How painful is implant procedure?

Hi Fellows,

I will go through an ICD implant procedure in due course and most probably will have St. Jude's single chamber ICD (I think model is fortify and it lasts more then 10 years. Is this a wise choice? Is there anything coming new in short course that is drastically better in life and in avoiding unnecessary shock?)

My recent echo was 32% so still am evaluating the decision for transplant and most probably my doctor and I will conclude to go for the transplant. my age is 43.

One of the question that is keeping me awake now a days is about the procedure itself and that is why I am here.

Can you please share your experiences specifically around procedure itself. Will it heart specially when wire is connected to heart?

I also read that they give you a trial shock to test the device... how painful this could be.

I had have an unfortunate experience of the defibrillator shock three years ago when I was going through a heart attack.

Thank you all for your help and support in this regard.

Best Regards,

Farhan.

9 Comments

Awake

by Parrothead57 - 2014-11-05 01:11:44

First of all, I'd like to say that I really enjoy the descriptions on here that add a bit of humor. I think that a positive attitude and a little sense of humor will help you in a big way. Lurch's description was hilarious!

Really the only thing I have to add about my experience is that I was fully awake and fully alert. The surgical team had some good music playing and I talked and joked with them when it was appropriate. The only unpleasant part of the experience (other than the knowledge I was getting a device implanted in me) was having my arms restrained and my face covered. There was a little moment there of claustrophobia.

I had the surgery in the afternoon, spent the night and was released the next morning. The bossy day nurse tried to make me wear the sling but that didn't last long. I took over the counter tylenol for the little bit of pain I had. Surgery was on Thursday, I took Friday off and was back at work the next Monday.

I hope your procedure goes as well.

Will try to answer...

by Lurch - 2014-11-05 07:11:52

but understand that pain is very subjective; you may feel it in and entirely different way than I would. Its like to trying to explain what a blueberry tastes like....

I copied this from another post I made regarding what to expect the day of the procedure. Each hospital is a little different, but this may give you a representative idea of what your day will be like...


Typically, you will report to the hospital at an ungodly hour (for me it was 5:30am). You will sign enough papers to drown in, then you will be taken to your room.

At our hospital you use one room for the entire stay (probably saves on cleaning costs). My wife and I were escorted into the room and I was given a very fashionable hospital grown to change into. Of course, the first one was made for a small child and didn't come close to fitting me, so they got me a jumbo version.

Once I modeled my new attire for the wife a nurse came in and started an IV. Shortly later the Anesthesiologist came in and asked me the same questions I had answered on the mountain of papers I filled out before.

He told me that they would put me out, do the procedure, wake me up then bring me back to the room.

He left and few minutes later another Anesthesiologist came in. Apparently they had an emergency and bumped me back about 45 minutes so the other Anesthesiologist must have met his quota with the emergency patient; that or he didn't like me..... Right after that they put something in my IV that started relaxing me.

Shortly before 9 am the Surgical Tech came to the room, checked to make sure I was who I said I was (as if someone would sneak in for a procedure like this), and wheeled me down the hall.

We went into the procedure room where there were a bunch of folks standing around waiting for little ole me! They had me move from the hospital bed to the procedure table, which was an adventure in that lovely grown they had given me. The Anesthesiologist asked me again who I was and what procedure I was having (I had really hoped that they knew what I was getting....) then gave me some really good stuff through the IV.

The next thing I remember they were moving me back over to my hospital bed and telling me that everything had gone fine.

They rolled me back to my room where my wife had been waiting. Fortunately, she had gone downstairs and got me a big cup of coffee! I have to have my coffee in the morning, but I couldn't before the procedure. Bless that woman!!!

About 45 minutes later the Biotronik representative came in and did my very first "interrogation" of my unit. They place a little disk over your PM/ICD that allows them to make adjustments and read all the settings. He gave me my temporary ID card (apparently they check to make sure the credit card payment cleared before you get a real ID) and a booklet about my device and what I should and shouldn't do.

About an hour after that the Doctor came in. By this time, I was fully wake and had been walking around the room and the hallway. He saw that I was wearing the sling the nurse had given me, took it off and threw it across the room! He told me to wear it only at night for the first couple of weeks or if I was doing something where I needed to be reminded not to lift my arm over my shoulder or pick up anything heavy. He is not a fan of slings as they can create problems for your shoulder later. I noticed through this group that each doctor is apparently a little different regarding the use of a sling.

