Pacemaker concerns

[victoria1104]

Good Morning Everyone,

I'm going to Walt Disney World in 10 days and I am just recently (2 weeks ago) recovering from heart surgery. One of the procedures they performed on me was a pacemaker implant. The only restrictions I have are with high magnetic fields such as airport security gates, etc. Microwaves are NOT a factor anymore thank goodness

My question is this. Isn't the Monorail secured with high powered magnets? And what about the the Wedway People Mover..I know those use magnets. I've called Guest Services and they are sending me a "Disability Guide Book" but it won't arrive until March.

Does anyone have any info on this subject?

Thanks so much.

Victoria[/IMG]

 

[Anne MN]

You did not say, so I will guess that you are an adult. so your pacer would be... upper left near your shoulder??
my DD has a pacer, she is still a child and hers is in her abdomen. We had no problem riding the monorail- or most rides she wanted to do. make sure that you have your pacer card (the one that says you have an implanted medical device) our perm. came from mfg. so that they can hand scan you at the airport.
important thing is to make sure that strong magnets are at least a foot away from pacer area. I was asking at a few rides, got strange looks, but questions were answered when I explained why I was asking. because of where DD's is, if car is pulled by magnets, and you sit close to the wheels...

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm quite certain that information is not in the Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities (If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to the official Disney site where you can look at those guidebooks online). That information used to be posted in the Guidebooks (maybe 10 years ago??), so I think either something about the magnets or about Pacemakers changed or WDW's risk management people would be more concerned about having a warning in. I have not noticed lately, but I know there used ot be some warning signs that had information posted about magnetic fields - I remember seeing a sign on Alien Encounter before it was changed to an attraction featuring Stitch. We have not gone on that since the change, so I don't know if the warning is still there or not.
As Anne posted, the CMs should know about their individual attractions.

This thread isn't about pacemakers, but it does have information about magnets. (the word "magnet" will be highlighted in red).

 

[Merriwind]

Hi Victoria-

My dad has an internal pacer/defibrillator with a caution about magnetic fields. He has been to WDW several times. When he first got his device, my mom had some of the same concerns that you did, because we go to WDW a lot and they like to go with my DD. They talked to dad's cardiologist who told them that short of touring the power plant, WDW should be fine. He has been several times without any trouble. Also, most of these units have a warning beep if you start to get too close to something that could cause it to malfunction. If you start to beep, just move in the opposite direction you were heading. Dad has beeped once, but it wasn't at WDW. He just backed up and all was fine.

Hope I made sense and helped. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The Wedway People Mover (now Tomorrowland Transit Authority) uses magnetic propulsion.

The monorail does not use high power magnets. It rides on rubber tires, and there are other rubber tires pushing against the sides of the beam to keep the train upright. It basically uses the same type of motors as subway cars.