Home Monitoring

[2564]

Hi, I am new to this site, so I am hoping that you can help me. I have a loop recorder implanted. I was under the impression that you do not touch the monitor - by the bed- a technician t the hospital told me that I have to lift the receiver each morning to do a manual reading. This was because I had 9 hours of an irregular heartbeat with a pulse reading between 48 & over 100 and in between. He said this did not show on the downloads. Has anyone else had this experience?

[CaroleF]

I have a loop recorder too, but I'm afraid I have never been asked by the techies at the Coronary Care Unit to do a manual reading - so not a lot of help to you in that respect However, there are at least 2 other currently active contributors here who may be able to comment.

All I can think of/suggest is that the mobile signal where you live may not be good. I initially had to try different locations in my flat to find a place where the signal is strong enough - and that involved several telephone conversations with the techies. The Monitor is now by an outside wall in my flat's living room (immediately adjacent to the bedroom) rather than by my bed and that works most of the time. I am a 'night owl' so am often awake and in the living room when the data from the loop recorder is being transmitted so that probably has a lot to do with it as I am then pretty close to the monitor. Even so there are times when there is a loud 'bleep' from the monitor and it's clear that the transmission has been interrupted; there's a message on the monitor screen to that effect and I then move the monitor a bit so it's right by a window. That seems to work.

If your monitor is the same as mine there's a grey button to the right of the small window. If you press that (whenever you like) the screen lights up and you can see a green tick and a date which shows when the data has been transmitted. Right now mine shows today's date so I know my data was sent after midnight in the early hours of this morning.

You can press that grey button (assuming you are awake!) at a time when you think the data is likely to be being transmitted and see moving 'radio wave' symbols on the screen and that's confirmation that data is being sent too. I find that the time that happens can vary quite a bit; the earliest seems to be about 11pm GMT

I hope some of the above may be of use and hope you get your problem sorted as doing a daily manual reading may not be the sole solution.

Carole

[2564 in reply to CaroleF]

Hi Carole

Thank you for your reply. Yes, we have the same home monitor, and every morning it shows that days date, so as far as I am concerned the information was going through.

The trouble is I am losing faith in the technicians. Do you remember that sketch a few years ago 'The computer says no'

Thanks again for your reply

Jan

[CaroleF in reply to 2564]

HI Jan,

I do indeed remember 'Computer says no'! It's a catch phrase you still hear being used.

I'm not 100% sure of my facts here but I thought that the data transmitted from the patient monitor goes to somewhere in the USA first (and not directly to your Coronary Care Unit techies). I seem to remember one of the (UK) technicians I was dealing with referring to 'a monthly download' they received from the States.

So .... maybe the problem is not between your loop recorder and your monitor and the technicians in the UK, but between the US data place and your technicians?

Have you spoken to the chief technician about this problem? When I was sorting out my initial problems regarding transmission it was only sorted after I spoke to the 'head person' - and that involved making a telephone appointment The less experienced people were not as clueful - as one might expect.

Good Luck!

Carole