Stupid Magnets

Stupid magnets

by piglet22 - 2023-12-28 12:11:51

Hello

Not trying to be funny, but what's stupid about magnets?

I guess what you mean is that you now have to be careful when getting close to powerful magnetic fields.

It would be a daft thing to do and I hope you have been warned to treat magnets, especially the rare earth types, with respect.

In fact, the magnet function of the pacemaker is there for a reason. It allows your medics or imaging teams to put the pacemaker into a safe mode. It's also used when you have in clinic tests where it's called the magnet test.

As long as you don't go about doing your own experiments with magnets, there's nothing to worry about.

Magnets

by Lurker (Doc DX) - 2023-12-28 14:44:27

Unless you suddenly decide to make love to a pile of magnets you'll soon 

find out there is nothing really to worry about . Get on with your life as before.

unless your in the business of making magnets 

I soon found out that hanging over the open hood of a car was a non starter. 

Doc DX

Hey SHROSELO

by Good Dog - 2023-12-28 15:23:02

Welcome to the club!!! Glad to have you here. 

I was a couple of years older than you when I got my PM. I had just turned 38 about 2 weeks before my heart stopped working correctly. Actually, it didn't work too well before then as I remember. So we have something in common.

O.K.......so now tell us what your name is that was too long to allow you access to the website? Oh, if it is your last name, then; nevermind!

Anyway, I just want to welcome you and hope you hang around here for a long time. As a young dude, in 10 or 15 years you will have a lot of experience to draw on to help others that come to this forum with questions and concerns. Obviously, at 35 you have a lot of years ahead of you! You can tell us a lot more about yourself if you want. I mean; your experiences that led up to getting your pacemaker. There has to be more than just hating magnets. I have to tell you that I've had my pacemaker for 37 years and I have yet to find a magnet that presented a problem for me along the way, and I really haven't avoided them. Although, I have to acknowledge that I am afraid of MRI machines. My PM is not MRI compatible. Fortunately, they won't allow me to get close to them anyway.

Welcome aboard,

Dave

Welcome fellow handsome guy ;)

by LondonAndy - 2023-12-28 19:30:02

And delighted that your profile says you are awesome! I'm only part joking when I say that - many people come here because of anxieties about the new addition to their body, which I can understand but fortunately never had those feelings. Your approach suggests the same. I had a problem, and the pacemaker fixed it, so for me it was a positive thing to get, and sounds like it is for you too. 

There are many very knowledgeable people here, and I am sure that, like me, you will learn a lot from them.

Hello fellow cyborg!

by HeartbreakHotel - 2023-12-29 04:42:06

Welcome to the Borg community! I became a bionic woman at 41, when my heart stopped in the street during the pandemic, and had a CRT-D fitted (it does 100% of the work and has a defibrillator in case it all stops again). Don't worry too much about the magnets, I have a St Jude CRT-ICD and the general rule is that if you feel unwell near microwaves or certain types of hob (ceramic and halogen), move away from them. The more recent models have a safe mode for operations etc. (I think they turn off the ICD bit anyway, on mine), and they tend to be safe in CAT scanners etc. I didn't realise at first, but at airports, tell them you have a pacemaker (usually just tapping your chest works) before you go through the magnetic gates at security. You'll get a pat down or a pacemaker safe scan instead. I think the worst that happens is that is can switch to default settings, but don't quote me on that!

Take care, and all the best for 2024

Pacemakers are fine at airports

by LondonAndy - 2023-12-29 18:03:51

We can go through the arch scanners (and the "body scan" things) llike everybody else. Devices are very well shielded now, and niether your device will be interfered with or will you trigger an alarm.

In fact, a hand wand used by an inexperienced operator can be more risky, though I imagine those people are rare at airports. (I had a twit scan over my device at an event with airport-style security once, who was reprimanded by the boss).