The hospital I was in has "room service" where you order your meal from a menu and they bring it whenever you want, supposedly.... We ordered lunch and waited, and waited, and waited. A nurse finally checked on it for us and found that they had no record of my order! Wife ran out and got us some lunch from a restaurant down the street. Learned our lesson and she did the same thing for dinner.

Rest of the day was boring; sat around, watched TV, surfed the net and watched people come and go.

Next morning they took me to X-Ray to make sure the wires were still where they had left them then kicked me out!

The Doctor gave me a prescription for pain medication. I took two the first two days, but it really wasn't all that painful, but, I had paid for those meds so I might of well enjoyed some of them. Stiff and little muscle soreness, but nothing like what I had expected.

Had mine implanted the first week of May, five or six weeks later I was body surfing with my Grandson.

The procedure is done about 200,000 times annually in the US, so they apparently have got it down pretty good!

Keep us posted on how you are doing, and, please, if you have any questions, ask!

Good luck.

Actually I was out

by Theknotguy - 2014-11-05 09:11:17

I was out both times. I got a temporary PM because my heart stopped in the ER. I was unconscious for that. They waited four days to see if I would live, then put in the permanent PM. I was in a coma for six days, so I missed that too.

As stated before, pain is subjective, so if it is at all possible, try to go into this with as positive an attitude as you can. If you are positive about the situation, you'll have less pain, heal faster, and respond better to treatment.

Even though I was unconscious when it happened, when they woke me up I was thinking at least I don't have to worry about heart failure now. It really helped with the recovery.

Oh, and looking over other posts on the forum, you may see where some people came out of the procedure and feel great, others the same, and others not as good. We all heal differently, so if you don't feel like you're ready to go out and play a game of pick-up basketball don't get discouraged. Hang in there. Life does get better.

Hope everything goes smoothly for you. Welcome to the club. Let us know how things are going.

implant

by Tracey_E - 2014-11-05 10:11:30

We are all different. We're built differently, our surgeons place it differently, we have different thresholds for pain. I slept through the implant, have no memories of it. I took pain meds for the first day or two, then got by with tylenol, sometimes something stronger at night. By the end of a week, I was back to usual activity, just moving more slowly and napping daily.

Thanks a million

by farhan - 2014-11-06 05:11:39

Dear All,

You had been so amazingly helpful that I can not describe my thankfulness in words. I think it would be wise to say that my fear has gone down by 80 degree. This had been such a marvelous support from all of you.

My special thanks to our friend Lurch who really made my day.

I will keep coming to this forum in case if I have any question and will certainly share my experience post implant.

This forum is very useful for people like and this adds a loads of value in one's life. I glad and happy to be part of this family.

with very best regards and well wishes for all of you,

Farhan.

awake too

by vattens1 - 2014-11-06 12:11:31

I had mine done with a local anesthetic. Chasing to the nurse about my dogs she wanted to buy one but not as big as mine. Went back to my room to find my family drinking tea (were Irish, tea fixes everything) guy came in to pace the pacemaker feels funny when it's really fast then show but all good. I had to stay on due to other tests but didn't need pain killers at all

awake too

by vattens1 - 2014-11-06 12:11:32

I had mine done with a local anesthetic. Chasing to the nurse about my dogs she wanted to buy one but not as big as mine. Went back to my room to find my family drinking tea (were Irish, tea fixes everything) guy came in to pace the pacemaker feels funny when it's really fast then show but all good. I had to stay on due to other tests but didn't need pain killers at all

I am planned to go for it on 16th Dec.

by farhan - 2014-12-01 04:12:51

Hi Guys,

Need your well wishes and prayers. I am am excited and am now planned to go for the procedure on 16th Dec.

I will certainly keep you all and this forum posted on the updates.

Wish me luck.

Best Regards,

Farhan.

here is my update

by farhan - 2015-04-06 04:04:35

I have updated my story on 5th April with title..

"Walk in the Park - Done with my ICD implant"

You know you're wired when...

You can finally prove that you have a heart.

Member Quotes

I am just thankful that I am alive and that even though I have this pacemaker it is not the end of the world.