Thank You

Thanks for all of your input. I know some of you are worst off than me. I've had to retire and was restricted from driving for 6 months.
It's been hard accepting the fact that I have heart problems. I have had therapy but wasn't very helpful. Therapist ended telling me his problems. How can I improve my EF? I have cardiomyopthy but no blockages. Clean arteries. The ICD is implanted for when the heart goes too fast or to slow. Been having all kinds of skipped beats lately . It's making me very nervous . Not set for pacing yet. It's a St. Jude's duel lead. Thanks again for your support. Wish I had known about this site 2 years ago.

3 Comments

More info helps us

by Grateful Heart - 2014-09-10 01:09:46


So you have no blockages.....me too. That is good, that means it is all electrical in our situations. The PM can fix that.....we are very lucky Green h.

How are you feeling and breathing? If you are feeling fine, then don't be concerned about the EF number. Some people have an EF in the 30's but have no symptoms and function fine.....go by how you feel.

Not sure what you mean by "not set for pacing yet". Do you have a 2 lead or 3 leads? With or without a defibrillator? Since your EF is 30, I would guess you have a 3 lead CRT but you should ask the Doc to be sure. The term ICD is used interchangeably. You say it is a St. Jude's dual lead so I would double check on all of this, then we can answer your questions and concerns more accurately.

The more you learn about your condition, device and it's function, the more comfortable you will become. That is probably the best advice I can give you and what helped me. Then I taught my family and friends so they could become more at ease. Believe me, it works. Sometimes they completely forget about it (and so do I).

I didn't find this site until almost 2 years after my implant too. But you are here now....there is so much to learn and many helpful and knowledgeable fellow pacers on this site. They'll be along, probably tomorrow.

Hang in there, you'll be fine...knowledge is power!

Glad you found us.

Grateful Heart

Greatful heart

by Greenhemi - 2014-09-10 02:09:11

My ICD is a boston scientific with2 St Jude's leads. I have symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, & weakness. My left chamber is not pumping hard enough. I have almost passed out on a few occasions. Once while flying.
It is a defibrillator that can pace if Nesessary but it's not programmed to do that yet. Thanks for the kind thoughtfulness. You were helpful. P.S. My breathing is good but get tired easily.

Improving your EF

by Grateful Heart - 2014-09-10 06:09:17


Improvement can occur with medications (the Coreg you are taking is a good one) and adding a 3rd lead (CRT) to pace the left ventricle in sync with the right one.

Has your Doctor discussed a CRT with you yet? That should help with some your symptoms, especially if you are almost passing out.

If you get to feeling better, that may help with building some confidence in your device. Speak to your Doc.

Grateful Heart

You know you're wired when...

Your old device becomes a paper weight for your desk.

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