Merlin Alarm

No one answered

by Vmurph - 2017-10-07 12:49:59

Apparently, no one feels like they need to answer the phone on a Saturday? It's strange the last time they detected something funky, they called me but Merlin wasn't losing his mind. I hope someone is actually there monitoring. 

call St Judes

by Tracey_E - 2017-10-07 17:46:46

They won't be able to do a reading, but they can tell you what would set it off. You might want to initiate a download, also. Can't hurt to have it. 

Welcome Back....

by donr - 2017-10-07 18:32:34

....Vanessa!  Wondered what you were doing; HOW you were doing, etc.  Sounds like you have a handle on things.

Don't bet that someonme is out there monitoring your Merlin.  Assume that they are NOT & take aggressive action, accordingly.

Your cardio should have an "On call" Cardio for emergencies.  Go after him/her w/ a vengeance! 

Don

What A Surprise

by Artist - 2017-10-07 23:37:24

I had no idea that my Merlin has an alarm.  I intiated a report once because I was feeling "flakey" and  my BP cuff showed a error code that indicated my HR was too rapid to measure.  The monitoring company phoned immediately and told me they were calling the ER.  Then the ER phoned me and told me to get there immediately.  Good thing they did.  My HR rate in the ER was 234 BPM and my heart stopped.  I am thankful for my Merlin. I ended up with a hospital stay of 5 days and a change in medications.  I had no way of knowing my HR was that rapid and without the monitor probably would have just ignored how I felt since I don't like to complain. AFIB beats are difficult to accurately count manually since some of them are so light. So the moral of the story is to be proactive and get help right away when in doublt.  

Alarm went off again.

by Vmurph - 2017-10-08 11:58:57

The alarm went off again this morning. However, this time I was awake and didn’t feel anything irregular. So I called the on call doctor. He informed me he cannot access my Merlin information until Monday and that it’s probably nothing. I told him I had surgery last week on my abdomen and the recovery has been very hard and I have been very sick. His response was oh well if you had surgery your pacemaker is almost definitely picking up something false. He reinforced they’d check Monday and it’s probably fine. What the hell is the point of having a Merlin if there is not something monitoring it or the doctors not having access to the information? Yes, I’m used to a lot of my alerts just being high Sinus Tach. Or False V-tach alerts. (That was a fun scare) but getting alerts and being left hanging are not fun. 

Exactly

by Grateful Heart - 2017-10-08 12:55:34

So sorry that was the response.  Maybe a trip to the ER is in order....especially since you just had surgery.   

I don't have a Merlin but that is my concern....that no one would monitor it anyway.  My NP was recently talking to me about getting one when replacement time comes.  I told her my concerns about the lack of monitoring these things.  I hope you get some answers.  

Grateful Heart 

24 Hours 7 days a week

by Artist - 2017-10-08 14:52:04

I suspect that your monitor is continuing to monitor and submit reports 24-7.  I think the lapse might be in your doctor's office where no one is on call to receive the reports on the weekends. That truly does not make sense.  The monitoring instructions set up by my cardiologist with the monitoring agency specify that they are to call the Emergency room with reports.  The ER is manned nonstop.  I recommend pursuing this issue with your doctor and the monitoring agency to find put what specific arrangements  have been made.  If the doctor has dropped the ball and there is no effective monitoring during the weekend, they need to change their procedures.  I cannot understand any valid reason for monitoring to stop during the weekend.  

That is the most...

by donr - 2017-10-08 15:00:59

...DUMB A&^%$# answer I have ever heard to a question like yours!  It ranks up there w/ the one I got after probably being exposed to rabies.

You DON't use "Probably Not's" when the question concerns potential life and/or death. 

It's time to head to the ER, though you will "Probably Not" get a much better answer there about heart electrical matters.  At least you will be talking to someone whose Butt is on the line if he/she screws up.  They are also awake , on duty & have nothing else they would rather be doing - like schmoozing w/ a guest or mowing the lawn.  They also will have the power of the hosp behind them when going after the monitoring company.

Someone, somewhere, is watching that thing & knows what is going on - supposedly.  That on call dork Just didn't want to be disturbed during his weekend.

Go for the throat!

Don

what Don said

by Tracey_E - 2017-10-08 15:08:39

If you hit the button to send a report then go to the ER, they can access the report. I would not wait until Monday if it's gone off twice and you are post op. Did they monitor the pacer during surgery? It's common to reset the pacer for the duration of surgery, wondering if they did something when they put it back. 

Turned alarm off, but didn’t send manual report

by Vmurph - 2017-10-08 15:24:16

I’m not sure if they did anything to my pacer during surgery. I know I expressed concern to my surgical team about having to be put completely under due to my electrical issues. I had to have a Fallopian tube removed, Cysts and other fun things taken off ovaries and my they had to do some work to my colon. It was stuck to my adbominal wall, my Fallopian tube, it was also inverted and somewhere it was not supposed to be. This will lead to another surgery in the next couple of week. Yay me. I was vomiting and having a lot of problems Friday. When I called my  surgeon, the nurse said call my family doctor, family doctors office said he was already gone and they were full and it was probably a virus and I was basically out of luck. I couldn’t have left my house if I wanted to by that point I couldn’t leave the restroom. Wake up Saturday to Merlin losing his mind. And then it’s losing it’s mind again today. But I think my body has become so accustom to strange and rapid beats that I don’t pay attention to them anymore and I’m in so much pain due to recovery they didn’t make a blip if they were happening. As of right now it feels okay. And I don’t want to go to the hospital if I don’t have to. I spend too much time there as it is. But these doctors are useless.