Hi everyone, Does anyone else have a Medtronic MyCareLink pacemaker monitor which drives them mad? I got my monitor through the post after my pacemaker battery was replaced last year with just a booklet to give information. They must have thought I was bright enough to work it all out! Last week I had already asked why the bright white light flashes like a streak of lightening then settles down to a five minute intense white light - late at night, about midnight - and they reassured me that it was just uploading or downloading and there was nothing to worry about. They suggested I keep it under the bed so it doesn't disturb us. But on Friday night the other lights started flashing together. That's the indicator lights at the top; green for transmission of data, blue for the connection between base and monitor and amber for battery status. I was having a bad night anyway and to have this going off like a disco more than five times during the night was, to say the least, irritating. The reader was securely on the base. I can find nothing in the patient manual or online to say why this happens and don't want to bother the clinic again. Has anyone any idea of why this happens? At the moment I have a box over the top of the thing but I would still like to know what's going on.
Thank you for reading this far, Specs 31
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Have you looked at info on the Medtronic website ? Or you could give them a call, I believe others have said they are very helpful.I'm glad I don't have a home monitor, sounds like to much stress !
Thank you for that. I have looked at the website but can't find anything. Their help line is open Monday to Friday so I'll have to wait patiently. I wish I hadn't got a monitor - life was less stressful when you could forget about the pacemaker! Although that sounds very ungrateful!!
Sorry to butt in - Bantam12 is right. Find your box with all bits and bobs. You will need your serial number so they can identify. It is also on the side of your box (SN) - followed by the digits. The lady on the switchboard at Watford is lovely. It is a local call, albeit they put you through to the Netherlands. You aren't charged any international rates - honest. 01923 212213. If you can't find your box/leaflet - I think I am right in saying it's also underneath your monitor. Do make sure that you keep it at the suggested distance from yourself though? They will be able to tell you if it's faulty or just reassure you that it is downloading.
I have the MyCareLink app on my phone which connects to my PM via Bluetooth and eliminates the need for a monitor. My PM is relatively new. I assume from your battery replacement that yours is an older device, and I guess that the cardiologists would always choose battery change over a new device, but I thought that it would be helpful to put it on your radar if you weren’t aware.
I had the same positive experience as Denise2011 The Dutch woman from Medtronic who helped me to get the app set up couldn’t have been more helpful.
Mine did this when I had to put my bed downstairs for a few weeks after an injury. The base unit couldn’t connect to a signal apparently in that location.
Thank you bantam12, Denise2011, Stanley18 and CRTD for your replies - all very helpful. And reassuring that other people have had the same experience. I shall certainly contact Medtronic as soon as possible but at the moment have a box over the monitor so I can't see what it's getting up to!
Mine worked for only 3 months,,,then a bright orange light started flashing,indicating cell coverage was no longer available,,,,yet my cell phone worked as always,,,,,I called the company and got little help,,,lady said she had no clue what was wrong,,,my Doctor’s office had a very helpful tech who called the company and arranged an exchange so I received a new monitor within the week,,,,so far so good,,,,,hope these monitors are more reliable than I think they are!
I’ve had a Boston Scientific monitor for five months. My pm had its generator/batteries replaced during an operation to extract and replace a lead which had moved. I had had the pm for over 10 years so the op was a bit tricky. Very bright lights from the monitor woke me on Fridays around 2am. I phoned the helpline - was told they were upgrading but that I could cover the monitor if I wanted to. Since then undisturbed nights! Why don’t they put that advice in the instruction book? I guess the monitor is set to US time. 😃
Yes, I think that is the reason for it going off at such a late hour. Mine went off just before midnight when I had to be up very early for an important work thing! The manual is not that helpful. But still, it's keeping us all going!
Mine does this too, I asked what to do and the device team said " turn it off then on again". So I did and sent a " report" with the hand held thing, which clearly did go, according to the machine's screen. But once a month, it still goes off like a disco, just as you describe! If I'm asleep, it doesn't bother me, but if I happen to be awake or can't sleep it is so distracting! Think I'll get a box too! How often does yours do this? My worry is that it's trying to send an update but for some reason it doesn't. It's not very reassuring is it!
No, it's not reassuring at all! I never used to worry about my pacemaker - indeed, I usually forgot I'd got one, but now, especially with the wound being sore as well as these pesky lights going off, I'm aware of it all the time. I was told to do the same as you, which I will, and await the results. Do you know why it does it? This is the first time it's done the coloured lights but the bright white flash and then the five minutes or so of bright light happens every so often. That, apparently, is something being downloaded.
My husband's box flashes green most every night for a long time. Right now there is a blue light on and he isn't even in there. Is his pacemaker working extra hard to make it flash so often??
This was so helpful to me. I saw the number below to call in the UK and was switched through to a very helpful person in the Netherlands. She said the cause of the flashing lights all through the night was almost certainly due to a software update going wrong. She showed me how to transmit my data to get it up to date and could see on her computer (as I could on my device) that it is now working properly.
By the way, if you need to call them, the best UK number to use has changed to 01923 202543.
That's really interesting. Mine hasn't done it so much recently and certainly not all through the night. It still amazes me that someone thought it alright to have patients with a heart condition woken suddenly by incredibly bright flashing lights! It may well just be updates but it still seems ridiculous - surely a soft glowing light would do as well.
But thank you for the new phone number. And sorry for the mini rant!
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