ICD implant at 40

[Newguy40]

Hi all I am new to here and feeling abit like I not sure what to doMy name matt and I am 40 yrs old and had a heart attack 6 weeks ago

On December 12 I had that horrific day which I thought wouldn't happen to me and had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest my partner did cpr and manage to obviously bring me back and after 2 more episode in the ambulance. I spent 3 days in critical care and then I was step down to a normal ward.

I then did the most stupid thing in my life I self discharged from hospital not sure how I manage to pull the wool over the eyes of everyone but I did I really don't remember doing this and totally out of character so after 3 and a half days I was back at home sitting on my bed not even knowing who I was and even where I was. About a week later I felt like I got my brain back in gear and aĺl i was doing was making sure i took these 6 pills in the morning and this is what i did however i was in a lot of pain so I went to my gp and he prescribed me cocodamol for the pain he said he reckon all the pain was maybe a few broken ribs or sternum but because I was told I was waiting for angiogram they would probably look into all this then. My angiogram happened on the 12th January and they told me that I didn't need a stent and my consultant would speak to me today I had a call from the cardio unit in basildon saying that they will book me in for a ICD implant on the 29th February I understand that I need this but I actually haven't seen my consultant once as a different consultant did my angiogram.

Today I had a call from basildon hospital I been referred to basildon without seeing my consultant is this normal and because I have so much time on my hands as my gp have signed me off work am I overthinking this. I know nothing is how i feel i got a repeat blood test on Friday with the nurse practitioner and feel I might just burst into tears on her is there only one type of icd or are there many different types out there I don't know. I have six week to wait and a couple of weeks before op I will get a telephone assessment are there certain question I need to ask on this telephone assessment please any help is gratefully received

[fantasyfanuk]

Hi Matt, I’m sorry to hear about your experience and you have certainly had a lot to cope with and it’s not surprising you seem to be feeling overwhelmed. I haven’t had an heart attack or needed an ICD but I did have a pacemaker implanted 6 yrs ago as an emergency, after years of symptoms that went undiagnosed, so I understand the shock and sense of bewilderment you feel at the changes in your life. There was no time for them to explain anything to me and it took me quite a long time to accept what had happened. I decided to get some counselling, which really helped, but you may be offered cardiac rehabilitation, which I understand gives you an opportunity to talk things over with NHS staff and others going through similar problems. I have burst into tears at blood tests before now and the nurses often then take the time to go over things with you and support you. Look on it as a chance to get some of this off your chest! And you have a good few weeks to research ICDs and find out much more about it all but avoid Google, use the excellent British Heart Foundation website and this forum for support. Plus the BHF has cardiac nurses you can ring during normal office hours, which I know people have found very helpful and you can get the number from the website. You should feel safer once you’ve got your ICD fitted, you could think of it as your onsite paramedic, watching out for when you need some help. I’m sure others with similar experiences who are doing well now will be along soon to answer your specific query and I know I have been greatly helped by my pacemaker and hope your ICD will be the same for you.

[Newguy40 in reply to fantasyfanuk]

Thank you for the lovely reply I know your completely right and yes I will take a look at the info on bhf soon just need to prepare myself thanks for the support on here sometime just hearing other people stories definitely help

[EmmJayTea]

Hi there Matt (I'm also a Matthew in my 40s 🙂) and thanks for sharing your experience. What a lot you have had to take on board. I'm sorry that you have been through all this.

Firstly, what an amazing partner you have. Well done to them!

I totally get the confusion and feeling lost, the long waits... I had a dangerous arrhythmia event in August last year and was whisked into hospital, tested and then had an ICD fitted. These cardiac events all happen so quickly, don't they? And you barely have any time to digest what has happened. After that, you are sent home and suddenly have loads of time on your hands from not being at work. And that's when the brain starts playing tricks.

Whilst in hospital, I found out that I have a congenital heart condition (ARVC) and have been at risk of sudden cardiac arrest for quite some time. Luckily, I pulled through my "event", but it was close. I have had to cease all running, cardio and gym workouts. Following the diagnosis, I was a complete mess mentally and was lucky to be offered psychological therapy by the cardiology dept. This has been invaluable. I know others on here who have been offered rehab or mental health support to help adjust to a new situation and can thoroughly recommend it. Definitely worth asking your clinic about this, otherwise give the BHF nurses a call and they will help point you in the right direction.

Try not to beat yourself up for self-discharging. When we are frightened, stressed or dealing with trauma, we can easily be thrown into irrational behaviours. What's important now is that you are still with us and you will soon have a life-saving device on board. It will take time to adjust, so my key piece of advice is to allow your recovery plenty of time to take effect and keep talking on here. You are not alone.

Do check out the BHF pages on ICDs. There are principally two types: Transvenous, which sits in the chest below the collarbone and subcutaneous (aka S-ICD), which sits on the left side of your body under the skin somewhere below the armpit. So, an obvious question to ask is which type are you having?

Which type you get will depend on how many wires are needed for your particular case (I have 2 wires/dual chamber = transvenous ICD), your age and body. They are extremely clever little devices with sophisticated processors on board to run complex algorithms and calculations. Yours will be programmed and, essentially, customised for your needs. For example, some people need the pacemaker and anti-tachycardia functions, whereas others may just need the defibrillator function. I've simplified things a bit, but you should get the idea.

The surgery was relatively straightforward. I was absolutely terrified, but the sedatives were very good and sent me into a happy space. 😉 I then had about 8 weeks of not being able to lift anything heavy or raise my left arm above my head, resulting in some hilarious attempts at putting-on/taking-off t-shirts. 😄

Gosh, that was a long reply, but I hope it goes some way to help you navigate your journey. Keep in touch and let us know how things go for you.

Above all, take care.

[Newguy40 in reply to EmmJayTea]

Thanks for taking the time to write back great response and alot of great info there I will let you know when I know more info you have been so kind

[Deejay62 in reply to EmmJayTea]

EmmJaytea that was a very helpful reply for Newguy. I am so pleased someone was able to share their experiences to him, and you’re around the same age, and tell him about the different types of ICDs and their uses.

[EmmJayTea in reply to Deejay62]

Thanks. When I was in hospital, hearing other people's experiences is what really helped me through a scary and surreal experience. I will remain forever grateful of those guys with ICDs (mostly in their 80s!) who put me at ease and answered so many of my questions. It is only natural that I would want to do the same for a fellow human being.