Anyone here have a Pacemaker/ICD implant? I just got one a week ago Friday!

[Better Believe It]

It's a combination pacemaker/implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

The surgery only took two hours and I was released the following morning.

I'm not suppose to lift over 10 pounds or lift up my left arm above my shoulder up for two weeks.

My heart beat was irregular and heart ejection fraction was down to 35.

I'd like to know DU'ers experiences with similiar devices.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Can't help you out, but stay well.

[Better Believe It]

2. I seem to be doing fine. Thanks. Without medical coverage it would not have been done.

And tens of millions without insurance don't have access this procedure,

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. The same goes for me. Without insurance, I'd have been lunch for the worms.

The lack of coverage for so many people is just one of the more shameful aspects of the "world's greatest military power".

[ret5hd]

3. BOO!!!

i kid, i kid!

[Better Believe It]

4. Do I really need to call Ghostbusters?

:hide:

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. What is

heart ejection fraction?

[Better Believe It]

8. That's the percentage of blood in your heart chamber that is actually pumped out with each beat,

It should be anywhere from 50% to 70%. 35% is to low and that means your entire body from your brain to your toes are not getting enough oxygenated blood to function well.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Thank you.

My wife goes to the cardiologist tomorrow morning re: low and erratically spiking heart rate. No sure what to expect. She was in the operating room last Monday for another procedure when they called the operation off.

Good luck to you and your new "helper".:thumbsup: I wish you all the best.

[Better Believe It]

10. Sounds like she might be a candidate for a Pacemaker and/or ICD

After they clear up that problem she should be able to handle the other surgery.

Your cardiologist might order a stress test among others to find out the exact reasons for the erractic heart beat. Once that's done the doctors will fix the problem and your wife will be fine!

Pacemaker/ICD device implants are pretty common today. Millions have been implanted and the risks are extremely low and rarely life threatening.

They are expensive devices and depending upon the insurance provider mine cost between 25 and 40 thousand dollars!

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Yes,

The anesthesiologist that called everything off said it could be anything from her current meds (she is on none, though) on up to needing a pacemaker.

We will know more tomorrow. Thank goodness for Medicare.

[State the Obvious]

6. I'm interested in others' pacemaker experiences, too

One of my relatives will be having this surgery within a month or two.

Good thoughts for your good health, Better Believe It. :hi:

[Yavapai]

12. My experience

I had a Boston Scientific pacemaker/defibrillator implanted two years ago. My injection faction was 18% before and now it is about 40%.

There was a lot of pain initially, but that subsided after a few months. The pain is from the area they have to carve out to make the device fit.

I have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure for about 8 years now and before the devise was implanted, I wasn’t allowed to do any exercise, lift over 10 lbs, or work. It forced me into an early retirement. My cardiologist hinted that my original cardiologist probably didn’t suggest the device originally because my insurance company back then wouldn’t pay for it and he was trying to keep me alive on the cheap. I only had it implanted after I was fully eligible for Medicare (thank you to everyone who helps pay for medicare!)

Since the implant, I feel much better and many of the original restrictions have been lifted. The things that I had to give up since the implant is operating a chainsaw or any device that uses a spark plug in near proximity to the pacemaker, as they will fool the device into detecting a condition of heart arrhythmia and then shock you. I am a ham radio operator and had to forgo the use of a high power RF amplifier, but can still use my radios at a reduced power level of 100 watts. My wife put a cartoon on the fridge, about a woman using a “clapper” to turn off the lights and in the background it shows her husband falling flat on his face because it is on the same frequency (ha ha.) One other thing that is not allowed is golf. By extending the left arm to a high arc, you could possibly pull one of the wires in your heart loose. This was not much of a sacrifice as I sucked at the game anyway!

The battery will probably last from about 6 to 10 years and then the pacemaker will have to be replaced (there goes my Porche! :shrug:)

Another thing was before the device I would get very light-headed anytime I went above about 4000 feet in elevation. Now I can stand higher altitudes and live at 5280 feet and love living in the mountains.

One other thing that I learned was, that, while you are in the hospital, if you repeatedly push the nurse's call button, they will release you before all the others (but the IVs will hurt a whole lot more.)

Good luck with your device. Hope this helps...

[emilyg]

13. Stay well. Hugs to you.

[catchnrelease]

14. Husband has one

His was implanted about 5 or 6 years ago for ventricular tachycardia. (He didn't have insurance and paid a big chunk out of pocket for the testing that showed what the problem was, in the end the dr referred him to a dr/hospital that takes low income cases and he didn't have to pay for the surgery or device thank god, as he was cleaned out. Now he goes to the VA and gets his check ups there.)

