I occasionally log in and see many people question the necessity of having a pacemaker/ICD. I just wanted to tell everyone that feels that way of my latest experience that shows that if an PM/ICD has been recommended by your doctor for arrythmias, cardiomyopathies (my diagnosis since 1991) or any heart disease that affects the heart rhythm it is a very important thing in your life.

On Thursday the 28th of January I had an appointment with my cardiologist for a followup to a hospital visit 2 weeks prior. I have been having a problem catching my breath during normal activities like walking. It turned out to be more fluid retention than anything else and I seemed to be OK after that hospital stay. However, after the visit to the d...

 

does anyone here have this?....crt-d w/avt model n107 ?boston scientific/guidant doesnt have this model listed,hmmm.looking for someone else that has this one.

 

I talked to a Dr last night that does the implants. I told him that everyone said I would feel better after getting my defibrillator on Monday. He said, "Really, dont count on that....who told you that...???"

He informed me that if I needed ONLY the pacemaker part, than yes, but the ones of us that need the defibrillator for Vt normally dont see any day to day difference.

I thought, maybe, my weakness, fatigue, jumpy heart, nervous, and light headed feelings would get better???

Jut a vent... still praying that I WILL feel better and just not be scared of the SHOCK factor!

Andrea

 

Had my pacer checked yesterday and they informed me that the upper lead had been turned off., apparantly there was some static or noise that was there the last time I had it checked.
So, they took the liberty of disabling it.
This information was from the pacer dept. dr.

I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and have had two myomectomies. My rhytymns are fine now, its more of a preventative measure and I keep a low pulse of around 60.

How critical is it for that lead to be on, ? and would it still help me if I needed it to with just the bottem lead on.

 

Hi there...my name is Andrea and I go for my "Shocker" surgery next Monday, Feb 8th. I will have a defibrillator put in due to VT.

I've been a heart patient my whole life. Born w/ tetrollogy of fallot, but had a total repair when I was 4 by Dr. Denton Cooley at Texas Heart Inst. I've always had right side enlargement and mvp, but issues started increasing. I ofcourse always said..."I'm FINE." In November, some of my coworkers noticed my blue hands and nervous attitude and sent me to the school nurse where I work. It happened again a week later, but I also had blue earlobes, back pain, and nausea. Heart Cath was done in Dec. and found the pulmonary valve has a severe leak. They dont know how much surgery will improve my...

 

hello i live in ontario canada had crt-d implated nov 2 /09,today i went to the icd clinic wich is 30 minutes down the hiway from were i live nothing in my area for heart patients,anyways when i got there this would be my second interogation since implanted,i said to the receptionist,i would like to get my crt-d interogated,she gave me this strange look and said ,what the hell is a crt-d?(comforting that was ) anyways she called a nurse who does the interogation she says to me on the phone im in surgery whats wrong i said well i have symptoms coming back and you told me if any returned to get back here right away,so that is excatly what i did i tod her my blood pressure was 155/100 i feel stomach sick daily now my left arm was thr...

 

Hello, I will be having a Bi-Valve Defibrillator with a Pacemaker implanted on Feb5th. I'm 64 yrs old and have CHF and much difficulty in breathing, My ejection fraction was around 35% after I had my 1st MI 15 yrs ago. After the 2nd one last November it has dropped to 15-20%. I am very positive about the implant improving my chances to live to see my grandchildren as they grow up but also apprehensive as to how much the defibrillator will improve my EF. I have been a diabetic for 35 yrs-a brittle diabetic with many hi's and lows. I am trying very hard to eat well and do whatever exercise I can tolerate--Which isn't too much right now. I would like to hear from anyone who may have some advice or encouragement to share with me. as to w...

 

hi every1 i have a duel chamber biotronik pacemaker. my heart probs r sick sinus syndrome, mvp, no circumflex artery, heart stopped 8 times in past 7 years, tia 2008. before i got my pacemaker the dr started 2 do an ep study, but when they inserted the 1st wire in my heart stopped so they revived me & put the pm in immediately. recently ive been getting alot of a-fib & some v-tach with awfull severe symptoms. ive been 2 alot of hospitals with severeal saying i need an icd urgently but then refusing 2 do it with no explanation why! i only have emergency medicaid but ive been told thats not why they refused..i dont know what 2 believe. any advice would b gr8ly appreciated thanx :)

 

hello all,love this site ive found tons of useful info here ,i felt information starved on icd,s i had my implant done november 2nd /09 and ive found a lot of questions i had ,i found the answers here,great to have a site like this for information thanks!

