Driving with a implant loop recorder

Morning all, i eventually had my implant loop recorder fitted yesterday which i hope will help diagnose why I'm suffering with bradycardia/tachycardia and svt etc. I nearly refused it due to the doctors stating i may not be able to drive for 6 months or until they have some indication of whats going on. Luckily I dont need to drive just yet but i wasn't told or been made aware of this prior to my operation day! Other people having the ilr didnt know this too and one person refused it because of it. Apparently it's upto the patient to inform the dvla about their symptoms to see if they can still drive but this has never been mentioned to me by any doctors during my 3 year journey. So yes I'm happy and hopeful to getting some conclusion to this all soon but not being aware i might not be able to drive nearly stopped me going ahead with it. The only good thing is the doctor said it's not 6 months from the date of the ilr being fitted but 6 months since your last episode which is better. The next step for me is possibly a pacemaker but I'll have to wait and see what the ilr throws up.

Regards

Taz.

[Hidden]

Hello

I am glad you went through with it so hopefully you can get to the bottom of what is happening

I know for those that drive it can be difficult when they can't but it is temporary and worth finding other ways to get to Ato B for now and you will soon be driving again before you know it

Let us know how you get x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi, now i have the recorder fitted hopefully it wont be too long before i get some idea of what the problem is. Obviously safety is paramount for myself and other road users so untill they doctors know more i wont be driving. Fortunately I'm not working till the new year so i can manage the day to day walks to the shop etc and all my children and family drive which helps. But i do need my car to travel to work as its not local and no one has ever mentioned not to drive before while having all these investigations. Being told you cant drive prior to the operation for at least 6 months can make people think twice about going ahead with it, even though it's a no brainer for everyone's safety but one person did actually refuse it because of this. Maybe just a bit more information prior to the operation and on everyone's own symptoms to help determine if you can or can't drive would help.

Regards

Taz.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hello

I do not drive so I know there is always a way to get places if you need to but I understand so many struggle without their car but as you say it is a no brainer I would think to find out what is wrong to stop driving a short while

Good Luck with the results and hope you will let us know when you find them out x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

x

[Beejaysee]

hi Taz 70, sorry you’re going through all this - I remember the feeling. I’d suggest it would be safest not to drive until you have your diagnosis - when I was having all my tests, culminating in the ILR, I was told not to drive by my cardiologist and I informed both the DVLA and my insurance company.

About four weeks after having the ILR fitted, I blacked out in the car - not a faint, but a sudden collapse without warning with a complete heart block of 28 seconds. Fortunately, I was in the passenger seat with seat belt on and just slumped forward - had I been driving it could have been catastrophic not just for me but for the other cars on the motorway…and it would have been my fault and the insurance company would have refused any help as I should have known the consequences.

Good luck

[Fazerboy in reply to Beejaysee]

I had svt which meant that my hr would instantly jump from say 90 to 130. Not good but even at 130 or higher it didn’t affect my driving. I had a linq recorder fitted and this confirmed that I had svt. I was never told not to drive. I had an ablation about 6 months later. All good. The recorder is still there with a flat battery now. I don’t think the not driving is down to you having a recorder fitted but because there is a heart problem that they are trying to resolve.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star in reply to Fazerboy]

Exactly, Fazerboy,. It’s what your heart is doing that’s crucial to safe driving, not whether you have it recorded. It’s good Taz70 decided to get the recorder, as now the Drs are more likely to have the information they need to treat him well.

[Hidden in reply to Kristin1812]

Hi kristin and fazerboy, 2 days post op and my chest is a little sore and i can feel the device but knowing it's watching over me is reassuring. My hr jumps to over 140 sometimes going upstairs but will drop to 29 other times. Obviously it needs looking into so hopefully it wont be too long before we know more. Glad to see your ok now.

Regards

Taz.

[Hidden in reply to Beejaysee]

Hi beejay, thanks for your reply and i totally agree with what you said. You were so lucky to be a passenger and not driving when you had the blackout hopefully your ok now and getging the treatment you need.

Regards

Taz.

[Beejaysee in reply to Hidden]

hi Taz, thanks - I had a pacemaker fitted that day and was permitted to drive again after 7 days (DVLA and insurance company agreed online after 7 days). 6 months later and no more blackouts 👍❤️‍🩹

[Hidden in reply to Beejaysee]

Great news! As you say not knowing what's up with you is the reason not to drive. Now having the pacemaker means its all under control.

Regards

Taz.

[Fazerboy]

I would also add that I’m quite slim and you can’t even tell that I have a recorder. I can just about feel it if I try but thats because I know where it is. No side effects or anything. There is talk of just leaving it in but I have opted to have it taken out at some stage.

[Horse6]

I had an implant loop recorder fitted and no one mentioned the fact I couldn’t drive so Iam driving !!!! I know if you have e a pacemaker fitted you have to tell the D VLA and insurance but not with the loop recorder.

[Hidden in reply to Horse6]

Hi horse6, i wasn't aware of it too prior to my operation but the cardiologist stated due to them fitting it for investigations then i couldn't drive for at least 6 months and to inform the dvla and my insurance otherwise it could be void. I think its a bit of a grey area to be honest it all depends on your symptoms and if they think your a risk to yourself or others etc if you faint while driving. But its best to be safe than sorry and hope they find out what the problem is.

Regards

Taz.

Dvla regs.

[wendavo1]

hi I had a loop recorder fitted two weeks ago , I asked the nurses about driving and they said it was fine , as I drove back from the hospital the day it was fitted .

My loop has not been to good as it’s to close to the Wound and has opened it up , so having it removed this week and refitted ,

My heart races really high and them drops suddenly , the only way I can explain it , is like being on a roller coaster , so I’m hoping they find out what the cause and get the pace maker fitted

[Hidden in reply to wendavo1]

Morning Wendavo1, sorry to hear about your device causing you problems i hope you get it sorted out soon. At the moment mine seems to be working ok as far as I know. Had a bad day yesterday constantly having missed beats 3 beats then a missed one, pause then 3 beats etc from late evening till early hours this morning so had to use my activator 4 times to highlight it. Since it was fitted back in September I had many episodes so hopefully it will all be recorded. I'm due a manual download in December with my cardiologist over the phone so it will be interesting to see the results. Also I'm still waiting for my angiogram results to come back its now 4 wks since it was done.Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.