Anyway, he had his implanted on a Fri and was home Sat but had several shocks that first weekend. Went back to the dr and they raised the threshold for the "corrections", and since then he has never had one. He is also on a beta blocker which keeps his heart rhythm slower or whatever it is that beta blockers do.

His device is from Medtronic and a couple of years back, they recalled the leads that go from the device to the heart. However, they are not paying to correct anything of course! I think they are willing to pay $800. for new leads but that's it. Nice. He had what the drs think might have been a small stroke two years ago, and while they were checking that out, found a blood clot on the lead where it attaches to the heart. Since then he's been on coumadin and the clot dissolved. The drs can't say if the clot formed because the lead is there or not. Husband wants the whole device out, thinking that since he hasn't needed any shocks in 6 yrs, the drugs must be doing the job. And if the leads are supposed to be defective, how do they know it's even working. (He does go to get readings taken from the device at certain intervals, so I guess that should tell one way or the other.) The drs aren't buying that, and don't want to take the chance of removing it.

He was told all of those things you mention...stay away from electromagnetic things, no MRI's, don't do any overhead reaching with that arm. A few times he called the help line to ask about those restrictions eg one was to stay away from RC type toys and since the grandkids have some, what were the boundaries. They said just don't hold the control up by the device, I think it was to keep things like that 15 inches or more away. They were always helpful with questions. (The latest question he has is about going on the "thrill" rides at Disneyland--they say you shouldn't go on those, but we don't know if it's due to the electric fields or the thrill factor. Stay tuned...) And he is paranoid about it getting bumped, as I guess it is pretty painful if that happens. That's all I can think of, if you have questions please do ask.

[nashville_brook]

15. no personal experience...so i'll just send well wishes.

my grandfather had an early version pacemaker, implanted in 1977 iirc. never had any problems with it, and after the initial recovery he started an exercise program of walking 10 miles a day, which he kept up for almost 20 years. he had been a heavy smoker/drinker until his 60s, had his first heart attack at around 68, and lived to nearly 100.

[wellstone dem]

16. My dad got one last summer

He is 90 years old. He is an amazing man, and would not have got it, except the way he is going, he may live another 10 years or so. He was so tired all the time before. He finally said, "I have to do something." So he had the surgery. He is doing great, much more energy. He is back to reading and giving me book after book to read. For his birthday I gave him a biography of FDR, about a rich man who ended up truly serving the middle class and the poor. 600 pages. He said when he opened it, "I don't usually read books this long anymore." 3 weeks later he was done with it. WWII vet, who sends donations to Veteran's for Peace.

[Better Believe It]

18. Thank you for sharing the information and my best to your dad.

[mrmpa]

17. 80 year old mom has one-she lives with me, so this is my experience

She had it put in, in March of '07. Everything went well, same restrictions as you. It was February of '10, when she insisted in going out (wind chill was -15),to grocery shop. When we came home, we walked down the hall & she let out a scream. I propped her against the wall, I asked if it was her heart (the defib/pacemaker) had just shocked her. She called her doctor in the morning & saw him that day. They took her into the OR, to do some adjustments on it. All went well, she saw the doctor 2 days later, he was happy. Two days later at 2:00 a.m. ( I was not asleep yet), I heard her moan, she said she had just received a shock, while talking to her, it shocked her again. Called 911 and they took her to the hospital. Doctor did some more adjustments on it, and for the last year, no problems whatsoever. She saw the doctor last week and he is very pleased.

If you get shocked, that's a good sign, it means it's working. Also mom said the shock felt like a herd of horses riding across her chest.

I wish you all the best in the world. Just be aware of your body and the fact that you have something in you that will help you.

I also recommend getting a bracelet or something, that shows you have the defib. Mom wears hers daily, it also shows she uses coumadin, has joint replacements and next week cataract implant.

[Better Believe It]

19. I hope I never get shocked but if I do it may very well save my life.

I'm getting a card from the manufacturer that describes the details of my device. Must have it on me all the time.

Glad to hear your mom is doing better now.

[Better Believe It]

20. Just got the bill on the Pacemaker device. $84,000!

Without health insurance I'd be screwed, certainly wouldn't have received this badly needed device.

With the full hospital bill the charges will be well over $100,000!

[Warpy]

21. I can tell you that patients have reported to me

that when that thing fires, it's like getting kicked in the chest by a horse. You won't like it.

That's why it's necessary to get checked immediately if it does.

Some fellow nurses could feel them going off. I never could.