 

I read a few of the other posts about riding a bike after the ICD was put in (Still confused). I have a Medtronic Pace/defibrillator and I would like to hear from some of you and your experiences with riding after the ICD. I had it placed 12-30-09 and will still be awhile before I can ride. Losing my bike would be like cutting of my right arm. Any advice or experiences would be helpful. Thanks, Richard

 

Has anyone had any problems being checked with the wands they use in the courthouses? I went into a courthouse in California this past summer. I told them about the ICD. I didn't have to go through the metal detector but they used a wand on me. In just about a minute or so I started feeling like my heart was racing in the Indy 500. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hello! I am looking for similar cases. My husband is 32. He currently has a biventricular pacemaker and a mechanical valve in the aeortic position. His cardiologist here in Pittsburgh says he needs a defibrillator because he has had several non sustaining episodes of ventricular tachycardia and by having the defibrillator if he would have one that put him into v-fib then it would shock him. The Cleveland Clinic is saying he does qualify for a defibrillator because his ejection fraction is above 40% and he only had one symptomatic episode of VT. He can be managed with the use of metoprolol which he is already taking and everytime his dosage is increased his blood pressure drops too low since it is already low. Any useful information ...

 

Hi there,

this is for all the Defib patients out there, especially those who suffered a heart attack:
Catheter Ablation Prior To Defibrillator Shock Reduces Risk Of Recurrence Of Ventricular Tachycardia (VTACH Study)
Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174929.php

Prof. Kuck is my EP, and I heard him speaking about this study at a national experts meeting in October. Was highly interesting, and the results were very convincing.

Best wishes
Inga

 

Call me crazy if you want...but I know I am not imagining this. I have had an ICD since Feb/2008 and have been shocked 5 times and paced out of VT more than 150 times. I have a complex VT and per my EP, it has been labeld "Unable to classify". Every time I am in my basement/familyroom and on my laptopwhich has a wireless connection, my heartrate goes crazy. I feel like I am being paced. The wireless router is about 15 feet from where i normally sit. The closer I sit to my desktop, the stronger and sooner it happens. Of the 5 times I have been shocked, 4 of them was in that same room. Hubby replaced the router and it still happens. Here is the weird part...We turn off the router and all is well... we turn it back on... it comes back. If I ...

 

Hello there!

Does spending a lot of time in a Wi-Fi environment has any adverse effect on ICDs?

I have been considering installing a Wi-Fi devise in my home so that we all could access the internet freely from a single line. How about wireless speakers?

Would appreciate any help on the above issues.

Bob

 

Hello All: I am a new member as of today 12-4-09, my ICD was implanted on 6-17-09 and it has been an experience. I was diagnosed with CHF and arrythimthmia and believe me its been
shocking to say the least.

My first episode was in May and the next two was in November at work, once when I was sitting at my desk and the next just
after the EMT's got me on the gurney. It can be difficult learning
to live with our devices but, if we didn't have them, we just might
not be here. All I can say if were not for the Lord I wouldn't be
here.

I want to say how great it is having someone you can dialog with that understands what we are going through and how it
affects us when our pacemakers do go off...

 

Good Evening,

I'm nervously approaching the big day when a Boston Scientific CRT-D aka Biventricular PM/DEFIB will be implanted.

My EP says driving will not be a problem after a week or so. Evidently there are no state laws in Colorado restricting one's driving privileges if implanted.

Any feedback good or bad would help ease my mind.

Thanks to all for your posts.

Ron

 

Hi:

I am a 47 year old woman who has rheumatoid arthritis. 5 years ago I took ENBREL, since then I have gone through a medical nightmare. I suddenly developed atrial fib, then congestive heart failure, then endometrial hyperplasia (pre-cancer), then severe anemia, then another bout of congestive heart failure (oh had lots of unsuccessful cardioversions), then more atrial fib, the was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma after having a CT in order to do an ablation. Chemo was tough, but successful and I am now in remission for past 6 months. Unfortunately, the adriamycin killed my heart muscle and I was dx with dilated cardiomyopathy. I actually was admitted to the hospital after an unsuccessful cardioversion, and then went into ...

 

Hi.. any advise, thoughts on when you get have your first shock?? Kind of mixed about the whole thing, gratefull to have good doctors, be alive and that it worked perfectly. Unsettled at the relization that it really went off. Having it go off kind of ripps away my core confidence that I am strong and healthy.
Thanks! Janiejane..

 

One week ago today I had a Medtronic ICD implanted and have so many issues and questions to deal with. The decision for an ICD as very sudden after I died during the EP Study. I would love to speak with someone that has had a similar experience. I live in Staten Island, New York. My cell phone number is (917) 297-3830 and my name is Lorraine. If you think you might be able to help, please give me a call.

Thanks,
Lorraine