TUESDAY — Living with an ICD

Nancy’s report on first week’s check-up on incision and device, that is the recently implanted cardiovertor defibrillator, known as an ICD.  (John thinks we should name it something, perhaps Hypatia :

http://www.women-scientists-in-history.com/hypatia.html )

We were up early to start a long day.  John had to spend time home with the roofer to meet the delivery team who trucked in supplies for the roof of our barn and house.  I went with the roofer’s wife to my appointment at the Yakima Heart Center, in Yakima, an hour away.  We left John in charge of watching mama and puppies.  She was disturbed by all the noise on the roof and strangers outside her window.  She was upset most of the day, even after I got back home.  She has now calmed down after 6:30 p.m. and is back eating, with John’s company.  He is reading today’s news on the web, via computer.  I’m in my recliner writing this entry for the blog and anticipating eating dinner before John puts it out on the blog.  He also has to move the horses off grass and back to their pen.

My appointment was with a device specialist, of which there are two at the Yakima Heart Center.  They were trained in classes paid for by the manufacturer of my defibrillator (with pacemaker included).  I will need to go back in for periodic check-ups every 3 months for the life of my device.  I thought today I would get the gizmo to put by my bedside that would broadcast my records every night to a satellite and on to the manufacturer.  That did not happen today and won’t until my next visit, in 3 months, in September.

Today, I was ushered into an examination room with a recliner.  It was an automatic one with a remote handled by the examiner.  She put some wires and connectors on me such as those used in an EKG, and put a receiver on top of the place where my device resides.  I was told I am thin (haven’t heard that since the 7th grade), and that my device would stick out a bit.  She then started a machine which was downloading information from the device and displaying it on charts and graphs on a printer tape output.  I wish I had asked for a copy, but I didn’t think to do it.  I saw some of them, such as shocks.  Knowing I had not felt a shock, I asked her what that was.  She said it was from after the implantation, when they put me to sleep for a few minutes, and induced the device to make my heart fibrillate, so they could see if the ICD functioned as intended and shocked the faltering heart beat back to normal rhythm.  It had.   She reviewed all the reports and stated that all was well, and it was operating just fine.

I asked her what the shock was like and when it would occur… after I had fainted or before.  She said patients have told her it is like a horse kicking a person in the chest.  Well, that doesn’t sound like fun, so I’m happy they put me out for the testing.  She also said people respond differently.  She asked if I had ever fainted and I told her I had not.

She finished that test and said we would talk about the recovery time and the things I should not do.  I told her about the “squishing” sound I heard over the last week, but she had never heard that from anyone.  Not surprising; I’m always the individual with different reactions to medical procedures.  She told me not to worry about it.

I reported the pain I had that I thought went on too long.  She said I might have pain from this for months.  So, the fact I’m pretty much controlling it, with regular acetaminophen, is a positive note.

I told her about what the representative (from the device company) told me after the operation.  He had told me not to pick up more weight than a coffee cup with my left arm, and not to raise my arm above my shoulder for 6 to 8 weeks, and NOT TO DRIVE for 8 weeks.  This was different from anything I had been told previously and read on the web… or in talking with people, including my cardiologist.  I realize they don’t want me pulling out the wires, but that was going to be very constrictive on my activities, and getting myself to town for physical therapy, music or anything else.  Bummer.  I didn’t forget to ask about this issue.

Right away she said, no, you may drive, right now, just be cautious not to jerk your left arm and lift it above your shoulder.  Those were sweet words to my ears, and my reaction was that I wanted to hug her but couldn’t raise my arm to do so!  She got a laugh from that comment.

I’m so happy to have my freedom back.

The next discussion was about whether I would agree to participate in a study of my progress, by sharing my records (from the device) with a research team seeking to improve the technology.  Of course, so I signed on the line and got a description of the study.  (from John: I wonder if the patient’s medical history will be transmitted to the research team?  If so, they need to order more paper and ink.)

Then she removed my dressing / patch over the incision.  She remarked that it was healing very well, and told me I could shower now, and let water fall on the wound, which is not sutured with stitches, but is held together with little strips of tape.  In time those will curl up and fall off.  I am not supposed to scrub the spot.  I couldn’t look down and really see it and she didn’t have a mirror.  Once in the car I got to view it.

So, that’s my story, and I’m truly a happy person.

[The barn got its new roof before dark and it is now raining.  Awesome.]