Hello irishpeaks
My apologies in being so slow to reply. This past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and, well, between my side of the family and my in-laws, I think I may have had enough roast turkey to last me until at least Christmas. Perhaps even beyond.

I, too, have a CRT-D. I received mine in September 2022. CRTs are used primarily for the treatment of heart failure. Mine (and yours) just happened t come with a defibrillator. joyh got to skip that fun part. CRTs are still reasonably uncommon although those with defibrillators are more common than those without.

Any cardiac device that has 3 leads is a CRT. Like me, you have one lead implanted in your right atria, one in your right ventricle and one in the left ventricle. In the old days" they used to "hook" (think "gaff" hook) the leads into the walls of the heart. But using that method frequently resulted in one or more of the leads becoming loose or dislodged. Now, they "screw" them in. That change in attachment technique has resulted in far fewer episodes of leads becoming loose or detached.

CRTs have been a game changer in the treatment of heat failure. For many of us, the device has not only increased our ejection fraction but also reduced the size of the left ventricle. I completely agree with you about being thankful for this technology.
I was very fortunate when I was referred to the electrophysiologist who did my implant. At the time of my first consultation with him, he handed me a card with a number of websites addresses printed on it. He told me to go and learn as much as I can about the device I was getting and when I come back to see him next, he would answer all my questions. He did exactly that.

But he also set me on a journey to learn as much as possible about both the device and also my diagnosis. For me, I found the more I learned, the more at ease I became with the device. And although I am by no means an expert on them, I have learned a great deal about them. And how they work. This device, quite literally, saved my life.