Increasing confidence with ICD

Increasing confidence with ICD

The doctor who assisted with the ICD implantation put the fear of God into me by warning that I must not put pressure on my left arm, raise it above shoulder height, etc.  And keep this up for six weeks.   It is exactly four weeks today since the implantation, and I feel increasingly comfortable with the device.  Of course I can feel it, neatly nestling under the skin, but there is no trace of tenderness.  I can move my arm with no discomfort, and I have even managed, comfortably, to sleep on it, my normal position for sleep. 

The problem now is that I feel fine, and am at risk of forgetting the restrictions on movement.  I potter in the garden, but I have to remember it must be in a one-armed way.  I have to get my wife or someone in the family to lift eg compost bags when I cannot do this comfortably with the right hand, or move a wheel-barrow which certainly requires both arms. 

In response to my informing the DVLA of the ICD insert, I had a formal response asking lots of questions about my condition, demanding a list of clinics, addresses of consultants and requiring me to give permission for medical information to be obtained.  Today I received a brown envelope with a formal response from the DVLA,, stating that I could retain my normal licence.  Praise the Lord!  I have still three days to go until a month has elapsed since the insert, when I can drive again.  I find it strange that in a legal requirement, the imprecise month is used, rather than 28, 30 or 31 days.  I would prefer it to be as short as possible

Today we went to Stratford, accompanied by my lovely Susan, my elder daughter visiting us from Cyprus.  Lorraine drove.  It was a lovely sunny day.  I was able to do a lot of walking, albeit slowly because of wretched osteo-arthritic knees.  No shortness of breath, thanks to medication and magnesium supplements.   This amount of walking is something I could not imagine doing earlier in the year.   All for the sake of retail therapy.  The principal retail therapy,  requiring Susan’s expertise,  was buying a refurbished Sony laptop, on which I am typing this blog.  Next Friday I will be allowed to drive, and in two more weeks, if the check-up is OK, to move a wheelbarrow and such other routine activities we take for granted.  Wonderful things to look forward to.   There are times when living with heart failure is not too bad. 

No longer implantable, now implanted

I have had an ICD implanted.  This was done as an outpatient at Worcester  On the appointed day, there was initially a long wait as the patient before me proved “tricky” and had to be kept in overnight.  When my turn came, it was done under local anaesthetic.  All done very efficiently and painlessly, the procedure lasting less than an hour, then recovery, checks that all was well and X-ray to confirm the wires were in the correct place  It was not nearly as scary as the letter to my GP, copied to me, by the Arrhythmia Consultant.  My ambulatory monitoring showed: “Narrow QRS complexes and a high burden of ventricular ectopy.”  Not really sure what that means, but I am definitely at risk of something nasty such as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, hence the need for the ICD. 

I am not allowed to drive for a month, not just for medical reasons,  but by law.  I have informed the DVLA and my motor insurance company.  This is a nuisance as now I feel fine.  I have, for four to six weeks, to avoid lifting or carrying anything heavy in my left arm (not vacuuming or lawn mowing for example) and should not raise my left arm above shoulder height.  I have studiously observed these requirements, but have had to check myself once or twice from doing something as simple as putting both arms behind the neck when relaxing in bed.  

Still the six week check up is getting closer, though it seems tediously slowly, while garden jobs are piling up, in spite of Lorraine nobly doing many of them.  I just have to hope that the check up will show the electrodes have not become displaced and that the device is working properly.  Then I can go full speed to catch up on gardening and wall press-ups etc.  Not to mentioning vacuuming.  Dear Lorraine has undertaken extra work brilliantly, including driving me.  I’ll take her for a celebratory meal when the check-up is over.