New ICD- so many questions!

Wow, how lucky am I to have found this place? Have spent the last hr reading other post... guess Im not alone! Ok, I had my 1st ICD implanted in 1/19/10 for cardiomyopathy & bradycardia. (Dr.s feel certain caused by a viral infection). Anyway, I'm feeling very depressed, but I see thats pretty normal??? I trust my Dr.s but it's so common to them that I feel carted off to hanle this on my own. I am a former nurse and SHOULD know the answers, but cardiology wasn't my forte. I just feel alone and scared s#!tless. I havn't experienced fatigue or fainting prior to this.. only palpitations & some arrythemias, so I'm told I'm very lucky. Even tho I see many here are younger than me, I feel too young for this! I've been home for a week now and am so tired. I just started bruising. Is this normal? It's under my L arm, and my entire L breast is bruised black. I've talked to 2 other ppl with ICD's and they said they had very minimal bruising. Also, I'm still very uncomfortable (pain). Those others have also said their pain was gone in 2-3 days. I want to get on with my life but I hate having my family take care of me.... that's my job!! LOL My 1st check up appt. is on Feb. 3 but I seem to be slowly going crazy here. Too much time to think I guess.Did you all feel this way afterward? Thank you for having this site. I'm so anxious for responses.

9 Comments

Welcome

by Bionic Man - 2010-01-28 08:01:52

I love the name. I don't have an ICD only a pacer but I do have a dilated cardiomyopathy. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I was also told it was probably caused by a virus. I think it was strep throat. I used to always get it. I had never heard of a myopathy until I was diagnosed. I had bradycardia and episodes of tachycardia. I felt miserable for a long time prior to my pacer (weak,dizzy,short of breath, chest pain, and the feeling of passing out). Now I still have days when I feel a little off, otherwise I'm alright. It takes some people longer to recover than others. I did have pain for a while but it got less with every passing day. Hopefully you'll be back to your old self in no time. We want those irish eyes smiling.
Good Luck,
Bob

YAY!!!

by irisheyes317 - 2010-01-29 03:01:27

Not that I'm glad you also had pain & discomfort but that i'm not alone and just maybe, everything is gonna be OK. In the hospital, after surgery, I had 2 pain shots of morphine. The EP Dr. cut them after that and said that the pain isn't bad enough for that. They sent me home with 15 percocets, which didnt last long and I know, he wont refill them. I'm now taking 4-6 ibuprofins, which may account for the bruising? Anyway, the Dr. made me feel like I was a chronic complainer, but really dont have a tolerance for pain. Besides, who is he to tell me what degree of pain I'm having? Then I see here where others returned to work within a week or had nearly no pain at all. It's gotten better but it's nearly intolerable in the morning when i get out of bed. Gizmo feels so heavy, like I'm carrying around a heavy shoulder bag. I hope that will go away. Yesterday I forced myself to stuff a chicken for dinner & made home-made mashed potatoes & today, I even changed my sheets & did a load of laundry. So Im not slacking. I think I'll take a little walk tonight, but that scares me too. We live in PA. & it's SOOOOO cold here now. OK I'm done venting/complaining. Thanks again for hearing me out and for all your patience & understanding. I'm gonna be just fine!!

I Understand

by timberhitch - 2010-01-29 03:01:58

I received a pacemaker for low heart beat at the end of December. I wish I was like others who post to say their pain went away after a few days. I too thought I could deal with the better - I had part of my colon removed two years ago and my stomach looked like it had a zipper. That incision was much longer and I have had more pain at this stage of healing with the PM than I did with the colon surgery. In fact, I thought that I had damaged something and went to the pacemaker clinic and also saw my cardiologist. The rep. came to check it and assured me that everything was working properly and my Dr. said for some people it just takes more time. He told me to keep up with the pain medication and eventually the pain will deminish.
I, also, was depressed because I thought that I should be farther along than I was. After being reassured that everything was going along as it should, I am now dealing with it on a positive note. Hang in there, it will get better.

