can you have an allery to your ICD?

Hi not posted for a while as been trying to get life back to normal .
It's 1 year since the VF and the ICD fitted and need some advice.
Never felt 100% since the ICD was implanted, constant colds and "chest" infections, feel not like me etc
Just kept getting anti-biotics from GP and getting on with it.
But was too busy to contact GP the last few weeks, pathetic I know, and guess what .....

collapsed in the bath, dragged out by hysterical hubbie and then collapsed in work next day!! Major drama etc etc rushed to hospital, blue lights et al.
Discharged myself ( as not my hospital and they didn't have a clue about what to do with me) Got more anti-biotics from GP next day.
But felt really awful next few days and bad stabbing chest pains continued that my GTN spray just didn't touch. So went to see my cardiologist and he immediately admitted me. He said I looked dreadful and was worried that the device or the leads were infected.
So to cut a long story short, all blood cultures, tube behind heart test , ECGs etc etc were all fine and the device hadn't fired. But blod pressure kept plummeting for first 2 days.
They pumped me full of IV anti-biotics
(quite a show ,2 short nurses on tiptoes forcing this stuff into my veins on day 1!) By day 2 I felt tons better but I and cardiologist are baffled. I was discharged ater 3 days.
When I got home, covered in a terrible rash on arms, face and chest, due to all the needles. My hubie, bless him, pointed out that as the rash was due to my allergy to nickel, s steel, platinum etc etc maybe I was allergic to the device.
I have tried googling this topic but with litle sucess.
If I am allergic to it then maybe it would explain the symptoms I have constantly .... cold sweats where it literally runs off me ( no , not in the menapause, that all stopped somehow when I was in ITU after the VF), sweats even worse in bed, feeling exhausted, nauseus, device site still painful, like I am dragging myself through days etc etc. I use my GTN spray a lot but tests show I don't have angina. I also take Tildiem 200*2 daily for this.
So anybody got any ideas? I haven't discussed this with my cardiologist yet as would like to give him something concrete to work with first. He is wonderful and determined to do the best he can for me, I am very lucky in meeting him.
My allery to these metals and silicon had been verified by patch tests and I use to need monthly cortisone jabs when it got really bad.
I am 46 and my arterys are total clear and my statins are good and my cholesterol low.
sorry for long story but I really could do with some advice/ideas/input etc from all of you.
I have a maximo vr 7232cx icd if that helps

By DebBar
Posted May 30, 2009 at 5:11 pm
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mrsaa, I've never thought about someone possibly being allergic to the metals in the ICD. I say tell your cardiologist pronto about your suspicions. It's gone on way too long and could be extremely dangerous.......you collapsed 2 days in a row!!! And a trip to the ER!! Get to your cardiologist's office!

Deb

By Katz
Posted May 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm
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Could the rash be an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and not the needles. I have that reaction to some antibiotics, You were getting heavy doses.

Just a thought.

Scottie

By mrsaa
Posted May 31, 2009 at 5:33 am
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many thanks yes you're right i will go see him, just wanted to make sure I wasn't being irrational!!!
been a week off anti-biotics now and guess what sweats, cough and feeling under the weather yet again, so think i need to pursue this with him

god bless x

By kardia
Posted May 31, 2009 at 12:25 pm
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mrsaa.

Unless you like the drama, it can be eliminated by simply working directly with your cardiologist. The GP is not the answer. Any time, I have anything wrong, in another area, tooth ache with infection, hormone pills from my gynocologist, examinations from a second team of cardiologists, I go straight to the cardiologist, not the GP and follow up. It takes work, but I make sure everyone has the notes taken in each visit. They all need to know what medications we are on, responses to treatments, and the allergies that exist because there are reactions to things you never thought possible. This takes work, but then this takes work.

This site is excellent for getting directives, comparing experiences, and compassionate support, but the hard core treatment is proactive with our cardiologists. Unless of course, we cannot afford insurance, then it is an entirely different story. Please go to the main source...the cardiologist.

You can do it!

kardia

By Winglover
Posted June 1, 2009 at 3:20 pm
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Maybe you need a CT Scan to look further at the possibility of infection. Sure sounds like what my Dad went through with his pacemaker. Did they do a TEE to look where the wires are attached? With your metal allergies you would think (ha! ) that the docs thought about that before it was inserted. Definitely go to your cardio and don't stop until someone listens to you!

By mrsaa
Posted July 4, 2009 at 12:24 pm
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thanks everyone we are following it up and I have meeting scheduled with only guy in UK who is looking into this possibility of allergy to implant thanks to my amazing cardiologist's persistence and all your advice.
But now have another prob could you guys offer any comments re my post on cardiac arrest and epilepsy?

Ange

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