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What’s it like having an ICD? I don’t want to do it.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: Jun 7 1:35pm | Replies (34)Comment receiving replies
@walkinggirl
I have HOCM and have had 2 incidents of sudden cardiac arrest. I now have an ICD. Now I have complete heart blockage so my pacemaker is working 100 percent of the time and my heart is completely reliant on my pacemaker. Also my Defibrillator went off and woke me up a few nights ago. When I had my ICD put in I woke up during surgery and knew better than to move or say anything. The ICD was put in and a few hours later I was released. I went to a Hotel but could not lay down flat. I slept in a recliner. At 2 in the morning I had chest pain so bad I had my wife take me to the ER. Once there my BP was extremely high so I had IV's in each arm after I was given 2 nitro pills that did nothing. Then I had 2 shots of morphine, then 2 shots of Fentanyl, then 2 shots of oxycodone. Still no reaction. I was then given 6 shots of Fentanyl/Oxycodone. Finally the pain started to ease.
Was my ICD surgery difficult--Absolutely but I would be dead since I have complete heart blockage and my ICD (pacemaker) is now working full-time and my Defibrillator has gone off.
Jim
Replies to "@walkinggirl I have HOCM and have had 2 incidents of sudden cardiac arrest. I now have..."
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@jachrist Jim, thank you for sharing your story. I cannot imagine waking up during the surgery (not enough anesthesia?) and I am sorry you had to go through all that pain. I think you may have been an unusual case. Thanks to your medical care, you are here to tell your tale and explain how grateful you are to have your ICD. Have you had a septal myectomy or another procedure? I, too, slept in a recliner for a while, this may be a common temporary way to sleep.