New To Site

• by R1sue
• 2013-01-21 06:01:22
• General Posting
• 774 views
• 1 comments

Hi, just found this site after coming home after a Pocket/Lead revison of my ICD. I am a 53 yr old woman living in Hampshire in the UK. This Medtronic ICD was fitted 11/01/20012 following an unexplained Cardiac Arrest on 27/12/2011 following a minor car accident when I was clinically dead for 15mins and given intensive CPR by a passing Neuorologist who witnessed my collapse, my heart had to be shocked twice to get it beating normally again. I was in a Coma in ITU for several days, my body was cooled to 1 degree to help protect my brain and no one knew what my outcome would be. Well although I have lost about 10 days of Memory including the days before Xmas 2011 I do not have any brain damage thank goodness. Without this neurologist who did the CPR I would not be here. What I find difficult to deal with is that even after extensive tests they have found no cause for what happened. I have no previous history of any kind of event that would lead to a CA, essentially all was normally. The ICD was fitted to treat any further episodes should they happen. The only problems I have had is I feel the Pacing Threshold checks that are done in the middle of the night hence the lead revision and the ICD was postioned too close to the edge of my chest and the skin covering was thin and they were concerned that constant rubbing from my Bra & handbag strap would eventually lead to the skin breaking down. I am 4 days post Op and still in a lot of pain but coping well. I live on my own but my Re-hab Nurse has arranged for help around the house for about 4 weeks as I am still in the middle of an Insurance Claim from the woman who hit my Car. Is there anyone who lives in the South of the UK near me?
This seems like a great site, but as a lot of you actually have a condition which called for a an PM/ICD I feel a bit of a 'fraud' as I have no illness/condtion which meant the implantation would improve the condition. Anyone else here have an ICD because of a totally unexplained CA?? I have been checked for Long QT etc etc and nothing was found which in a way is good but frustrating as I fear it happening again although with an ICD I will not 'Die' again as such. I guess I would of been an Sudden Adult Death statistic if not for the excellant CPR!
Have a great day all & I look forward to getting to know some of you. Sue