New Member Intro

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone my name is Ken and I'm new to this group. I'm a kangaroo

many times over! I'm 48 years old and live in Michigan. I had my

original ICD implanted in 2001 after going into tachycardia out of

the blue. Doctors told me if I would have waited any longer I

wouldn't be here...heart rate was 202. I was never sick a day in my

life up till that point, doctors think I was attacked by a virus and

screwed up my electrical. I do not nor have I ever had blockages,

high cholesterol or any of the normal heart problems. I had my icd

replaced in 2005 with the guidant recall. From 2001 until November

of 2006 I had been zapped several times but it was no big deal. 1st

time I got zapped I figured oh that wasn't bad, 2nd time I saw stars

and didn't realize that the voltage varies depending on what's going

on with my heart at the time. So basically I lived with it going off

every now and then, no big deal.

Went to Chicago in November 2006 for my sons Navy bootcamp graduation

and the day we were supposed to leave for home I couldn't get out of

bed so my wife called an ambulance. Found out I was in A Fib and my

ICD was not programmed for A Fib. Spent 5 days in CICU at

Libertyville IL. The first hospital I've ever been at to offer us

lobster, filet mignon, salmon, prime rib and it was actually good!

That hospital put my on tikosyn. Got out of the hospital and my wife

drove us 8 hours home with me laying in the back seat most of the

time. All was okay until mid-december when I got zapped 4 times in a

row. Went to the ER they stablized me, I spent the night and went

home the next day. The doctor figured it was the tikosyn that caused

me to be zapped those 4 times. All hell broke loose on 12/28 when I

was zapped 13 times 4 at home, 4 in the ambulance and 5 in the er.

Those were the strongest zaps I've ever had. On 1/3 I went through a

heart ablation to try to zap the nerve endings that were given me my

erratic heart beat. Since then I've been okay but off work and weak.

Right now I have an event monitor hangin round my neck for 30 days.

And I'm going through heart transplant evaluation. The doctor there

changed my meds and I haven't been zapped since December 28th. Right

now my meds are: Coreg, Amiodarone, Digitex, Altace, Spironolactone,

Aspirin, Zoloft, Zanax, and if my insurance would have covered it I

could have added Viagra to the list! I also take a few natural

supplements like CoQ10, Hawthornberry, Wolfberry Juice, Omega 3 along

with a few others my wife throws my way!

I know for a fact that this icd has saved my life for at least 25

times. It's always in the back of my mind that it's going to zap me

again and I don't like that feeling...well that's my story in a nut

shell...thanks everyone for listening to me vent.

Look forward to sharing...any questions anyone has I'll try to help

since it seems like I've been through it all...

Ken