I'm Pacing Myself.

Is over eleven years and counting since I had my heart pacemaker fitted. Disproving the theory that I don't have a heart once and for all! Nothing unusual in that as a lot of people like me have benefited from such devices.  I know as medical advances have improved so have pacemakers and their capabilities. What was one a piece of cutting edge technology is now old and obsolete. Like the computers used to send man to the moon and bit like the owner who retired a few years ago from a working life in a University. As you get older things start to change and the device has from time to time had its parameters changed. But there comes a time when all things have to change. As my internal battery begins to run down. Its time for a new device to be fitted.

April the 1st is a funny time for talking about Pacemakers. The best story recounted was an April fool wheeze on local radio about a solar powered pacemaker that was being recalled by the manufacturer for urgent repairs. When it comes down to having a Pacemaker fitted - your experience may vary - and there are thousands of urban legends still doing the rounds. Like - exploding pacemakers, pacemakers catching fire, pacemakers running your heart backwards, pacemakers causing static shocks and wind-up, clockwork and radio controlled pacemakers. One of the better urban legends is the one about a headless corpse with a pacemaker that suddenly choose to sit up on the slab during an autopsy. 

All in all the Pacemaker has been and still is - a miracle - for many people who would otherwise not be here today. The technology has improved over many years and development will continue to provide a much improved lifestyle. Especially for those less fortunate who have suffered from some serious health problems. Over the next few weeks I shall be having my pacemaker replaced. So it will be a wizz bang, all singing and dancing bit of new technology. I shall be one of the last few patients using the old technology. Then the old laptop controller that is used to communicate with the current device will be pensioned off (its about the size of a desktop computer) and my new device will now be able to talk to my smart phone.  

The thing I hope more than anything else is that if anything should ever go wrong. I won't have to follow the guidance of my old technical support team at the University. I won't have to turn the power off and then back on again to reboot the system.