What to do when battery dies...

So I had my Medtronic pacer installed in May 2003 and was told it would last up to 2011. I am a slacker and don't call in my pacer as much as I should, my last call was in October 09 and they told me I had 1 yr left. I had this huge arrhythmia on monday for 1hr 15 minutes and couldn't get my pacer to pull me out.. (finally did tho). I was clocking between 145-200. Long story short.. I called in my pacer and found out that the red flag had been raised and my battery number was at 80.. which meant that whenever the flag was raised, I would have 3 months left. Problem is.. they aren't able to tell over the phone how long it has run with the red flag up.. =(

I'm having this serious money problems and cannot afford a huge bill right now. I use my pacer primarily for Bradycardia's at night where my heart rate goes down to about 30-45bpm and tachycardia's.. I am usually pacing at around 70 bpm through the day and night. I just checked my pulse and it is about 60 which means I am not pacing.. which means that my pacer might already be dead or on it's last leg.

My ultimate question here is this.. does anyone know how I might be able to get the hospital to pick of the rest of the tab that the insurance doesn't pay? If I get it done at an out of network hospital (mayo clinic - where they have all been done) my max out of pocket would be 4K which I don't have and without a job can't pay.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Michael

5 Comments

Suggestion

by MAXI1439 - 2010-04-24 08:04:20

Hi Michael,

All I would suggest is that you make the call to the hospital, tell them the situation, and just ask if they will accept what the insurance pays. You never know when a physician or hospital will work with you. Is there any way you can get any temporary assistance through Medicaid.

Other than that, maybe someone else on here can suggest a few other options. Good luck and I hope you are able to get your new battery soon.

Marcia

bater life

by franko1966 - 2010-04-24 09:04:47

you can have medicade,if you have insurance,depends how much you make.I have insurance were i work threw,and medicade is my 2 insurance,were they pick up my co pays and hospital deductibles

Need Pacemaker Battery

by SMITTY - 2010-04-24 10:04:54

Hello Michael,

I'll not go into how you may go about getting help for a new pacemaker because anything I tell you will be like the other information you are getting, a guess at best. I do think Marcia has given you good advice. Talk to the doctor and hospital about your situation and see what they can offer. You may be surprised or you may be disappointed, but that is the only way you will find out. But some doctors can have an amazing impact on what financial relief a person in your situation can get.

Although we sometimes think of doctors as just being a little cold hearted whose main goal is to get as rich ASAP. That does apply to a few, but most chose to be doctors because they truly like to help people get the medical treatment they need. So again talk to the doctor, even if he is a new one to you.

As for your pacemaker quitting and you not knowing it I will offer a guess on that. I see you have a Medtronic that was implanted in '03, but you didn't mention the model. I had a Medtronic, Kappa Model KDR 703, that was implanted in '00. The battery ran down on it and I can tell you what you might expect if you have the same model.

At my last checkup it showed I had about a year left on the battery, but it lasted only a fraction of that time. Now before you read into that a shorter battery for yours than expected, the calculated battery life is based on amount of battery voltage (or what ever the electron smarts call it) used divided by the length of time it has been in service. In my case for the first 8.5 years my PM was helping out an average of less than 10% of the time. Then some major changes were made in my PM settings and my pacemaker was suddenly helping out my heart more than 90% of the time. This increased pacing percentage was a major contributor to the shortened life of my battery.

Now when my battery reached some predetermined voltage level it shifted into something called a VVI mode. What this meant was the PM quit pacing the upper chamber entirely and went to pacing the lower chamber 100% of the time at a rate of 65 BPM. No more on demand pacing, it was 65 BPM whether I needed that amount or not. This change was very notice able to me as it hurt. My PM would continue this mode of operation for at least three months. Fortunately I was able to get a new PM within 10 days.

I think the important thing here for you is to know that the pacing from your PM does not slowly degrade like a flashlight with when the batteries start to run down. Yes the operation will change at some point, but it will not change without warning and it will not just up and quit.

So my suggestion is try to relax while you look into the options you may have.

A personal note here. I was attracted to your post because we have a son named Michael whose health and financial situation is very similar to yours. He does not have a pacemaker, but he has a serious illness that is a very expensive one to treat.

Good luck to you,

Smitty

pacer

by Smeagol22 - 2010-04-24 10:04:54

Renee,

One thing I didn't mention is this. My pacemaker is the very last of it's kind. I do not have a heart condition shared with many people. Back in 2003, it took Mayo a month to find this pacer that was on the shelf in a lab, it is really quite a large piece. That is why I think I will have to have it done at Mayo. I have had bad experiences at other hospitals and wouldn't have had to have the last 5 open heart surgeries if it wasn't for a screwup at UVA when I was 11.

I am looking into hospitals closer to me that are in network. My health is very important to me and going to another hospital that I am not familiar with, just really scares me to be honest with you.

Another thing I didn't mention is this, I am applying to a Monastery in Philadelphia and if accepted cannot take any personal debt in with me. Already in depth by the thousands, a big hospital bill will surely sink my hope of entering and going to the seminary this fall.

I cannot get social services, I called them and do not fall into the criteria needed. I do have insurance, it is cobra's with Uniter Health Care with the choice plus plan.. but that is all turning out to be a big pickle trying to get referrals and all sorts of things worked out. And then just to throw another wrench in the mess.. do I go for Pacemaker replacement on May 6th at the Mayo Clinic.. or do I go to PA to take my already scheduled Psyche Tests on may 10th and 11th?

Life sometimes really shoots a zinger at ya. The Choices... Decisions... & ...

Smitty.. I just read your comment - thank you for the info as well as Marcia.. it is all very helpful. Smitty - what type of heart condition does your son have?

pacer doesn't treat tachycardia

by golden_snitch - 2010-04-25 10:04:08

hey,

just a short note: a pacer can't pull you out of tachycardia, it's function is inhibited by all kinds of tachycardia. pacers can treat bradycardia and pauses, but no tachycardia. ICDs can pace or shock you out of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.

best wishes
inga

You know you're wired when...

You participate in the Pacer Olympics.

Member Quotes

One week has passed and I must admit that each day I feel a little stronger.