The article is really encouraging, especially as I only had my ICD
fitted on the 8th April and am experiencing the same initial feeling
this lady had psychologically and emotionally right now.

--- In icdsupport@yahoogroups.com, Karen wrote:
>
> If you haven't already read this article in the Guardian, please have
> a look as there is a happy ending!
>
> Karen
> A-A Helpline
>
>
> A machine keeps me alive
>
> Tina Amiss
> Saturday May 17, 2008
>
> Guardian
>
> One evening in 1994, I stopped breathing while watching TV.
> Fortunately my husband Pete, a firefighter, had not gone to rugby
> training that evening and resuscitated me. It was a very frightening
> experience. After a battery of tests I was told I had cardiomyopathy,
> an inherited heart muscle disorder. There are various types but mine,
> which is called ARVC (arrhythmogenic right ventricular
> cardiomyopathy), meant that damaged heart muscle was gradually
> replaced by scar tissue and fat. A recognised cause of sudden death
> in the young, ARVC also causes weakening of the heart's pumping
> action.
>
> I had been very fit and healthy throughout my 31 years - or so I
> thought - but I began experiencing palpitations, light-headedness and
> extreme tiredness. Initially, I was treated with medication and told
> not to take part in vigorous sport. Gradually I improved, became
> pretty much symptom-free, and was able to come off my medication and
> resume a normal life. I went on to have two children. Apart from
> regular checkups, I almost forgot I had a problem.
>
> Then in 2002, I suffered a cardiac arrest in my sleep. My breathing
> became very laboured and noisy, and woke Pete. Once again he
> resuscitated me. I was now considered at high risk of sudden death
> and told I should have an internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD)
> implanted in my chest wall. This is a specialised pacemaker that not
> only senses and corrects my irregular heartbeat, but also shocks my
> heart if it develops a life-threatening rhythm. It has two main
> components: the pulse generator (like a small computer that runs on a
> battery) and leads that are connected to the heart. It monitors all
> the time for an abnormal rhythm. If one is sensed, it determines what
> type of treatment is needed, either pacing my heart or giving it a
> controlled electric shock. Pacing feels like a fluttering in the
> chest; a shock is like a strong thump.
>
> The procedure was done under a local anaesthetic with sedation. I
> went home the following day, and for the first week had to take care
> not to lift my arms above shoulder height to allow the leads to
> imbed. The scar is very small and neat, and I have a small bump where
> the ICD sits beneath the skin near the collarbone.
>
> Physically, my recovery was unremarkable. However, psychologically
> and emotionally it was much harder. I became very aware of my
> heartbeat and lived in fear of my device shocking me. I felt very
> unwell, was unable to sleep, and thought life would never be normal
> again. I knew I should be grateful for the device and that it should
> give me reassurance, but that was a long time coming.
>
> A few weeks after the ICD was fitted, I received my first shock. I
> was walking along the road feeling fine and suddenly came over very
> dizzy. As the device fired, I felt as if I'd been kicked in the chest
> by a horse. And while it wasn't what I'd class as painful, it was
> unpleasant and upsetting. I have had three more shocks since but with
> these I have lost consciousness and have therefore not felt them. For
> me losing consciousness is more scary than feeling the shock.
>
> I am now back on medication and have not had any shocks for two
> years. I have checkups every few months and know that I will have to
> have the pulse generator replaced at some point as the battery life
> is normally four to eight years.
>
> My ICD has built-in features that protect it from interference from
> most electrical appliances. However, it is sensitive to strong
> electrical or magnetic fields. Therefore I hold my mobile phone on
> the opposite side of my body to the ICD and do not linger in shop
> doorways where they have anti-theft surveillance. At airports I do
> not go through the security archway or have the handheld wand used on
> me (I have an ID card that I show to security staff).
>
> I lead a full and busy life, and while I have been advised not to
> take part in competitive or combat sports, I continue going to the
> gym, skiing and travelling. I recently became a trustee of the
> Cardiomyopathy Association. The biggest headache for me and my family
> is that after I've had a shock, I'm not allowed to drive for a
> minimum of six months. I have now learned to live in harmony with my
> ICD and not in fear of it. It literally saves my life and I am very
> lucky to have it.
>