Pacemakers and backpacks...

[AllanHG]

My wife has a pacemaker and, because she is thin, the shoulder straps of her backpack put a lot of pressure on her pacemaker and make it just about impossible to carry. It's particularly bad if she does up the chest strap.

If anyone has had this challenge, we'd love to hear suggestions for carrying the backpack but taking the pressure off the pacemaker!

Thanks, Allan

 

[Tincatinker]

It would be well worth your while going to a reputable equipment supplier and being properly fitted for a rucksack. Its not clear where you live on this lovely globe but if in the UK try Cotswold ((tm) (no commercial interests)). The weight of a properly fitted pack should sit on the hips, not the shoulders or chest. The shoulder straps should only contribute to balance. Getting a pack of correct back-length, hip-girth is vital. The solution may not even be costly as there is sufficient variance in design across the various manufacturers. As has been discussed in a recent thread on hiking-poles gender designations can lead us astray. If your wife has a 'long' back compared to standard "womens'" sizings she may find a "mens'" sizing more comfortable. When trying out packs remember to load them up to 6 - 10k: - an empty pack will not sit properly.

You also, always, have the option of using one of the luggage transfer services along most of the popular routes reducing her load to a (properly fitted ) day-pack.

Happy planning

 

[williamlittig]

I too have a pacemaker and first I agree with the weight shift and fitting of the pack. Second if you can put all heavy things that are not needed as you walk in her pack and ship it daily( mark it clearly and know where you are going) For me it hasn't been about pack fit but the heart telling me to stop and let it get get caught up. Love your wife, ship her pack, enjoy your Camino...... Ultreya....... Willy/Utah/USA

 

[dougfitz]

There was some discussion on this a year or so ago. See https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/posts/343679/ or use the search function to bring up more results.

 

[Kanga]

Here is a recent post about one couple's experience with a pacemaker, that might be helpful. Of course, it is also very easy to get a pack carried forward which means no need to carry at all. There are lots of threads on that.

 

[Purky]

I don't know if it will work for your wife, but I've seen some hikers going at it with their pack on a one-wheel cart attached to a hip belt. Most of the Frances would be doable, some bits you'd need to help out. Maybe worth looking into. I'll attach a picture to show you what I'm on about.

 

[Texas Walker]

My wife has a pacemaker and, because she is thin, the shoulder straps of her backpack put a lot of pressure on her pacemaker and make it just about impossible to carry. It's particularly bad if she does up the chest strap.

If anyone has had this challenge, we'd love to hear suggestions for carrying the backpack but taking the pressure off the pacemaker!

Thanks, Allan

Hello. Two thoughts occur to me: First, have you considered the two wheel towed pack-travois gizmo? And, second, have you seen the little pads on Pinterest that are used to keep shoulder belts from bothering cancer patients' portacath? It's a square or rectangle that wraps around the shoulder belt strap and keeps it from pressing too hard on the medical device. http://www.abbieandeveline.com/2014/09/12/my-recipe-for-portacath-pillows/ talks about it. Apparently the issue of medical stuff conflicting with straps of one kind or another is reasonably common.
I did see someone post on the Camino boards once that she'd put a piece of ordinary kitchen sink sponge under her pack strap to ease pressure on her collarbone I think it was. Though you might want to enclose a porous sponge in a piece of ripstop nylon with snap-straps to keep it smoother and cleaner, maybe. (Which gets back to the portacath pillow thing, doesn't it?)

 

[t2andreo]

I have wrapped ordinary kitchen sponges (one or more to suit your need for height/thickness) in a small microfiber towel then fastened the wrapped sponge with duck tape. I then used two rubber bands to affix each newly created shoulder pad to the shoulder strap between the wearer's shoulder bones and the rucksack strap.

This was actually done to better fit a somewhat too-large rucksack harness to a very petite woman. It worked perfectly. It allowed the hip belt to ride properly at the top of her Iliac Crest...the really big hip bones that most woman (and some men like me) have, and where they typically prop a toddler...

