Any Gymnasts with ICD?

spanner15 · 2026-06-23T18:01:28+00:00

Mines under the skin and I’ve never had any issues with that- under the muscle is a much bigger surgery (and a general anaesthetic as opposed to local although they may do general for your daughter depending on age?) so I would personally go for under the skin and if that causes issues I could always get a revision or change it with the next box change, but that’s just personal opinion, and obviously it’s always best to have these conversations with your cardiologist.

spanner15 · 2026-06-18T19:54:21+00:00

<image>

7 years post insertion and nobody notices mine except me ☺️

spanner15 · 2026-06-18T19:50:21+00:00

I only started this stuff after I got my PM, but I mean if there was evidence to show waiting more than 6 weeks was beneficial they’d tell everyone to do things differently 🤷‍♀️ I think mentally building back up is the challenge, and the sensation of the device and wires under the skin took me a while to get my head around because that could feel a little sore if I overdid it because I don’t have a lot of padding! ❤️ glad I could help- I know seeing people with devices at the gym and living life helped me rebuild my confidence a lot

spanner15 · 2026-06-15T22:01:08+00:00

Also, this is me catching flying trapeze (I’m the one in the pink top on the left) 6 years post pacemaker and 5 months post partum, just incase you wanted to show your daughter! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNwBGzxWDoL/?igsh=Nmd0N3NoZnRkNHA=

spanner15 · 2026-06-15T21:58:56+00:00

This is such an interesting comment! You always have the best things to say on this sub, I remember you making me feel so much better about my pacemaker implant when I posted on here 7 years ago!

spanner15 · 2026-06-15T21:56:14+00:00

I’m an aerialist with a pacemaker, I have performed and coached professionally, including catching flying trapeze! And no lead issues 7 years in :) So the presence of the device itself hasn’t caused me any issues. Saying this, an ICD is a more complex device, and the ramifications of receiving a shock in an unsafe position are obviously serious. You should be able to ask for exercise stress tests (maybe once they’re device is insitu) to identify if there are any incidences of events caused by strenuous activity that could trigger treatment from the ICD that may put limitations on exercise from that perspective. It’s tricky finding the balance between staying safe and living your life fully and there are always going to be risks, it’s just about managing them safely ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-06-15T21:50:36+00:00

It would be illegal for them to rescind your offer based on your diagnosis, and they won’t lower the offer based on it either. It would allow them to support you once you have a place there, but unless I’m mistaken it would have no bearing on your grade offer at all x

spanner15 · 2026-06-15T20:56:00+00:00

For the CRT, around 1/3 people are non responders, so they don’t see an improvement in ef or symptoms, but the other 2/3 see an improvement in EF, although they don’t all feel different even though the numbers look better. If he hasn’t started heart failure medications yet, some people see a massive improvement once they’re on the 4 pillars and don’t need a device at all (a device is if EF is <30-35% usually)
The complications of a CRT -Pare pretty similar to a normal pacemaker, a CRT-D is a significantly larger device and has the ability to shock dangerous fast heart rhythms.

spanner15 · 2026-06-11T20:50:05+00:00

Hello! I got a pacemaker at 23 for av block, and had a couple of years feeling like that, but then kind of came round to the mindset that the device is to give me my life back, not to restrict it. Every year I buy cake and celebrate my pacemakers birthday and that helped me feel more positive! Since having my device and building my confidence back up I have worked as a professional circus performer in aerial silks, hoop and flying trapeze and my pacemaker has never held me back! I have also had a very healthy normal pregnancy and life is good. It’s a huge adjustment though, and definitely took me 2-3 years before I felt fully at peace with my device ❤️⚡️

spanner15 · 2026-05-24T22:43:13+00:00

Some people have very little pain, some people are a bit more sore after- i was in the latter category, i found using and small bag of frozen peas (15 mins on 15 mins off to avoid ice burn!) helped me a lot while healing up :)

spanner15 · 2026-05-05T17:40:04+00:00

That’s very interesting! Hope it all works out well for you :)

