ICD implant promised 15 months ago still no ICD and no date

[Steve1949]

Is this common? Are the waiting lists so long?

[HeartyJames]

Yes they are. Mine was urgent and waited 9 months. Have you chased it?

[Hidden]

It will, no doubt depend on the pressure your NHS Trust is under and whether you are classed as urgent or routine. I agree with HeartyJames you need to chase things up.

[Steve1949 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for advice, tried that but my consultant isn't very communicative,will the appointments department be any help?

[Hidden in reply to Steve1949]

In this instance you are unlikely to talk directly with the cardiologist. However you will have a much better chance of talking to the cardiologist's medical secretary who may be able to provide you with more detail on your circumstances , but may just advise it's with the appointments system. In which case you need to talk to them. You could of course talk to both!

You will then have a much better idea of where you are. I have even rung up and got myself an appointment, not just once but on several occasions. But even if you get nowhere you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have done your best.

[Hidden]

Dear glennis2110

Promised and urgent need maybe two different things,

After my bypass I was told that I had SDS { sudden death syndrome } and needed a pacemaker with built in defibrillator because if my heart was to fail then help would not arrive fast enough .

I waited 6 months with Damascus sword hanging over my head, looking back it did affect me mentally as both family and friend pushed for information { all done with love }

You need to chase your Dr up and also find how urgent your pacemaker is needed in your case,

hopefully the information will help you during the waiting game,

but be careful because mine did not help but made me worried and have anxiety { something I near believed I would suffer with }

Good luck with everything

You are in my thoughts

[Hidden]

Hello

The waiting is always the worst and with things as they are we seem to be waiting longer and depending what area you are in waiting times can be longer and sorry you are waiting so long

I also think you should make some enquiries and try and find out how much longer you will be waiting

Let us know how you get on x

[rogerctyler]

So sorry to here about your waiting time. I had my ICD installed very soon after I went into hospital after my cardiac arrest. I spent almost 3 months in hospital ,22 days in ICU, so maybe that’s why I didn’t have to wait because I was high risk. I know this doesn’t help you but I thought I’d share my experience. Good luck going forward.

[10gingercats]

Due to the pressure on the nhs youmust look after yourself and chase .If you do not do this the message may be you are not that urgent.Chase every couple of weeks.

[irishwife93]

Hi Steve! Sorry to hear you’re waiting so long for this ICD. Does your GP know? I would recommend booking an appointment with them and asking them to chase up the referral with the hospital. My husband recently saw his GP and when she found out he had been waiting on referrals for months on end she has now taken responsibility for chasing things up. I always find it difficult to get in contact with the right person at the hospital and the GP may have contacts there and know who to call. In terms of the wait, it seems long to me but I think others are right in saying it depends on your location. My husband waited maybe 3 months for his ICD but it was very urgent as his EF was 14%. You could also contact the hospitals PALS (patient advisory liaison service) and explain that you’re concerned that your referral has been lost and you have no one to contact. They might be able to help you by contacting the department and getting things rolling again!

[Steve1949 in reply to irishwife93]

Thanks to all for your help it's great to know we are not alone in these situations, I hate complaining, especially about the NHS.Thanks to all of you for your kindness

[irishwife93 in reply to Steve1949]

It feels difficult to complain but sometimes it’s the right thing to do. Referrals, appointments, follow ups etc get lost in an overwhelmed system but once the right people become aware they can follow it up and put things right. It’s exhausting chasing things yourself when you’re ill, but ask for help from those around you and your GP! And never feel like a burden, you deserve all the help you can get with a condition like this