todays progress

by irisheyes317 - 2010-01-29 06:01:52

Another YAY! I stuffed some peppers for dinner, peeled more potatoes & carrots.(One doent realize how heavy a roaster pan is until you're told not to lift more than 3 lbs.!) Once in the oven, I took a walk around the block. It's about 17 degrees here in the Pittsburgh area and I had no problem walking/breathing at all. I didn't realize how bad my heartrate must have been but I never in a million years could have done that prior to the surgery. Still have shoulder & incision pain and Gizmo still weighs 1000 lbs but I made progress. You guys have helped me SOOOOO much. Why didn't I find you earlier? Thank you from the bottom of my gimpy litle old heart! Hear me roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good for you!!

by BoBo2 - 2010-01-29 07:01:13

I am just two days post op with my pm, I am 55 years young! I am very sore right now, and I know what you mean about when you get up out of bed, I'm the same way. I think it's because I can only lay on my back at this point, any other way is very uncomfortable. It sounds like you are starting to get around now, that's GREAT!! This whole thing is a little scary. It's killing me not being able to drive! Anyway, hope your better soon. ( I just joined this site today, I think it will be very helpful).....

Welcome Irisheyes

by walkerd - 2010-01-29 08:01:51

I have a pm/defib after having emgerency bypass back in aug of 08. And to answer your question is it normal to be a little depressed after all this and the answer is yes, but the way to look at your little piece of metal you now have is that feel special because now you have your own little emt with you 24/7 looking out for you. I found that posting on here geting it off your chest and out into the open is the best thing you can do, it does help. The one thing i can offer is when you have a question write it down on a little pad, I know when I went to the dr i forgot half the questions i wanted to ask until i was on my way home. I kept the pad with me in my pocket and if i thought of something i wrote it down, dr thought i was wierd pulling this pad out and reading it lol no he didnt he said that was a great idea. I know after all my surgeries i had all kinds of time and reaserched alot on internet found loads of helpful info some info i could have done without knowing not really but some i didnt want to know. lol. but it helps come to terms with it. and all the help and friendship on this site helped me so much that the good friends on here will never know how much they helped me and im forever grateful to them.
dont be afraid to ask questions on here and if you need to vent type it, trust me irish it helps dont matter how trivail you think it is if it bothers you put it in type on here and youll get answers or loads of great comments that will make you feel better.

type away
dave

welcome to the club

by Hot Heart - 2010-01-29 09:01:33

Sorry i dont know much about what you are asking, but am always here for you to have a rant and rave at if you want to. I felt so alone and weepy for the first year, and terrified, knowing so little about heart problems.

Sixteen months on im much more confident and knowledgable about my own condition, thanks to the great people on here.

HH

Thanks SO much

by irisheyes317 - 2010-01-29 10:01:56

I am so grateful for your responses! I know it will take time to adjust to this "gizmo". I'm such a high energy person and this recuperation time, not to mention the winter doldrums, it's what's getting me down. Then I look down & see all this bruising, just now starting after more than a week and I think the worst... like maybe I'm bleeding in there? And still having such discomfort is not helping. (I'm a big boob when it comes to pain.) Shouldn't it have eased up some by now? Sleeping is so uncomfortable too. If I lay on my right side, gizmo seems to "shift". Its so darn heavy in my chest! I forgot to mention that my mom & aunt both have ICDs. Theirs are very noticable, even thru their shirts and their scars are fairly large. I am thankful tho that my Dr. did an excellent job and I can't even see a lump where gizmo is. My incision is still steri-stripped up but he made it vertical right where my bra strap will be, so I'm sure it wont be noticable once healed. Thanks for hearing me out & letting me vent. BTW, I'm 58 going on 30. WAY too young for this!!! LMAO Thanks again.

thanks!

by irisheyes317 - 2010-01-30 03:01:13

I really am grateful for finding this site and for all your positive responses.I absolutely LOVE the humor here! I've made so much progress since joining several days ago. 'Hopefully one day, I'll be able to put someone's mind at ease as well. And hang in there BoBo2, we'll get thru this together. I think we are in good hands here. Thanks again everyone. irisheyes
PS shame on me. I drove today (before seeing the Dr.). Just 2 blocks to the library. But actually, I now understand 'cause it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I wont do it again, but go ahead and yell at me, I deserve it. (my hubby is so P/O'd at me!)

You know you're wired when...

You have a $50,000 chest.

Member Quotes

My pacemaker is the best thing that every happened to me, had I not got it I would not be here today.