Implantable defibrillators

Hey, Mags. Welcome to A2K. Are you referring to a pace maker?

Hi Letty!
No, it's not a pacemaker, although it may be somewhat similar. I believe it works in a different way.

coluber, your response is very comforting. Cardiologists are great mechanics and thank god for them, but frankly, not many are great communicators. I have talked to the wonderful nurse practitioner who words with them and she has made me feel greatly better. Thanks for your input

Implanted defibrillators were in the news this morning. Check:

http://www.healthcentral.com/newsdetail/408/1506452.html

and


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050618/RTICKERGUIDANT18/TPHealth/

I think that quality control is going to be strictly enforced from now on in.

Hi
I know this thread is a little old, but....

my husband has had an implanted defib. for years now.

If you (or anyone) out there still wants an opinion, post back and I'll give more detail.

Bottom line though - it has been a godsend.

Yes, I would like to hear what it's like to live with one. I am going to the electrical cardiologist this afternoon.

It's amazing the huge strides the medical field makes these days. Something practically unknown in the last decade is common place and successful today.

Actually, when my husband had his implanted it did cause him quite a bit of pain.
Long story short, it was the surgeons error, he was going through a crisis in his person life (wife dying of cancer) and did not place it properly, and it was on a nerve.

However - they did go back in an moved it - and no pain since.

At first - It was very scary thinking about this thing in his chest, however, over time, we both came to see it as a very positive thing.
Kirk has VF - so without the defibrillator, he literally could have dropped in his tracks. It's reassuring to know his every heartbeat is monitored.

Here's the fascinating stuff - When he would go to the electrocardiologist every few months for readings of what was going on, it was amazing what could be told.

There's quite a memory in this thing - you could say "I was feeling strange back on March 14 at 10:35 am, and they can go to that exact time and see what was happening.
It's all there on a windows program, and you can look at each heartbeat, compare to other times, get all kinds of averages, etc. etc. We both liked to be able to see what was going on - instead of just hearing the doc tell you - "you're fine"

When the defib is implanted - it will be set to go off under strictly controlled circumstances. It goes through 3 or 4 unfelt procedures to regulate your heart before it actually shocks you.
When Kirk came home from the hosp, after a few days it actually did go off, but when we rushed to the electrocardiologist office - it was determined that they had set it to respond to too low a level of elevated heart rate - so they upped the number of beats per minute the defib would consider normal.
As scary as that was at the time - We felt like "Well, at least now we know the thing works"

Because of the anti-arythmia drugs he's on, the defib has never actually gone off due to an arythmia.
In fact, last year he had to go in to have the docs put him out, cause his heart to go into VF, to see if it was working.
It was. Again, all this is scary at the time, but you realize you're having these procedures done at the cardiologist office with probably about 20 cardiologists running around. That's reassuring.

As far as communication issue....

His regular cardiologist, who he's see's about every 6 months, is warm, friendly, knowledgable and very much concerned about his patients welfare.
He always asks re what is going on in his (our) lives besides the medical issue. It's like he knows that he was able to help someone stay alive, and really enjoys seeing that they can live full lives.

The electrocardiologist is another story. While just as intelligent, up to date with the latest and wanting the patient to do well, I think the nature of being on the more "mechanical" end of the spectrum causes him to look at the actual device functioning rather than how the patient is feeling emotionally about it.

However - I have absolutely no complaints about him either - just a different person, and a different way of doing things.

Oh - and when he was shocked in those early days?
Have to be honest - He said it felt like a horse kicked him.
He said first he felt "funny" like he was going to black out - Then BAM.

Hey, when you consider the alternative.....

Good luck,
make sure you post how everything goes.....

Thank you for your informative posting. I just returned from the electrocardiologist's office, and I will have a biventricular pacemaker (a combination of a pacemaker and a defibrillator) put in in mid-August. I am feeling much reassured now. I liked this guy immediately...very warm and caring. My hopes are high. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. I'll post here again when all is implanted.

Sorry I failed to post here. It has been quite a ride! I had the devise implanted last August. It wasn't right from the very start...they kept having to reset and reset. Finally, one night in January, the device began pulsing my diaphragm! I went to the emergency room, where they found out that the defib lead had traveled and was on a nerve. Since the device had done me a great deal of good...my ejection fraction went from 24 to 45!...they decided to do another surgery to get the lead back where it belonged. So, in February, we did it all again. I have to say, things are going great now! The device has never gone off, but I know it's there protecting me. I'm stronger than I have been in ages, and am riding the exercise bike faithfully now.

Hey, just saw your post.

That's really great!

by any chance are you on Coreg (i think that's the spelling of the drug)

Taking Coreg increases your ejection fraction, I didn't know the ICD did as well. How does it do that?

Sorry to hear of your lead trouble, but happy it's something that can be fixed.

Funny that you should post today....my husband hat his regular cardiologist appt, and the doc said he wanted to wean him off the drug that prevents the V-fib. The ICD has never gone off expect when it malfunctioned once, and the ejection fraction of his heart has improved dramtically also. It's kinda scary for him to be getting off that drug, but knowing the ICD is there helps

I am really so glad you're doing well, and that you came here to talk about it.

It's really amazing what modern medicine can do, isn't it.

Wow, just looked, it's been almost a year. What a difference, huh?

Yes, I am on Coreg. Supposedly, it's the new wonder drug. I think that the device, in combination with the Coreg, are both responsible for the rise in ejection fraction. I'm so glad your husband is doing well, and that going off the meds will not trigger the defib. Yes, it has been a year...a year that I feel fortunate to have had. I only realize now how very sick I was. Thanks for responding!

Yes, that Coreg is REALLY remarkable. His cardiologist said my husband should be the poster boy for Coreg.

Isn't life great?