Already a member? Sign in
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
I am mostly concerned about what my life will feel like afterwards, and coming to grips with the idea of the device inside of me, and any possible malfunctions or side effects. I am afraid I will never feel like myself again or ever think of myself as a healthy person again. I am also a bit concerned about the pain and feeling the implant at the site.
at first it is weird and all but you get used to it and to know you have your own personal device that can and will save your life.....when i pass by the defibs in the airport i always say thank god i have my own
you have your days here and tehre but you get use dto it i'm always afraid of it firing but i'm thankful for it yeah the site you can tell but the benefits out way alot of things some ladies on the site told me to name it i call mine icd trigger so name it makes it easier.............
hugs to you
god bless
surviving heart disease one day at a time
with trigger 04 /08
for 10 years
nanamo
Nanamo,
I want to reassure you about getting the ICD. My husband got one about three weeks after he had his arrest. At the time we did not put much thought into it as we had been through such a harrowing time, anything that would reassure us seemed to be a good idea. Now about 4 months after the event I am so glad that he has it. It gives me peace of mind and him too. He is so skinny that it stick out quite far in his chest and used to give me the "willys" but I am used to it now and I think he is used to it too. He still has some slight discomfort when he tries to sleep on the side it is on. I remember him having some pain when it was first implanted and of course soreness at the incision sight but that did not last long. He has not had a moments worry with it so far althought they are thinking that it might need some tweaking-which would not be major. It is good for you to question what is happening and to hear what others have to say but when it comes down to it , what matters is what you and your loved ones think and how you relate to your Dr. Don't be afraid to ask questions!
Keep in touch and let me know how it goes.
Diane
Sorry, Cindy, I got your name wrong and address my post to the wrong person!
Diane
Hey! I'm 38, and I just celebrated 6 months will my ICD! It is amazing how many stages one goes through following the implant. At first, it is quite sore and there are indeed rules and restrictions regarding lifting and reaching. At the 3-month mark, you can expect to feel much more like yourself and to be adapting quite well to having the implant. Now, it is like the ICD is just another part of ME. I do have to admit that I put a GREAT deal of thought, prayer, time and energy into living a happy, productive life after surviving an SCA and getting an ICD. The people on this site are soooooooo helpful! They promised this day would finally come for me, but it is very difficult to see for oneself immediately following the implant. You will navigate through physical, emotional, mental and spiritual recovery....and you will laugh and play and work hard again!!!
Thank you all for your insights and hopefulness and your supportive emails during this time. I know I just need to look to the future and be happy for each day I have on this wonderful and beautiful place called Earth, and try not to spend to much energy on worries. I had told my doctor I did not want one for the last four years, finally I changed my mind a few weeks ago when I had a brief hosptalization and as I started facing the realities. I know it is the right decision, it is just a bit hard to come to grips that this is actually happening to me.
Dear Cindy,
Hey there, hope this finds you doing well. I just had my ICD surgery on 9/3/09. All went really well and I am recovering just fine. Please know that I support you following through on having one. I have been visiting this site since spring and knew quite well what I was in store for. I am SOOOO glad I did have the procedure. I must admit I was quite surprised at how much more secure I felt afterward. I do know that having another SCA is pretty much guaranteed after you have your first and I was walking around on pins and needles, but no more! Of course I have really changed the way I live day to day. Lotsa healthy choices and dumping of bad habits is a must! I went through carciac rehab and think it is vital for support and direction.
As for the procedure, the anestegiologist came in before hand and we had a little chat. He assured me I would breeze through it just fine and his word was golden. I was up and outta bed before twelve hours was up. Remember, you must take at least two weeks or more to just sit and heal afterwards. (that's the best part!) Keep the site iced! I was given darvocet for pain right afterwards but that really didn't go a thing for me. So, they switched me over to tylenol 325mg/2tabs every four hours. Worked like a charm and got rid of that deep down pain and discomfort! yeah, over the counter tylenol, go figure. I know that I am trying like heck to avoid any of those narcotic type drugs. I see what that stuff does to some of the clients I work with and it is not good.
There is something to be said for clean living and it's my new hobby! Hey, if you have any questions be sure to email me, would really like to be there for ya, as so many others here have done for me. Here's my addy - adad5757@yahoo.com
don
Thanks for your response and for those of everyone else who has written. I will look forward to the three month mark. Although I am sure the experience is different for everyone. Perhaps I will plan something special in advance of it. Maybe a trip or at least a massage. Based on my timetable, the three month mark will be on New Years Day. Well that will be a new start of sorts, I hope. I still cannot wrap my brain around it all, but perhaps I am thinking too much at this point.
Cindy:
In February 2008 my husband had a SCA & although he made it, they did not give him an ICD. His cardiologist (from a major Boston hospital) looked me in the eyes & told me it would "never" happen again.
Less than 5 months later, SCA DID happen again and again we were lucky. Our NEW cardiologist implanted an ICD before he was allowed to leave the hospital.
Of course my husband is a great good sport & calls himself the "bionic" man. He - like you - is grateful for his life. He says now he never thinks about it & feels just as well and normal as he did before any of his SCAs.
