Re return to high level horse riding and jumping.

Hi. I had my pacemaker put in at the end of December 2014. My biggest problem is getting advice on returning to horse riding and jumping. I compete and agree I can come off if horse suddenly stops at a high jump. I have had varying degrees of advice from people/Doctors from yes you can return to any sport regardless , to a Doctor saying today that it is not wise because of the risk of the falls when jumping. She feels that the leads can be ripped out too easily if I have a fall!!!
I feel devastated. Anyone out there who has some advice and who does the same sport.

5 Comments

Have you ever...

by donr - 2015-03-04 03:03:49

...fallen off a horse?

I have not because I do not ride horses. But I have some experience w/ impact from accidents.

Have you ever taken a Jeep Cherokee hood ornament at 35 mph? (Followed by the rest of the Jeep). I did & it darned near titled ME!

I'd find a cardio w/ a little more confidence in the PM Leads. At the time I stopped tyne Jeep, I had a new PM lead that was less than 12 weeks embedded in my heart. Replacement for one that broke. My cardio was concerned because he had never had a patient take such a hit before. I broke 8 ribs & a collarbone on the right side. They had to rule out a concussion & broken spine because my head took out the passenger side window. Also a few internal injuries - lacerated liver & bruised kidney.

My PM (AKA the Energizer Bunny or a Timex watch) just kept on ticking or beating his drum.

No head or spine injuries, since I was wearing a skate boarder's helmet when I went through the window. (You DO wear a riding helmet?)

Two weeks later, my Cardio finally saw me. All was well w/ the leads - new one included. While dictating his notes, he through in a spurious comment for the RP who implanted the lead "For Dr. P - what the &^%$ did you put the leads in with? Concrete?

Then when they did an echo on me they found that I' now had a minor aneurysm from the impact. This happened in 2007 & I still have the aneurysm w/ no change in it.

In short, my heart was nearly ripped from its moorings I had a bunch of broken bones, but, as Zsa Zsa Gabor would say "Nozink else, darling!"

As an engineer, I'd say that if you want to take the risk, short of being trampled by the horse after it threw you, you should be able to ride w/o fear of dislodging a lead - after at least 12 weeks.

Oh, BTW - this riding does NOT include bronc busting at a rodeo.
Good luck!

Donr

fear and restrictions

by Tracey_E - 2015-03-04 04:03:05

My first question is how many active patients does your dr have?? He sounds a little paranoid to me.

Leads do not "rip out". After the initial healing period (6 weeks to 3 months, depending who you ask), scar tissue holds them solidly in place. After the first year, they are held in there so strongly that it takes a special laser to get them out. That's the end in the heart.

They usually put them in with slack, coiling the extra behind the device. This means that if you do happen to hit the device hard, the leads will not pull. My rep- who I have had for 20 years and has a large territory with a lot of active patients- said the leads are soft and flexible, designed to move with us. I used to hold back but on his encouragement, I started doing more and more things that other members here have sometimes been told not to do. Pull ups, push ups, barbells over head. No problems so far.

We have had members other than Don in car accidents with no ill effects. Theoretically there are risks to a high impact crash, but I don't know of anyone who has suffered from it. And falling off a horse is a lot less impact than a car accident. Just my not-a-doctor opinion, but go ride your horse and don't worry about it. Maybe get a second opinion?

Feeling safer.

by Gailae - 2015-03-05 11:03:42

Thankyou for all your comments and encouragement. It's so good to hear about everyone's experiences.I feel so much better and more confident about the stability of the leads. I feel great and I'm going to get on my horse, hack him and progress from there.
Thanks again everyone.

You are safe

by gleesue - 2015-03-05 12:03:03

I had a pretty good accident on my jet ski. I was going a little over 50 mph and turning left. I got hit by a wave and violently turned. The jet ski nosed into the water and jerked me off to the right. I stretched my left arm more than it should go and hit the foot rail on the right with my butt, but held on. The first thing I thought was OH shi--. I thought that the sharp pain was the leads pulling out. However, after things settled down, guess what, no damage. I did end up with a nice bruise on my butt though. After that, I am a firm believer that there is no way the leads can come out.

You are safe.

Jerry

I'd continue doing what you want to do

by chip j - 2015-03-05 12:03:47

I regularly ride a motorcycle and bicycle, since I was a child- 60 now. I've had a PM for two years and never even considering stopping what I like to do. I didn't ask my EP his opinion. Eight years ago, a deer ran into the right side of my motorcycle and my body, while I was doing about 60 mph- three right-side broken ribs and ankle. I had an cardio echogram test as a precaution- the results were completely normal.

When pacemaker leads are extracted, many times laser surgery is required. They don't come out easily! I doubt falling off a horse would pull out your lead(s).

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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