ICD
Anyone living with an ICD? I’m supposed to have one implanted June 7th but very close to chickening out… very worried about an inappropriate shock.
Thanks
Mike
HI
I see you are new to our community, having just joined up yesterday at 10:22 p.m. Welcome to our community. Glad to see that you are already participating here in the forums. I am hopeful others in the community will see your inquiry and respond by sharing their own anecdotal experience using this device -- and preparing for it as you currently are. I also have something to contribute. This topic has been discussed at various times in this community, and you can see some of these conversations here by this link. (https://heart-failure.net/search?s=icd). I think the general consensus of others who have gone through what you are going through is that the fear of getting one is normal, and so too is the fear of getting a shock. Although, those who have had one successfully inserted have talked about the feeling of calm and reassurance knowing that it is there in case it is needed. Likewise, after the device is inserted, your cardiologist will continue to monitor you and adjust your treatment regimen as necessary to keep your heart calm and prevent the ICD from going off. Also, if you do continue to feel concern over getting this device, it may be a good idea to touch base with your physician so that you can talk about it further with him or her. Your doctor, or perhaps a nurse at the office, should be able to answer any questions you have and/or offer you reassurance that getting the device is the best thing for you to do. What do you think? John. heart-failure.net community moderator 
thank you for the information. I am getting my icd this week and am nervous about it of course. Your information made me feel more at ease You are welcome. And thank you for letting me know that my words were helpful to you. I am glad that I was able to help ease your mind. And best of luck on your procedure. I do hope that you will report back here with an update and let us know how you are doing after your procedure? Wishing you all the best. John. heart-failure.net community moderator.
Mike, do not hesitate! Get the ICD. It will save your life. I refused to get one at first. That decision caused my EF to deteriorate from 30% to 15% within 6 years. I finally got it in 2016. My health is still horrible, but it's stable.
Glad to hear your health is stable. Sorry to hear your health declined within a 6 year timeframe. I also refused to heed my cardiologist’s advice at one point in my life. Because of this decision, I ended up having another major open heart surgery. I agree that one making a risky move can possibly cause other possibly irreversible complications. Thank you for sharing your advice and experience. Leslie (Community Moderator) thank you!
Your feelings are totally understandable about being worried about an inappropriate shock. Can’t say that I’ve had a ICD, but I do know that prolonging a medical device that may be needed especially if your cardiologist recommended one, may cause more harm than good. I waited to receive a medical device that would have helped me sooner than later and it probably caused more damage to my heart than needed had I not waited to get a medical device to help me. Choose the best decision for you with your cardiologist’s expert knowledge. Thank you for sharing. Leslie (Community Moderator) thanks. You’re welcome. Hope you make the best decision for you. I ended having a dual chamber pacemaker after waiting 8 years due to being on the fence about having placed in my abdomen. Because I prolonged this time I ended up having multiple superventricular tachycardia issues as well as, finally my heart stopping at 6 second intervals throughout the day. In the end, I eventually had to have experimental open heart surgery. Hope you are doing well. Leslie (Community Moderator)
Hey,
thanks for posing this question. I had an ICD implanted and I had it implanted about 6 months after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. The procedure was pretty straightforward. My cardiologist at the time told me I needed it to save my life in case I went into cardiac arrest. My EF was only at around 10%, so there was a high possibility of this happening. The reason why I got the ICD is because I wanted to give myself the best chance at survival in the event that something went wrong. Thankfully, I had the ICD for 5 years and never felt a shock or had any other issues with it. I hope that this helps you make a decision. All the best! Olivia Rose -Moderator thanks!
