Leads

[Linda]

Re: Leads

Bryan, Burt is right. Have it checked. Unfortunately, you not only have to deal with a medical issue, you have to deal with personalities and accountability or lack of, among the caregivers. It's your life and you deserve competent, complete care. It may work for you to call the EP lab back and tell them what your doc said. Let them know that they are the ones primarily responsible for your ICD and they need to follow thru. On your next visit to your PCP or the next convenient time, discuss the issue of how he expects care to be coordinated and how he expects you to obtain needed care. Let him know you are willing to work with him, but you need some guidelines and reasonable expectations. Put the ball in his court, but be sure he understands how frustrating this has been for you. Good luck, Linda

PS - Your ICD is a very expensive piece of modern life-saving technology so it really should be in working order.

[Burton Borrok]

Re: Leads

Bryan,
Me thinks thou dost give up too easily. Your PCP may well think it’s unprofessional to have one doctor tell another to order x-rays, and that may be perfectly true. The point however is that a lead may have shifted and an x-ray is needed to ascertain exactly what is going on. I don’t much care who told who what. Proper care is the point in question.

I know of a woman whose lead shifted causing a much greater need for power and making her battery run low in just three years. Not a good thing to ignore. Please spend the penny to maybe save the pound.
Burt

[bryan]

Re: Leads

Thanks for the replys... I didnt end up going. I called the EP lab and spoke to a nurse. She said I should get x-rays, BUT unfortunatly she could not order them cause she wasnt a Dr. duh, ask the DR then. Then she tells me to call my PCP to have him order X rays and if he sees something wrong then im to come in. Well I called my PCP and he wasnt happy, stating it is VERY unprofessional for another Dr to order another Dr to take X rays, when Mass General are the ones that deal with my ICD. It made sense, but after all this Im not gonna worry about it anymore. Have a good night

Bryan

[Lisa Salberg]

Re: Leads

I with 3rd that... Get it check...better safe than sorry

You may have simply pulled a muscel but please do check on that.

Lisa

[Pam Alexson]

Re: Leads

Bryan, I agree with Rhoda you should probably let your EP know and see what he or she says. I try to avoid lifting anything heavy on that side. Let us know how you make out. Pam

[Laoshur]

Re: Leads

Bryan,

I think the key to your answer is in your Galileo quote at the end of your posts: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." The answer to your question seems to me to be that you have not yet discovered the reason for your pain, so you must check into this in order to discover the truth. Ask your doctor!

Rhoda

[bryan]

Re: Leads

Lias and Pam,
Tahnks for the reply. The reason I ask is, While at the store the other day I was going to drop the 12pack of Coke I had in my hand and when I bent to grab it before it hit the floor I felt a great deal of pain. My left arm was numb from my elbow up and underneath my collar bone(where my lead incision is, my icd is in my abdomen) it felt like my insides were on fire. Then when I got home my chest was killing. You think maybe im looking into this to much?

[Lisa Salberg]

Re: Leads

Once they are set and healed it is not very common, although possible.

Lisa

[Pam Alexson]

Re: Leads

Bryan , I think anything can be possible with turbulent blood flow . It probably is not a good thing for a lead to move very far off its' mark. I know that initially there is supposed to be a period in which you don't lift your arm and do too much so that the leads will anchor in. I found out Tues that one of mine has some how embedded deep into the muscle and that may be the cause for my ongoing increase in voltage threshold for that lead. If this is the case are they planning to drop another lead in? I hope all goes well , keep us posted. Pam

[bryan]

I was wondering how hard it is, if even possible to have a lead come out of place?