If needs dictated it, one or both of these "field expedient" shoulder pads could be disassembled. The microfiber towel could be used for many things, as could the sponges. The towels are soft, are very multi-purpose, and are quick to dry. You can also use bright microfiber towel colors to have a distinctive looking rucksack. People with bad intentions tend not to pay too much attention to a pack that stands out.

I know this works. I hope it helps here. Others have used it to adjust rucksack sizing and fit, and to offset individual skeletal maladies or other issues. There is no reason why it would not work here.

 

[jmcarp]

I have a specialized backpack for photo gear that uses one diagonal strap in a sling arrangement that rests on only one shoulder. There is a smaller supplemental strap that can optionally be used to help distribute and balance the load. It's not big enough to carry the amount of gear needed for the Camino, but perhaps a conversation with one of the backpack manufacturers might result in a customized strap configuration that suits your wife's needs. A one-off custom solution will probably be expensive, but who knows -- maybe they've already done one for someone else.

 

[travelgirl409]

I just completed my first Camino and have had a pacemaker for nearly 5 years. I got fitted at REI with an Osprey Tempest 40. I was between sizes (female), took one home and loaded it and walked. I decided to go one size up so traded my xs for a small. I never had any trouble with shoulder strap rubbing. This pack sits a little wide on my shoulders, and the chest strap just kept it secure without bothering my pacemaker. I'm short--just under 5'1--and I don't know your wife's height, but a proper fitting will make it much easier to find what works best. She may not need any special padding or straps. I didn't, and I'm already thinking of another Camino next year!!

 

[Purple Backpack]

A few thoughts...

1. Is it possible to slit the shoulder strap vertically with a pocket knife? Perhaps even cut a "donut hole" to fit the pacemaker?
2. Pressure/gel/foam/moleskin "donuts" are used to pad ankles in ski boots, ears in helmets or bedsores in bedridden patients. A small ear donut may fit the diameter of a pacemaker. A good pharmacy, medical supply store, hardware store or sports shop may have something you can work with. Others suggested a sponge and that could surely be cut in a donut shape, too.

3. I googled "Lumbar Pack" and came up with a couple of ideas. If you can carry some of her stuff or send a duffle ahead, this may work for a day pack, large enough for lunch, water and a rain jacket. Mountainsmith seems to be one company that has lumbar packs but there were others, including a LLBean hunting waist pack.



Best wishes, please post your solution!

 

[Jac8020]

I don't know if it will work for your wife, but I've seen some hikers going at it with their pack on a one-wheel cart attached to a hip belt. Most of the Frances would be doable, some bits you'd need to help out. Maybe worth looking into. I'll attach a picture to show you what I'm on about.

View attachment 30415

Interesting device. Do you have any information on it? Manufacturer? Anything?

 

[t2andreo]

I have a new, and unused Mountainsmith lumbar / waist pack with shoulder harness. If anyone is interested in it, please PM me.

When I bought it, about 18 months ago, it was one of those, "seems like a good idea at the time" things. But, once I got it and played with it for a while, I made a personal decision to revert to form using my Osprey Kestrel 48 rucksack. So, the M/S lumbar pack just sits, waiting for a good home.

I cannot recall off-hand what model it is. But it has two bottle pockets on the side, several pockets, and lashing straps top and "front" (rear facing). Importantly, I recall that it does have shoulder straps and a padded waist belt.

It is packed away just now. But if you PM me, I will reply with a photo and particulars. I wil post this anywhere in the lower 48 and Canada.

I hope this helps.

 

[Purky]

Interesting device. Do you have any information on it? Manufacturer? Anything?

A couple of those contraptions looked very DIY, but the idea apparently caught on. Here I found a blog by someone who did some research on them.

 

[Pud]

My wife has a pacemaker and, because she is thin, the shoulder straps of her backpack put a lot of pressure on her pacemaker and make it just about impossible to carry. It's particularly bad if she does up the chest strap.

