Hi; I feel for you; I was having episodes of vt, mostly nonsustained, but not all following mitral valve replacement surgery and I too was terrified. As I am a backpacker and gym rat, my stakes were pretty high. I told my drs I saw no reason to live if I couldn’t do the things I love, which may have motivated them somewhat. (dark humor)
My situation was not exactly like yours in that I never passed out or wound up in an ambulance, but nonetheless it was very serious and I endured a long period of all kinds of testing and also lived in fear, plus depression and anger.
I was first put on medication, first a beta blocker which helped, then flecainide. Later I was on amiodarone, which worked, but started to affect my lungs and thyroid so it was stopped. I have been able to maintain on metoprolol since 2022 somehow. Why did they not try that first with you?
I had two ablations; the first was unsuccessful, the second partially successful. Has any dr done an ep study to see where the errant impulses are originating and whether ablation is an option?
If you think back, what were you doing when the episode started? Had anything in your life or health changed recently?
Were there any warnings, like a lot of PVCs or short runs? Is there any family history of scd?Has anyone mentioned genetic testing? Certain types of vt can be inherited.
My thinking is that there are a lot of unanswered questions here. I would definitely get a second opinion. It seems like you might have other options.
Yes, icds save lives but I’ve read that inappropriate shocks are an issue.
Please pursue this; I wish you the best. This is no way to live.