how to deal with shocks

When I got my ICD on Sept 2, 2009 I was scared but then on Sept 5, 2009, while at a church outing, my ICD misread my heart and shocked me 14 times in 15 mins.  Now they try to tell me it is working the way it should be, but they also told me when it misread and hit me 14 times that my ICD was damaged but they are truly lieing and now the fear is even more scarey to me.

1 Comments

Been there

by beezie916 - 2011-04-03 05:04:58

Well I had my ICD implanted in 2007 after I went into V-Tach due to severe heart failure. I was previously diagnosed with A-Fib as well. Well after I got the implant a few days after going home I was shaving and got the first of at least 10 shocks. OMG I swear it felt like a donkey kicking me in the back. Every time I moved I got shocked...it was awful. The paramedics arrived and because of the layout of my apartment I had to get up and walk to the living room from the bedroom to get on the gurney. They was able to find out I was not in V-Tach but in an AFib episode and heart was just keeping up and the pacemaker was fooled. The paramedic helping me off the floor felt 2 of my shocks and after that they wouldn't even help me up off the floor...once I got on the gurney I said frozen for hours at the hospital. Come to find out...the doctor forgot to give me an RX for the AFib medicine to control it and when I went into Afib it did what it was supposed to and made the ventricle part of my heart keep up thereby making the pacemaker thinking I was in trouble.

Today I am now 100% paced after an av node ablation and the leads moved to the outside thanks to a sensitive diapharatic nerve and I have had no problems since. My EF has actually improved from the teens of then back to 45-50%. If your getting shocked when not in v-tach you need to force the issue to find out why so don't have to worry. I know for me after my traumatic episode I worried everyday till they did the ablation about 3 months later but now it is just part of me...hope things are going ok now for you.

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My eight year old son had a pacemaker since he was 6 months old. He does very well, plays soccer, baseball, and rides his bike. I am so glad he is not ashamed of his pacemaker. He will proudly show his "battery" to anyone.