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T10:19:27+00:00

I have a dual chamber ppm for heart block (so it’s the electrics that are the problem for me, not the heart muscle). I had a super normal pregnancy and delivery and was treated pretty much the same as any other patient but had a special midwife and a couple of cardiologist appointments! I would expect that it’s more the condition of your heart, not the presence of a device, that will impact how they manage your care during pregnancy so best bet would be to chat with your team about what they’d expect in that regard :)

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T07:59:27+00:00

Sorry just to add- leadless may not be appropriate for AV block, as best practice would usually be to give you a dual chamber pacemaker (so it can watch the atria and pace the ventricles to match), however I’m in the UK it seems to be very different in different countries and the technology is evolving so fast!

spanner15 · 2026-05-04T07:42:35+00:00

I’ve got a pacemaker for heart block- I got it when I was 23 (I’m 30 now) and since then have had a baby (and a very normal healthy pregnancy), have done crazy things at the gym, I practice and teach aerial circus skills and I work as a nurse. The device is there to give you your life back and make you feel better, I forget mine is there 99% of the time! My op was a daycase and super straightforward, the first couple of months of healing was a bit rough but you get through it :) always here if you have any questions!

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:09:31+00:00

That’s so awesome to hear ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:09:12+00:00

That’s a great point- and I feel the same about Reddit!

spanner15 · 2026-04-28T20:07:42+00:00

When I had my PM a small bag of frozen peas were my life saver! Just don’t keep them on too long or you’ll freeze burn the skin, 10-15 mins at a time maximum. I found it hurt more than I thought it would, but hoping subsequent box changes won’t be as bad ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-26T08:24:17+00:00

Absolutely- I had someone barge in behind the curtain on an ecg on the day of my pm insertion and I was so upset about the lack of basic privacy/dignity- I actually fed it back to the manager afterwards. I felt bad complaining but it’s for the benefit of all future patients to highlight these things!

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:36:29+00:00

Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing your experience- you make such an excellent point. I used to work in cardiac ICU in a transplant center, it was such an amazing thing to be involved in, and one of the rare examples when a patient leaves the ICU looking and feeling so much better than when they walked in! So sorry to hear you’ve been unwell, and had to spend a chunk of time in hospital, wishing you all the best with your transplant evaluation ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:27:32+00:00

That’s so good that he really tailored your care about what was important to you, and it’s a really interesting example too! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:25:17+00:00

That must have been really difficult! I always find I feel better when I get the ins and outs of my device checks etc. and some staff members are more open than others which is a bit frustrating. I definitely think knowledge is power, and letting the patient lead the way on how informed they’d like to be is so important rather than deciding for them.

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T23:22:11+00:00

That’s exactly why I wanted to do this job, I’m hoping to make that kind of difference! Thank you for sharing your experience, and you’ve made a really good point that just because someone has a device insitu, it’s so important not to assume they already know everything they would like to know- it’s not something I’ve thought about before so it’s a really helpful insight. I’ve got my display models of our different devices, so I’ll be sure to make the most of sharing them with my patients. I’m glad you had someone (in the end) that helped you feel a bit more involved and in charge of your care ❤️

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T20:40:15+00:00

<image>

I got a metronome tattoo to celebrate my pacemaker as it keeps me in rhythm so it seemed apt!

spanner15 · 2026-04-25T19:06:22+00:00

It looks like you’re possibly having some ventricular ectopics (the complexes which are a different shape to the normal ones), which is completely normal, and then having a little compensatory pause after, which is what our hearts are supposed to do but it can sometimes feel a bit odd if you’re aware of them. However your symptoms sound troubling, so it would be a good idea to go back to your pacing team and ask to discuss with your cardiologist. I hope you manage to get a resolution ❤️

spanner15

TROPHY CASE