If we live a long life we collect all sorts of scars. He has this one on his chest now. Life makes its mark and no one is going to get out of here un-marked unless the life if brief.
His ICD has been tested & its working and after a year of having this thing I have to tell you - it really makes ME feel better.
I am grateful to live in this big, amazing world where smart, dedicated strangers have done so much to help my husband live a much longer life. The ICD reminds me that one of the greatest of nature's gifts and achievements really is the mind of humankind.
What I am trying to say is - it's not a "is the glass have empty or half full" question for me. My cup runs over.
Cindy,
Count your blessings that you are about to receive an ICD. It will give you peace of mind of knowing that, should you again experience a SCD, you will have a phenomenal device react immediately. Until getting mine, I was continusouly worried that if I were to experience cardiac arrest again, I'd be a gonner as a third of my heart muscle was permanently destroyed already. There are only a few precautions to learn to follow such as avoiding being too close to radiation, etc.
Not to worry, you are a fortunate person.
/s/ SHALE
Hi,
I had my ICD implanted on August 20th. I never had an SCA, but my doctor advised it because I was at risk for life-threatning arrythmias. My biggest fear was if I was able to drive afterwards, and that my first question! Also, the hardest part is not being able to lift anything by shoulder for a certain period of time. Sleeping on your side will take a while to get use too.
As far as the pain afterwards, it will feel wierd, but it takes a while to get use to the feeling for your "little friend" inside you. Think of it that way...its your friend you'll be carrying around with you because its there to save you're life.
Cindy, I had my ICD implanted on 10/13/06. The only problems that I have with it is that a lead was bad and had to go back into surgery and have it replace. I am so glad that I have it know that what happened to me could happen again and living in a very rural place it gives me comfort. I'm on another support group for ppl that have ICD's and on it one person has the nick that I like. I Can't Die just remeber that for your ICD.
Hi Cindy, I believe that you were supposed to have your ICD implanted today and wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and hoping that everything went smoothly and that all is well. I hope you will take it easy....and keep us posted.
I also live in Ohio and my cardio is recommending that I have an ICD planted in 3 months if my EF doesn't improve enough....
Hi Cindy, I believe that you were supposed to have your ICD implanted today and wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and hoping that everything went smoothly and that all is well. I hope you will take it easy....and keep us posted.
I also live in Ohio and my cardio is recommending that I have an ICD planted in 3 months if my EF doesn't improve enough....
Hi Hipmama and Everyone:
Oct 1 was the day (yesterday) that the 2 lead ICD went in. Everything went very well. It took about 3 hrs. from start to end. I did not even get nervous at any point, which I thought I might at the point in the hospital just before getting the happy pill, etc., or the night before - but I slept just fine. I think that is because I knew it was the right thing for me to have and that I knew I had a good doctor. So being proactive about it made me feel more in control of the whole process, which is sometimes hard to achieve when one has an illness. So far the site is swollen and somewhat painful but not too bad. I am taking some tylenol with codeine. I was told that next few days could get worse with the pain, but then things would improve after that. It has already done a few painless pacings, as they could tell from my wearing the ECG telemetry and having the the ICD in last night (my one night in the hospital). Thanks for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers along the way. I am sure there will be some challenges of one sort or another ahead, but right now my goal is to make it to my one week checkup in good shape and to obey all my doctors orders regarding use of my left arm such that the leads and device have the time they need to start to heal properly. I am happy to have found this site in advance of my procedure, it really helped for me to experience all the positivity here !
Cindy,
Glad to hear everything went good. Keep the site iced, wear your arm/waist band holder and give it time for the swelling to leave. My procedure was on 9/2/09 and now I am feeling almost normal. There are times when I forget it's even there. Of course there are also times when it still gets sore and reminds all about it again, lol. Mostly if I sleep in the wrong position. You'll find out....lol! Hang in there!
Don
Dear Cindy,
Glad things went well for you. I had my implant in April 08 and everything is good now.
I don't know how I missed your first post because the photo you have on this site is the exact smitten image of my dog who is a schnoodle. I even thought it was me posting for a minute until I read farther.
great news Cindy! I'm glad everything went well, and thanks for checking in with us to let us know.
I'm sure you will be feeling better every day. Take care of yourself and follow doctor's orders - I know you will!
I just added the picture today. This is Henry my mini schauzer. I also have a Corgi, Buddy. Both are ~ 4 yrs old.
Dear Cindy,
Your Henry looks exactly like my Toto. Even though she is a mix she looks all Schaunzer. Their coloring is the same, they could pass for twins. How old is your Henry. My Toto is 11 months tomorrow. I named her Toto because when I first got her she was black with gray undertones, but her color changed immensely since then.
I don't have a real good photo of her, but I will try to post something so you can see.
WELL I COULD NOT FIND A GOOD PHOTO, BUT THIS ONE IS ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO BEFORE I HAD HER CUT REAL SHORT. SHE LOOKS LIGHTER NOW AND YOU CANNOT SEE THOSE LITTLE BROWN HAIS HERE AROUND THE MOUTH.
I GUESS IT IS TIME TO TAKE OUT THE CAMERA AND GET HER 1 YR OLD PHOTOS.
Add to the discussion