Niece has a pacemaker....are there any rides she should avoid?

[Joyous99]

Me & my extended family will be heading to WDW from Sept. 24-Oct. 1st and my 30 year old niece has a pacemaker. Are there any rides she should stay away from because of this? I'm thinking mainly about the possibility of it messing up the mechanisms that make the pacemaker run. She generally has no problems at amusement parks-she will ride a lot of things I won't go near, and I'm perfectly healthy! She was told not to ride an attraction at a local theme park that is similar in principle to Tower of Terror due to the fact that it had something magnetic in the mechanism that would mess up her pacemaker. Does anyone know if the TOT operates on the same magnetic mechanism? Are there any other rides she should avoid? Please share your experiences if you have a pacemaker or have a family member who does. Thanks so much!

 

[katymae]

I have been doing WDW with my pacemaker since 1991. The only thing I've ever NOT done is the attraction that is now Stitch's Great Escape. It used to be some alien thing (I don't remember the name.) Anyway, there is a sign outside that says to avoid the attraction due to the magnetic field. Other than that, I ride it ALL!! Even Tower of Terror (one of my favs!). Sounds like your niece ignores all those "heart condition" restrictions just like I do. Oh well, you've got to live sometime!! Have a fabulous time!

 

[grlzmom]

I am 36 and on my third pacemaker. Have been doing the rides with the pacemaker since age 20.

I love TOT and ride with no problems. I ride all the other thrill rides, no problem. I did Alien Encounter/Stitch about 20 times and never had a problem. I tried Mission Space with it and that is the only one I absolutely wont do again. I was dizzy when I got off, had chest pain and my family had to wheelchair me around the rest of the day (my own stupid fault for riding to begin with).

It really depends on what type pacemaker she has (I currently have Medtronics Enpulse and previously Medtronics Kappa 400). Some pacemakers when vibrated or bumped around at a rapid rate switch to exercise mode as it thinks you are gearing up for exertion. My current one doesnt do this that much, and when it does, it doesnt bother me anyway. However, I have met other pacer dependent people who cant stand that feeling.

It also really depends on WHY she has the pacemaker. If it was a curative placement for a cardiac condition, I say go ahead and ride, but if she still has some cardiac issues, she should proceed with caution

My pacemaker hasnt kept me from doing anything I want to, but if I could just get one that would get me through the metal detectors at the airport without having to be patted down everytime, I would be extremely happy.

Hope your family has a wonderful trip.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i'm sure you could call Disney and ask them. i'm sure they've gotten other people who have pacemakers and they would probably know what rides they can and can't go on.

 

[Anne MN]

I am guessing since she has a pacemaker that she has the credit card sized card for the airport security that says that she has an implanted device.

DD has one that I carry (she is 11)
I was going to ask her age, but re-read and saw that she was an adult. I had called and asked the same questions that you are, but did not get too far
I was also asking about specific things- some of the rides at universal (the Hulk I believe) use magnetic fields to pull the cars to the top of the first hill (thank you travel channel!) and i was asking them where the magnets were placed in relation to the cars. DD has hers in her abdomen, so a low seat with magnets near would be a bad thing. but adults usually have pacers up near the shoulder (children do not, room to grow, not enough space, girls "developing" that is what her Dr. said.

DD's restrictions would be a lot different than your niece's due to body size and age. (DD is 47 inches tall)

 

[grlzmom]

Anne,

I wasnt even aware that Hulk used a magnetic field. I have ridden it multiple times without a problem Love reading the DIS, learn something new everyday.

It can be frustrating to figure out what is safe and what is not. We had similar issues the first few times we went to Disney with our daughter who has epilepsy and trying to determine which rides has strobe light issues, etc.

All the pacers are different, as my docs said the only magnetic field I had to avoid was an MRI, and I havent had any problems with smaller ones. I was also told stay far away from the hand wands at airport security (I do have the plastic card for the airport but it takes me forever to get a hand check and get through). And of course, certain cell phones still have issues about how close you can hold them to the pacer.

They are putting pacers in lots more locations for different reasons and mine is implanted behind my breast tissue, which they said is for cosmetic reasons, better protection from bumping and banging, and also because the tissue is thicker and will stand up to many replacements I will need over my lifetime vs. the thin skin of the shoulder area they use for older patients.

I am pretty sure the hulk height requirement is 52 inches?? If so, your dd has a couple of years to go for you to figure out if she can ride . If she is a thrill rider, I hope she is able to.

 

[strmtroopr96]

...What about a defibrillator? Does anyone have one and what has your experience at WDW been with it in? Thanks!

 

[katymae]

I didn't go into detail on my first post, but I actually have an ICD/pacemaker. Like I said, I've never had a problem. Although I have to agree with Grlzmom, I'll never do Mission Space again. Uuugghh! I had forgotten!

I'm curious if any of y'all have pacemakers/ICDs for Long QT syndrome.

And as long as we're at it, when are y'all going to be at WDW next? We'll be there October 19 - 23 for the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT (girls trip!) and then in February with the whole fam.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's an article from the Minneapolis Sunday newspaper I thought people on this thread might enjoy reading.

For the OP's question, WDW used to have some warnings listed in their Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities about magnetic fields. This was a long time ago, like in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I don't know if the magnetic fields are better protected now than they used to be, so that they don't cause an interaction or whether all of the older pacemakers that might be a problem have been removed from service as they were replaced because of batteries. No matter why, WDW doesn't have the warnings listed any more in the Guidebooks.

 

[grlzmom]

I dont have an ICD, just a straight pacemaker. Pacer dependent, 99% of the time.

We are going to be in Disney October 14th-21st on the Disney Magic and probably 21st and 22nd in WDW.

Sue, thanks for posting the link to that article, it was very interesting.

 

[emerymt]

I agree that the "why" of the pacemaker is more important than worrying about magnetic fields. I am sure most of the new rides use electromagnetic fields to move things about, and that's how the monorail gets around, too. I think she should ask her doctor.

Mission Space has had a few cardiac-related deaths (from previously undiagnosed heart disease, though). It's probably the worst for that.