If anyone has had this challenge, we'd love to hear suggestions for carrying the backpack but taking the pressure off the pacemaker!

Thanks, Allan

Hi Allan,
My sister had a Pacemaker inserted prior to our walking the 300 plus Camino kms from Leon to Santiago beginning Sept 12th this year.In June, during training walks, she was getting some breathlessness and heaviness in her legs, initially uphill, but then even on flat walking. At first, there was a sense of dejection that perhaps she had waited one year too long, but tests revealed heart block resulting in pacemaker insertion just over 6 weeks prior to our planned departure date from Australia.

She needed to rest whilst awaiting tests and after procedure, so all in all there were approx 4 - 5 weeks that we had all but having given up on the idea that we would walk this year. This Forum repeatedly reassures people that the individual's Camino begins from the day she/he conceives the idea of committing to it, and so it was for us. Her Cardiologist remained confident she would do it, and even 2 'fine-tuning' appts. in last few days before we left were accommodated.

She hoped, but was not obsessed by needing, to carry her backpack, and was prepared at any time, to courier it onwards. She also is slim, and new pacemaker protruded outwards. It didn't occur to us to not use her tried, trusted and used backpack, but we experimented - raised and loosened the chest strap to "sit" the shoulder strap wider, and tilted it away from body midline with a small rolled towel. I applied a waterproof, hypoallergenic padded dressing (able to be left on for 5 to 7 days) directly over the entire contour of pacemaker, which provided the reassurance of cushioning.

She carried 7kgs+ setting out each of 15 and half days we walked. We paced ourselves to do 19 to 24kms daily, with one short day of 15kms and a long 31km day to just get some experience of distance many others walk daily. We became increasingly adept at good positioning of the backpack as days went on, and whilst she would have been perfectly accepting of sending backpack on, she never felt the need to do so on the wonderful Camino experience that was ours.

Buen Camino to you both. The backpack issue will be resolve satisfactorily, I have no doubt, and will just be incidental to a special time in your lives

 

[AllanHG]

Thanks for your suggestions. We've been looking at the same things that you mention above. We are also trying a modified chest strap which will sort of criss cross in the front. Osprey Canada has been really helpful with suggestions and parts (eg straps) to see if we can make this work. We are also exploring padding, like your towels, under the shoulder straps to see if we can take pressure off the area. Like your sister, my wife doesn't want to part with her backpack.
One question - what sort of padded dressings did you use to put over the pacemaker site?
Thanks again to everyone for their great suggestions!

 

[jdpiguet]

A couple of those contraptions looked very DIY, but the idea apparently caught on. Here I found a blog by someone who did some research on them.

May be http://www.carrix.ch

I have already walked 2 caminos and several long walks in Switzerland, you go almost everywhere with it.
The worst is when you have to climb stairs, but there are rare on the CF.
Example is Portomarin: in such places, you simply dismount it, and put it on your back for a few meters...

Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

 

[Pud]

Thanks for your suggestions. We've been looking at the same things that you mention above. We are also trying a modified chest strap which will sort of criss cross in the front. Osprey Canada has been really helpful with suggestions and parts (eg straps) to see if we can make this work. We are also exploring padding, like your towels, under the shoulder straps to see if we can take pressure off the area. Like your sister, my wife doesn't want to part with her backpack.
One question - what sort of padded dressings did you use to put over the pacemaker site?
Thanks again to everyone for their great suggestions!

Hi Allan,
We eventually used a "mepilex border" dressing (10cm square), generally used for dressings with exudate, but can also be used in non-exudating areas as protection for fragile skin.
I am a palliative care nurse, and in working with people with compromised immune systems and skin that is often at risk for shearing and pressure areas, we often need to be creative in adapting products on the market for more broader use than their prime function. The mepilex border is foam, self-adherent, waterproof, very comfortable dressing, conforms easily to body contours, and hypoallergenic. Dressing stayed on for 5-7 days. A sheepskin seat belt cover, cut to fit around the chest strap, was also a consideration, but the mepilex prevented any friction and did the trick