Cardiac event monitor transmittal from ship?

[justlovlie]

Hello,

 

I'm scheduled to sail on the Epic in the Med at the end of this month. I've been experiencing some episodes of heart palpitations recently, and will be getting an event monitor to record these episodes if they happen again. I'm to use this thing for a month and the receptionist who booked my appt to get the device said I will need access to a landline to transmit the data.

 

Has anyone used a device like this on a ship? Is it possible to transmit from the ship? Will it cost me a bloody fortune to do so?! I was thinking of calling the Access Desk to inquire, but do I need to be concerned that they may deny me boarding with a potential heart issue? Any advice would be really appreciated!

[Demonyte]

Epic has VoIP phones so I highly doubt that you'd find a traditional "landline" the device needs, even with the help from Access Desk. And even if the phone system wasn't network/IP-based, functionality could still be lacking over the satellite connection.

 

P.S. Since you have a pre-existing condition, I hope that you have cleared with your insurance company that you have coverage in case something happens – especially since you are flying to another continent.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Demonyte

[ColinIllinois]

Have you discussed this travel with your PCP/Cardiologist? Is it safe according to them for you to travel? Is your condition bad enough that you have to do it right now? Do you really have to do it for a whole month?

 

A cruise ship might not be the place to be if these questions are unanswered.

[All-ready2cruise]

Hello,

 

I'm scheduled to sail on the Epic in the Med at the end of this month. I've been experiencing some episodes of heart palpitations recently, and will be getting an event monitor to record these episodes if they happen again. I'm to use this thing for a month and the receptionist who booked my appt to get the device said I will need access to a landline to transmit the data.

 

Has anyone used a device like this on a ship? Is it possible to transmit from the ship? Will it cost me a bloody fortune to do so?! I was thinking of calling the Access Desk to inquire, but do I need to be concerned that they may deny me boarding with a potential heart issue? Any advice would be really appreciated!

 

I hope it turns out well, however, my first question is not to do with whether you can transmit your data over the internet but, has your doctor given you permission to be in the middle of the ocean rather than on land?

 

Is internet expensive? yes, can you use it for your device, I have no idea. Would they deny you access to board the ship? They might if a cardiac event is likely, very possibly, yes. You might need a waiver from your doctor... no idea since I wouldn't take the chance.

 

Good luck either way.

[hawkeyetlse]

Is this something you can wait to do in each port? The Epic's Western Med itinerary is basically in port every day. You would still have to find a landline somehow, but there are a lot more of them on land than on board!

[Demonyte]

I hope it turns out well, however, my first question is not to do with whether you can transmit your data over the internet but, has your doctor given you permission to be in the middle of the ocean rather than on land?

 

Is internet expensive? yes, can you use it for your device, I have no idea.

 

Needing a landline clearly means that the device is not connected to the internet but uses modem over phone lines to dial some specific system collecting the data - a lot like a fax machine, you can't connect a fax machine to the internet either (yes, there are fax-to-email services etc, but that's different and still needs a computer with a modem to receive the fax to relay to email).

[ColeThornton]

Is this something you can wait to do in each port? The Epic's Western Med itinerary is basically in port every day. You would still have to find a landline somehow, but there are a lot more of them on land than on board!

 

 

True. There are definitely more land lines on land than at sea. lol ;)

[Johnny Bananas]

I am familiar with the device you are talking about. My son has had one a few times in the past and uses something similar quarterly for his pacemaker monitoring.

 

It must be a landline for proper recording/reading not a cell phone or internet and usually you call in when it is happening not hours after the fact.

 

The purpose of the device is to record any abnormal arrhythmia (heart beats) Usually you press record during an episode and then call the 800# and they download the event and tell you what to do or call your doctor. During the course of the cruise you have any episode and they tell you to call 911 or get to the nearest ER that is going to be very difficult.

 

As someone who has gone thru this for many years with my son being on a cruise ship in the ocean or far away in a foreign country is probably not the best choice.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Johnny Bananas
so many typos

[Golfin55]

Please listen to the correct advice given thus far. NOT A SMART CHOICE TO TRAVEL WITH THAT DEVICE!!!

[hawkeyetlse]

Please listen to the correct advice given thus far. NOT A SMART CHOICE TO TRAVEL WITH THAT DEVICE!!!

I agree: LEAVE THE DEVICE AT HOME! :D

 

Seriously, justlovlie (and their doctor) are the only ones who know enough about his/her condition to decide if the trip is a good idea. Best to leave that decision to them, and focus on the technical question that was actually asked.

