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Well, my ICD fired for the first (13) times on Father's Day. I had just showered and was brushing my teeth, when I saw this bright light and felt as if I had been shocked by electricity. Honestly, I didn't even realize it was my ICD. I was a little confused and trying to figure out what happened when it hit me the second time. I grabbed the phone and started to call 911 when it hit me the third time, and the phone flew across the room. I managed to contact them and all I could think about was I didn't want to be naked when the paramedics showed up - so I have EMS on speaker phone, while trying to get dressed, and getting 2 more shocks! They stopped briefly, and I actually was able to open the door, grab meds, keys, and cellphone before they started again. By the 7th shock, I was getting weak and had to sit down. I received 3 more shocks before the fire department arrived. When they walked in, they wanted to know who the patient was! When I informed them that I was, they told me I looked fine and my heart rate was normal, and wanted to know if I still wanted to go to the hospital. What do you think?
Long story, short - the device recognized my t-wave as a second beat and thought my heart rate was actually doubled. It did what it was supposed to do - unfortunately, I didn't need it to! When Medtronic interrogated it, they told me that I actually received 13 shocks, but I only felt 10 - I didn't mind not feeling the other three! I have been reprogrammed, tested, and told that everything is working appropriately. I must admit, I'm a little paranoid at this point - any sudden noises or movements make me jump. Hopefully, that will end soon.
On a positive note - all of my tests showed that my heart is functioning well - my ejection fraction is 65%, which is considered normal. There have been no changes according to the echo. My cholesterol is below 200, and all other labs were within normal limits. My troponin was elevated, but it was determined that this was due to the trauma of receiving so many shocks in a 15 minute time-frame.
Long story, short - the device recognized my t-wave as a second beat and thought my heart rate was actually doubled. It did what it was supposed to do - unfortunately, I didn't need it to! When Medtronic interrogated it, they told me that I actually received 13 shocks, but I only felt 10 - I didn't mind not feeling the other three! I have been reprogrammed, tested, and told that everything is working appropriately. I must admit, I'm a little paranoid at this point - any sudden noises or movements make me jump. Hopefully, that will end soon.
On a positive note - all of my tests showed that my heart is functioning well - my ejection fraction is 65%, which is considered normal. There have been no changes according to the echo. My cholesterol is below 200, and all other labs were within normal limits. My troponin was elevated, but it was determined that this was due to the trauma of receiving so many shocks in a 15 minute time-frame.
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