Defib

Has anyone had the Defib part of the Pacemaker go off and how did it feel.
I think mine went off twice yesterday.

6 Comments

Defib

by andycarlton - 2007-06-05 02:06:19

dave969,
My ICD has fired 5 times since 2002. In my experience you will have no doubt when you've been shocked. My heart rate zooms to 180+bpm and I immediately feel light headed. Then within 45 seconds I am shocked and it feels like a flash across the front of my chest. Immediately after the shock I feel just great knowing that my life has been saved.
Hope this helps.
andycarlton

Four times for me

by Peter.Nash - 2007-06-05 05:06:52

Hi,
My ICD has gone off four times... it over so quick but quite a violent thud in the chest and a contraction of your body ..for me it gets me out of a horrible feeling which nearly blows me away....... if yours fired you will be in no doubt about it whatsoever .....Peter

Defib Reply

by dave969 - 2007-06-06 11:06:54

Thanks for the comments.
I got a call back from my doctor's ICD Nurse and they wanted me to send a reading by phone so they could see if I really had a Jolt.
I did have 2 but they should not have happened so I saw the doctor today who implanted the ICD and what he think happened is the Chantex Med. that I take for stop smoking made my heart give false readings of a double heart beat which set off the Defib.
The experience was scary because if they did not figure out the problem they were going to do adjustments then put me under stop the heart and see if the Defib worked.
At least I know what it feels like and what to expect.
All is well and I hope the best for all of you
Thanks
Dave

defib

by luckyloo - 2007-06-06 12:06:07

mine went off once. i got the full jolt the first time 31 joules. i thought someone shot me in the back with a shot gun. knocked me right out...i was going for a run. usually you start light and work your way up to the big one. my lead was fractured so it skipped the light ones. the light ones you're not suppose to feel or feel very little. if you were shocked, ask how many joules you were hit with.

take care,
luckyloo

FLASHBACKS

by livingwitharvc - 2007-06-08 08:06:00

I feel blessed to be shocked, because it means I will still be here, but absolutely hate it! People say that I scream loudly when it happens, I guess I choose not to recall that part, but it feels like a big WHAMMY in your chest. I have flash backs of the "many whammy's" sometimes. I am afraid of the next time and cringe when I know my heart rate is going up. I am always knocked on my rearend. Funny thing that a lady said to me was that she had an ICD for 10 years and she said as far as she knew hers had never gone off. I told her if she didn't know then it defintely hadn't gone off.

Oh Dave, let me tell ya!

by colleenjohnson - 2007-06-08 09:06:59

Well Dave mine went off last week and a person ten feet away from me heard what she said was like a fire cracker! So you can imagine what i heard! I am not going to sugar coat it, but it feels like an explosion in your body! I was taken by ambulance from the bank where i was. Anyway you dont have to think if it fired off...believe me you will know.

Stay Well, Colleen

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