[Pookill17]

As someone who lived with heart palpatations for years, I would ask the doctor if it would be OK to travel without it for a week. Only he can tell you if it's safe or not. I too wore an event monitor for a month. It would record up to 3 episodes and then I would need to transmit them before it would record more. It was definitely a pain on land - I can't imagine what it would be like on a ship. Good luck to you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[LrgPizza]

So I am reading the post to say that you haven't talked to the doctor about this device, or started using it yet - just the receptionist?

 

I agree with the others. You will need to get permission from your doctor to take this trip. Good luck at your upcoming appointment.

Edited April 7, 2016 by LrgPizza

[k9x8]

And should you have an episode with a trip to the medical center, you will most likely be disembarked and dispatched to the closest hospital. Happened to me in Livorno.

 

NCL will kick you to the curb and wash their hands of you.

[jewelmick]

I have had palpitations for years and have had monitors multiple times. The monitors are diagnostic only, so perfectly SAFE. As long as you are not symptomatic, no chest pain or shortness of breath, your doctor should okay the trip with some restrictions...no swimming or water sports...actually encourage physical activity like walking and light cardio.

 

I used my cell phone many times to transmit, granted never from a cruise ship, and never had a problem. As long as the signal is strong without static. But, sometimes it takes 20 minutes to transmit a long event so could be a big cost issue.

 

Personally, I would leave it at home and arrange to extend the study a week (if that is the length of the trip) it really should not be a problem, just call and ask. Like I said, it's diagnostic so should not be an issue.

 

Enjoy the trip. Palpitations are VERY common and can be caused by all kinds of things...stress, not drinking enough water (big trigger for me), B12 deficit (another big one for me)...most commonly benign.

[txagfan]

And should you have an episode with a trip to the medical center, you will most likely be disembarked and dispatched to the closest hospital. Happened to me in Livorno.

 

 

 

NCL will kick you to the curb and wash their hands of you.

 

 

 

As they should...

[Golfin55]

I have had palpitations for years and have had monitors multiple times. The monitors are diagnostic only, so perfectly SAFE. As long as you are not symptomatic, no chest pain or shortness of breath, your doctor should okay the trip with some restrictions...no swimming or water sports...actually encourage physical activity like walking and light cardio.

 

 

 

I used my cell phone many times to transmit, granted never from a cruise ship, and never had a problem. As long as the signal is strong without static. But, sometimes it takes 20 minutes to transmit a long event so could be a big cost issue.

 

 

 

Personally, I would leave it at home and arrange to extend the study a week (if that is the length of the trip) it really should not be a problem, just call and ask. Like I said, it's diagnostic so should not be an issue.

 

 

 

Enjoy the trip. Palpitations are VERY common and can be caused by all kinds of things...stress, not drinking enough water (big trigger for me), B12 deficit (another big one for me)...most commonly benign.

 

 

Thank you for clearing this up doc. The big picture here is traveling with an unreliable method of communication, that is vital to the OP's cardiologist properly evaluating his patient.

 

However, one can say communication can be disrupted anywhere. But, a cruise ship would be the last place I would rely on if I needed constant, reliable communication.

[Merriem]

I have had palpitations for years and have had monitors multiple times. The monitors are diagnostic only, so perfectly SAFE. As long as you are not symptomatic, no chest pain or shortness of breath, your doctor should okay the trip with some restrictions...no swimming or water sports...actually encourage physical activity like walking and light cardio.

 

I used my cell phone many times to transmit, granted never from a cruise ship, and never had a problem. As long as the signal is strong without static. But, sometimes it takes 20 minutes to transmit a long event so could be a big cost issue.

 

Personally, I would leave it at home and arrange to extend the study a week (if that is the length of the trip) it really should not be a problem, just call and ask. Like I said, it's diagnostic so should not be an issue.

 

Enjoy the trip. Palpitations are VERY common and can be caused by all kinds of things...stress, not drinking enough water (big trigger for me), B12 deficit (another big one for me)...most commonly benign.

 

First intelligent response. Just because you have one of those does not mean you are ill. I had one and so did my husband. It was transmitted via our cell phone, and everything was normal. Have a nice vacation.

[k9x8]

As they should...

 

Are you serious?

 

We were promised on shore assistance with communication, accommodations for my husband, transportation, etc. I've read glowing accounts of passengers being assisted after an emergency disembarkation, but on other cruise lines. We never even received a phone call, and we were told, "You will receive a call later today."

 

And mine wasn't a pre-existing condition.

[jewelmick]

Thank you for clearing this up doc. The big picture here is traveling with an unreliable method of communication, that is vital to the OP's cardiologist properly evaluating his patient.

 

However, one can say communication can be disrupted anywhere. But, a cruise ship would be the last place I would rely on if I needed constant, reliable communication.

 

I would be more worried about the people who have had symptoms for days, weeks, or years without seeing a doc.

