's a cya world. My dr said don't worry about it. My St Judes rep said don't worry about it. So I don't, and I've never had a problem.

Worst case, if something interferes it's not going to turn the pm off! All it does is pull the switch closed and put it in test mode. As soon as we step away from it, the switch opens and it goes back to full function with no harm done. 6" is the recommended distance for anything questionable.

Annie, even if we got the mri-compatible pm, we would still have the non-compatible leads so it's not safe for us. There are some facilities who now say they can do a safe mri on a pm patient, and we've had some members do it and come out fine. For me, the reason to get the mri would have to be very very compelling, something life threatening and no other test would do. Radiologists are split on how safe it is and the risk of serious damage is high if something goes wrong. I have a friend who is a radiologist, he is firmly on the not safe side of the fence and he scared me out of it. I, too, had a TIA a few years ago, opted for a CT only.

tattoos

by Tracey_E - 2013-04-04 10:04:38

Tattoos are safe, just don't get one directly over your device. I don't think cosmetic are different than any other. My bff's mom got it done, looks amazing! Not vain, if you want to do it, then do it.

It's normal to be cautious at first! There was a time when I thought about it a lot and was paranoid, but the longer I went without running into problems, the less I worried about it. My dr has always stressed that I should do whatever I want. The first I heard about all the precautions was here! I was surprised to learn how many things I regularly do that are supposedly not safe ;o)

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