Life after an icd: I'm 53 and a new... - British Heart Fou...

British Heart Foundation

54,707 members34,239 posts

Life after an icd

Heartofsoul profile image
6 Replies

I'm 53 and a new member. My story is that from June this year I began having multiple palpitations on a daily occurrence,went to gp,and a&e as very distressing.was kept in overnight but everything was ok they said. I suffer from a condition called ' fabry's syndrome ' which does/and can affect the heart. At a routine yearly check up appointment with my heart specialist ( in august) I disclosed my problems,he ordered a 3 day holter monitor which detected fast arrhythmias of over 200bpm...i recieved a call on Tuesday, in hospital wed,op on Friday(24th aug) to fit an icd. I've had a difficult time firstly with the palpitations then with coming to terms with the op,and had on going issues of feeling peculiar ever since. I've been suffering with severe breathlessness and feeling dizzy,chest tightening,and feeling unwell on occasions. Through the home monitor they have picked up these problems so they keep calling me back in to clinic,adjusting the device and increasing my meds bisoprolol. Does anyone have or had these issues? What did doctors do about them? I am getting really frustrated and down as thought life would be better after the op but atm it's not.

Written by
Heartofsoul profile image
Heartofsoul
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
6 Replies
Pikaia profile image
Pikaia

Hi Heartofsoul , I also have an ICD (see healthunlocked.com/bhf/post..., and have in the past had moments of breathlessness and dizziness. I'm on bisoprolol (beta blocker) and ramipril (ACE inhibitor) and they have helped with the palpitations, although is a bumpy road and I still occasionally get palpitations, especially whenever I'm adjusting the medication. It may be that the device still needs further tweaking, so that it will help pace your heart (if your ICD has that function), or your medication still isn't quite right. There are lots of options available, e.g. increasing bisoprolol, changing to another beta blocker, changing to another type of medication etc., so don't give up hope. Unfortunately some of this seems trial and error but you'll get there.

Heartofsoul profile image
Heartofsoul in reply toPikaia

Than you pikaia, yes the doctors are trying different things such as increasing my dose of bisoprolol and tweaking the device.im now on maximum dose 10 mg to see if this stops the vt's....next step is to try another beta blocker if this doesn't work.fingers crossed it does

Pikaia profile image
Pikaia in reply toHeartofsoul

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Heartofsoul profile image
Heartofsoul in reply toPikaia

Yes I will do and I wish you luck with yours too

laura_dropstitch profile image
laura_dropstitchHeart Star

Hi. If your ICD doesn't have pacing functions (or similar) it won't actually be doing anything for your symptoms, it will just be monitoring in the background, ready to shock your heart back into a safe rhythm if you go into cardiac arrest. My ICD (a CRT-D) also acts as a pacemaker and resynchronises the two sides of my heart, so I have found an improvement to my symptoms since I got it, but that's not because of the defibrillator element. In my experience, it takes a lot of tweaking (of device and meds) to find the optimum levels, i.e. what helps in the long-term without too many side-effects in the short-term. Hopefully your team will find that level for you soon. Definitely keep feeding back about how you are feeling and don't give up hope - it's early days yet in the scheme of things. Good luck!

Heartofsoul profile image
Heartofsoul in reply tolaura_dropstitch

Thankyou laura_dropstitch for your reply,my icd is dual chamber so it does have pacemaker and tries to pace my vt's and that's what is making me feel weird and experience symptoms but remaining positive that things will improve.trying an increase in meds so hopefully it will help

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Anxiety about driving after ICD op

Hey all. It's been nearly six weeks since I've had my ICD fitted. I have my check on December 13th...

Question for anybody who has had an ICD/pacemaker fitted.

I have heart failure diagnosed 20 months ago and a VT 9 months ago which took me to hospital for 10...

Support after cardiac arrest

hi, my dad recently suffered a cardiac arrest. Prior to this, he was suffering with heart...
Autumn45 profile image

Subcutaneous icd

Hi folks,I now have a date in October for a subcutaneous icd. The one with the lead not going in...

Alternatives to ICD + pacemaker

I'm 49 and have non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy with few symptoms except occasional...
edplayer profile image

Moderation team

See all
HUModerator profile image
HUModeratorAdministrator
Luke_BHF profile image
Luke_BHFPartner
Amy-BHF profile image
Amy-BHFPartner

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.