 

There is NO constant communication. The month long study only records when you press the button. If you feel the palpitation you push the button, it records for 30 seconds. At the end of the day, or when memory is full you call and upload the data. If you EVER have chest pain and/or shortness of breath, you should seek immediate medical attention...whether you happen to be wearing a monitor or not.

 

If the original poster was/is symptomatic they would NOT be cleared to travel ANYWHERE, and would most likely be hospitalized.

[ColinIllinois]

First intelligent response. Just because you have one of those does not mean you are ill. I had one and so did my husband. It was transmitted via our cell phone, and everything was normal. Have a nice vacation.

 

Hardly the first intelligent response. The OP has been given some good advice. These tests can be done for shorter periods of time than the OP indicated, I've recently had that done. He is being given these tests for a reason. Just because the cause of the palpitations hasn't been discovered yet doesn't mean it's nothing to be concerned about. Hopefully, it isn't.

 

Caution is the watchword here. POSSIBLE heart issues are nothing to ignore and the decision should be made with the input of the doctor/cardiologist.

 

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/PreventionTreatmentofArrhythmia/Cardiac-Event-Recorder_UCM_447317_Article.jsp#.VwZwVdBmro8

Edited April 7, 2016 by ColinIllinois

[jill5172]

I have palpitations too and have had to wear a 48-hour Holter monitor twice. The fact that they want you to wear it for 30 days tells me that your palpitations are intermittent and probably not able to be adequately captured over a 48 hour period.

 

Monitoring over a longer period of time allows your doctor to better understand what triggers your palpitations and what kind of arrhythmia it is. As another poster said they are commonly triggered by stress, dehydration, caffeine and alcohol. They are also very common in middle aged and older women and often present around perimenopause (hormonally triggered). In most instances they are completely benign and you'll never experience anything but annoyance at them.

 

The frequency of mine have decreased considerably since I cut way back on caffeine and started running regularly.

 

In any event, back to your dilemma, unless you have episodes of vtach I would go on the cruise and just use your cell phone to transmit if you have to wear the monitor while traveling. However, if you can avoid it I would - I personally HATE those sticky pads all over and wouldn't want to deal with t on my cruise.

 

You may also be able to get an event monitor that you can attach to your phone that doesn't require the pads (you just touch it with fingers for both hands while having an event). If your arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation these kinds of monitors can be very effective. I would ask your doctor in any event. I hope you can find a way out of wearing the monitor, but if you have to, have fun anyway!

[blackwing]

I think perhaps a few people who have commented are not aware of exactly what an "event monitor" is. It's not something that is there to prevent a heart attack. I had one for a month. It's basically like a portable EKG device. You have the two to four sticky things on your chest and there are wires connecting it to this device.

 

You go about your daily life, but when you feel a heart strain or palpitations, you stop, stand still, push the button, and let the device record your heart activity. Then you call a number, hold the device up to the phone, and allow it to transmit the data.

 

The one I had could not "store" events, I had to pretty much immediately transmit. Although this was 10 years ago and there are many different kinds of these devices. So saving them up until the ship is docked in port might not be an option if you don't have one with storage.

 

To the OP, I think it is probably possible to transmit data while on board. There are ship to shore calls. But they're something like $4.99 a minute, so this could end up being expensive.

[RuthlessBoss]

Hello,

 

I'm scheduled to sail on the Epic in the Med at the end of this month. I've been experiencing some episodes of heart palpitations recently, and will be getting an event monitor to record these episodes if they happen again. I'm to use this thing for a month and the receptionist who booked my appt to get the device said I will need access to a landline to transmit the data.

 

Has anyone used a device like this on a ship? Is it possible to transmit from the ship? Will it cost me a bloody fortune to do so?! I was thinking of calling the Access Desk to inquire, but do I need to be concerned that they may deny me boarding with a potential heart issue? Any advice would be really appreciated!

 

Quite a dilemma. If your doctor says okay, it's up to you, but wouldn't it be stressful wondering if an "event" will happen at any time? What will be the recourse if you are in the ocean or in a foreign port if the transmitted data isn't okay? Is there flying also involved?

[GeezerCouple]

First, check with your physician for permission/approval to go on this particular trip, and be sure to explain the entire trip (air, cruise, distance/time from land hospital, etc.)

 

If that is "okay", then you might want to post your question about how to download/transmit the data to the Disability subforum of CC:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

 

There may be others there who've had experience with this type of thing.

 

Good luck.

[RuthlessBoss]

And should you have an episode with a trip to the medical center, you will most likely be disembarked and dispatched to the closest hospital. Happened to me in Livorno.

 

NCL will kick you to the curb and wash their hands of you.

 

That would be a horror:eek: I just read her previous posts, she's going solo for her 40th birthday.

 

Hope she checks back in here. Last activity was when she posted:confused: