Hi, my physician advised me to get an AICD .. I am a little anxious . I would really be thankful if someone who already has it can answer a few things -
1. Do you feel the presence of a foreign body ( the AICD in fact ) through out your life or does it go away after some time ? My biggest concern is the uncomfortable feeling of having a foreign body inside me all the time ... but I want to know how does it feel physically ? Do you keep feeeling it or after a few days or months it gels with your body and you are hardly aware of it ??
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Wangpeng
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We have a few members who I'm sure will be along with their own experiences, in the meantime there is a page on the BHF, bhf.org.uk/heart-health/tre..., which may provide a little further information
Hi. I have had an ICD for a few years now. After the first couple of months, I stopped being aware of it really. Even sitting here thinking about my device and where it sits, I can't feel it at all. Once in a blue moon, something will rub against it (like if my bag strap is twisted) and I'll sort of feel its presence, but even that is not uncomfortable, really it just does its job in the background while I get on with life.
There are a few threads about people's ICD experiences on here. Let me know if you want me to send the links to you - there's lots of information in the replies and they are all pretty positive and reassuring.
Thank you very much for your reply . Pl send me the links to those threads . So it will be probably a couple of months post the surgery before you stop feeling it ? Right ? How does it feel initially after the op ?
The whole area around the device is very tender at first and you are not allowed to fully raise your arms for six weeks after implantation, which is tricky. The device itself just feels heavy and lumpy, probably exactly how you would imagine it. I don't remember being aware of the wires at all or feeling anything different where it connected to my heart, it was just the boxy part of the device itself that I was aware of. I couldn't sleep on my left side for a really long time after I got the device (maybe six months?) because it would make the device move a little and dig into me uncomfortably. Because that feeling lasted such a long time, I thought it would be permanent, but even that settled down eventually and now I can lie in any position comfortably. The only discomfort I get at all now is if something presses on the top part of the device where it's a bit lumpy, but this happens very rarely and is definitely uncomfortable rather than painful.
The foreign object feeling was something I was worried about prior to my device too, but the initial strangeness and discomfort is definitely temporary and definitely worth it.
I need to get my daughter ready for school just now but I'll look out those links for you later today.
Hi again, here are the links as promised. If you read the replies you will see the majority of people are really positive about their device. Let me know if these prompt any other questions for you.
None of us like the idea of an implanted device and you will of course be apprehensive of the surgery and what it will feel like after. I think you will find for a few weeks you will be conscious of the implant and of course it takes time for the wounds to heal. After the first couple of months you will start to forget it's there. The only time you will think of it is if it delivers any treatment or when you go through an airport or similar screening process.
You don't say if it is an ICD or an S-ICD you are having implanted. The main difference cosmetically is and ICD usually sits near your clavicle while and S-ICD sits at the side of your chest wall on the left. Either way you will be able to see a small lump under your skin. There are lots of resources to help you understand these devices which I can point you too if they may help. After the implant you may have home monitoring to download the data from you ICD to the heart unit, this prevents you having to go in frequently for check ups.
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