ICD

New ICD

by AgentX86 - 2020-09-08 23:23:58

Welcome to the group and I hope we can give you the information you need for you and hubby to recover and have a long life.

It's only been four days.  Give him a chance to recover.  It sometimes takes a while.  A lot is individual, a lot depends on why he needed a PM, and of course his conditioning before.  Some of us feel better before we got out of the recovery room.  Others take a lot more time, for a number of reasons. You say that he's been run down for some time so may not be in the best shape because of it.  It may take a little time for him to get back.  He may need some tuning to his pacemaker along the line, as well.

Give it time . . .

by Gemita - 2020-09-09 09:43:46

Pat, hello, you sound a bit like me with a husband who is impatient to see results and expecting a device to be the answer for all his problems.  But life isn’t quite as straightforward as that, is it?  Our bodies are so complex and one health issue will certainly impact on another.  It really is about finding and treating all our conditions and an ICD will only be part of the treatment, but nonetheless an essential part to try to keep your hubby safe.

You do not tell us why your husband needed an ICD.  If you are able to complete the Bio section under your pacemaker details giving us a little more information, it would help us to help you.

For example, both hubby and I have pacemakers because our hearts tend to beat too slowly on their own (bradycardia) and this has caused both of us to faint on occasions.  Also we both have abnormal heart rhythms which can cause breathlessness, chest pain, extreme tiredness, brain fog and poor ability to exert ourselves when we need to (like climbing stairs).  We find our pacemakers very helpful to prevent episodes of fainting caused by a low heart rate since our heart rate is set by the pacemaker to prevent it going below a certain speed.  Our type of pacemaker though cannot eliminate our non dangerous heart rhythm disturbances which may need an alternative treatment, like medication or an ablation.  In your husband’s case, his ICD should be able to stop any dangerous heart rhythm disturbances but he may still experience less serious arrhythmias which can cause him some unwanted symptoms.  In the coming weeks his doctors will study what is going on and decide whether any further treatment is necessary.  

Is your husband on any medication for his heart condition ?  Please tell him that with patience and with the help of his lovely wife, he will improve.  As an example, my husband has several serious health conditions and each one of these conditions can impact on his heart health.  He recently had a hyperglycaemic storm (his diabetes was out of control).  He collapsed at home and I had to get him into hospital.  He is now on insulin injections and the improvement in his health has been quite amazing, so it is all about finding that one area, or two or more areas that need fixing.  But it takes time and patience to find the right balance of treatment, pacemaker/ICD adjustments.  Go in too quickly and you could make things worse.  The ICD will protect your husband from a dangerous heart rhythm taking hold.  He may not feel immediately better or notice any instant change since any other health condition he may have will still be present.  But please tell him that an ICD is there primarily to keep him safe and that he will be supported when he most needs it.

Good luck to you both

Adjusting to pacemaker

by fisherguy - 2020-09-09 10:48:48

I'm 71 and have had pacemaker 4 years. I suffered from COPD and low energy but have found through my checkups my pacemaker could be adjusted to increase my rate which improved my energy level which has led to more oxygen and improved stamina, Hang in there and discuss with your Cardiologist if things may not be right.

ICD

by ROBO Pop - 2020-09-11 13:23:27

As others indicated, you really didn't give any key information to help us figure out whats going on, but let me share some thoughts...

I've had an ICD implanted for 14 years, in fact I'm on my 3rd one, and never have I felt improvement in my condition. It's likely your husband has heart failure from what little you shared, thats a tough condition and usually never improves. However, the device can slow progression. Most patients get a defibrillator as a safety measure in the event of sudden cardiac arrest and are only paced on demand which is ususlly negligible. As such the device really just monitors him and doesn't help with symptoms.

You need to talk to his doctor openly and understand whether he should realistically can't expect to see improvement. Press the doc, often they oversell the benefits.

Finally, if he does see improvement the timeline is anything from immediate to a year out.

Hang in and hopefully you'll get some positive news soon

Improvement.

by IronMan13 - 2020-09-12 00:09:43

I had my ICD (3 lead CRT-D) implanted about 7 weeks ago, and it took a few days to feel better due to the pain from surgery, but now I feel better than I have in years. My device is a CRT-D that constantly paces my heart, and also has a difibrillator, so I might be in a different situation though.