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shocks
S-ICD and ICD users question. Did anyone have a shock treatment from S-ICD or ICD? Can anyone tell me if shocks are bearable? I guess Iâve read many horror stories about being shocked while awake or missfires, and itâs really scares me. So if you are standing while having a shock will you fall down? Can you get an injury, like break a bone? If someone drives and get shocked, will you most likely get into the accident? How bearable is the pain? People describe that it feels like a mull kicks in your chest. Well, I am pretty skinny little woman, and if I would feel mull like kicks in my chest, I probably will fall down and pass out. Or I might have a horrible panic attack which will make thing worse. How people handling this?
If this is that bad why nobody complains to the manufactures or doctors to request to have some kind of warning buzz (like in ZOLL wearable ICD)? Or even better a control button.
And I understand if you are in the life threatening situation you donât care if youâll get shocked, but if you are not, this where the problem is. From what I read itâs about 8-10% per year people will get misfires.
5 Comments
It is eye opening
by howdoyoumendabrokenheart - 2015-03-16 12:03:57
When my device fired I was in the shower. I did not fall but I did drop what was in my hands and it did seem to throw me back a little. I then was shocked six more times. I did note a tapping like sensation on my chest as the device was charging up for the next shock. In the meanwhile I put a towel on, cut the water off, yelled for help (which was hard cause I was winded) then dialed 911 a few times unsuccessfully because I got shocked in between all this. It is way more upsetting than painful that is for sure.
I would like to say it is like you pass out and wake back up very quickly. The sounds and the body contractions are, well, unforgettable. It is a jolt because you are being jolted. The person who witnessed a few of the shocks said it looked someone had punched me. You do convulse backwards a little as if someone punched you in the chest.
As descriptive as I have tried to be it was not as painful as it was scary.
All in all it is to save your life. I was lucky and had no physical damage. It does mess with your mind for a while, but time passes and you feel better about it all. It is there to help you.
The shock is bearable. If they shock you in the hospital they will or usually give you sedation and you won't feel a thing.
I hope my sincerity doesn't frighten you.
Good health and stay strong.
(The tapping sensation is the warning on my device but there is no way to stop it from doing what it does, after all if you stop it it would not do the job. I did hear of some devices having an audio alert but time is of the essence when this device is needed.)
shock from ICD
by anniesu - 2015-03-24 11:03:06
Yes mine went off when it shouldn't have..I was with a bunch of people and had been dancing I felt fine then all of a sudden bam I thought I had been struck by lightning It hurt bad and continued 3 more times..I would yell out each time as it affects your voice and I know I scared everyone in the place...they called 911 and they came checked me out and I was fine..I went to the dr the following Monday and ask for it to be turned off...I they would have done it but the pacemaker check person said it had been set to low and he would put it at 200 so if it got that high it would need to go off...Im small boned and maybe that is why it hurt so very bad...If we carried a magnet with us we could lay it on it and stop it if it was just misfiring but I don't have one...That happened about 3 years ago have not had a problem since but still wish I didn't have it...I had an ablation for WPW right before they put the pacemaker in...Now the problem is I do not have wpw with fast heartbeat once in a whilde but when they check the pacemaker they run the heart rate up about 4 times and then I feel awful for 3 or 4 days just like I had a wpw spell So, really makes no sense Wish I had just got the ablation and left the pacemake defib off
Has any one else had a similar problem?
Zapped!
by froggy - 2015-07-06 02:07:15
I got to experience the answer to the big burning "what's it gonna feel like" question for the first time a little over a year ago. I was at the local skating rink for my grand daughter's birthday party. This skating rink uses part of the old skate floor to set up huge bounce houses. I was inside of one of them, climbing up the inflatable steps to a huge inflatable ladder with my youngest grand child to sit her at the top and follow her down. Yeah, yeah, I know... those things probably weren't really made with grandmas in mind!
As we climbed those steps, I felt a sharp little vibration in my ICD. It wasn't much different than the "self checks" that I feel regularly, other than it kind of had a bit of a sting... just a little more punch than normal. I remember thinking "that's weird", but kept on climbing. Sat the little one on the top of the slide to her mother who was waiting at the bottom... sat myself at the top and started my way down and "BAM" blinding white light, and a pretty punchy zing. My first thought was "Damn there's an electrical wire hanging up here and I just slid over it... that's not cool, there's children playing here..." no more got that thought through my mind, stood up at the bottom of that slide and "BAM" blinding white light, and another punch.. this one forced a loud yell straight from my gut... stronger, and more painful, and I knew the ICD had fired. I frantically looked around and hollered at whomever could hear me that my defib was firing.... but the last few words were lost in another BAM BAM... more white light, and an even harder kick. Damn! I did NOT sign up for this... My sons, and my parents were there... The look on their faces was terrifying, and my dad ran to me. Before he could get there it fired again, complete with the white light and each time it got harder... each time I yelled louder, and I knew I was scaring the hell out of all those kids not to mention what my own family was thinking. Dad put his arm around me to help me to a safe place and before we got to one it fired twice more. Because my dad was touching me, he got shocked both times as well... and while we laugh about it now, it scared the bejeebies out of him. He still says he can't believe how horrible it felt to him, and can only imagine how much worse it was for me.... but the truth is, I'm guessing it's like the electric fence thing and the guy at the end gets the hardest jolt. My poor dad!!!
All in all it fired 6 times that day. The shocks were appropriate, but they were able to adjust the threshold a little higher to hopefully avoid a repeat of that scenario. It's happened once since that day... I was enjoying a frozen concoction with friends when I suddenly felt dizzy and i KNEW what was about to happen. I remember thinking "I need to get this drink to that table quick..." I made it... It only happened once, but the blinding light preceded it as before, and it was a fraction of a second warning, not even close to enough time to get myself to a chair, but I won't lie... I was in panic mode waiting for more. Thankfully, I've been shock free for almost a year, and I can say it's absolutely scary as all get out, yes, it hurts, and each subsequent shock in a multiple shock episode hurts more for many reasons but I've never been more thankful for anything in my life than I am for Thumper. I'll take it any day if it means I get more time to live this life! My dad's mileage may vary.... (kidding! he's grateful too!)
misfired 3 times..
by bdeisle - 2015-10-27 07:10:47
My s-icd misfired three times 4 days ago while casually walking back to work. At the time I had no idea what happened - initially chalked it up to tripping over the fire hydrant that was about 10-15 feet behind me even though my upper body hurt but then I realized that the device fired. It is scary, especially by yourself but within probably a minute it fired two more times.. the second time knocking me back to the ground (6'1 200) .. and then the third time trying to get help but then I decided to lay back and relax - no more zaps. At the time I had no idea it was misfiring - over sensing the t-wave while my heart rate was at 75. The zap is not pleasant and most likely be followed by a moan and a swear - but it is a zap - it hurts but goes away.
You know you're wired when...
Batteries not included takes on a new meaning.
Member Quotes
A properly implanted and adjusted pacemaker will not even be noticeable after you get over the surgery.
ATP
by Hamsquatch - 2015-03-16 12:03:48
I had mine implanted back in October, I haven't had a full on defibrillation but I had two ATP (Anti-tachycardia pacing) and did not feel a thing. In fact I did not have a clue they occurred until I was at my ICD clinic for a regular appointment.