My 1st experience with my ICD firing at my chest
On Wednesday July 18, 2012 my ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator; a device that regulates irregular heart rhythms by sending an electrical impulse to your heart) went off. This was the first time.
I was lying in bed when all of a sudden my head felt so dizzy then I felt a shock! It felt like someone kicked me really hard in the chest. It hurt. ( the doctor described it as a donkey kicked me in the chest) Then, I was rushed to the hospital ER. I spent 13 hours in the ER. Most of the time, I was waiting around for specialists to come see me. I did a blood test, ECG, and Chest Xray but nothing was found. The doctors said everything was normal. The pacemaker team finally came and checked my ICD. Turned out I had a Ventricular Fibrillation. (VF- the most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance. The lower chambers quiver and the heart can't pump any blood, causing cardiac arrest.) Luckily, my ICD worked and did what it was suppose to do which was to save my life. The pacemaker team also told me that I had another episode that lasted 4 seconds on May 5, 2012 (on My WEDDING DAY, omg! ) however my heart corrected itself somehow. The cardiologist increased my dosage of beta blockers to prevent VF from happening again. Then I was sent home.
My doctors still have not figured out why I had a cardiac arrest. It has been 10 months.
Currently, I am undergoing genetic testing to see if I have Long QT syndrome. If so, there is no cure; there is only treatment to prevent a cardiac arrest from happening again which is beta blockers ( slows down the heart rate).
A short definition of what is Long QT syndrome:
Long Q-T syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of the heart's electrical system that can happen in otherwise healthy people. Its name comes from the way the heart's electrical activity is recorded during an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). The electrical activity that is recorded produces a characteristic pattern and the different parts of the pattern are labelled with the letters P, Q, R, S and T. The space between the Q and the T (the Q-T interval) represents the time it takes for the electrical signal to pass through the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) until the heart is ready for its next beat. If it takes longer than normal, it is diagnosed as a prolonged or long Q-T interval.
My husband and I are also in the process of volunteering and becoming an advocate for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian SADS Foundation.
For more information on Long QT Syndrome: http://www.heartandstroke.bc.ca/site/c.kpIPKXOyFmG/b.3644513/k.F7F3/Heart_Disease__What_is_Long_QT_Syndrome.htm
I was lying in bed when all of a sudden my head felt so dizzy then I felt a shock! It felt like someone kicked me really hard in the chest. It hurt. ( the doctor described it as a donkey kicked me in the chest) Then, I was rushed to the hospital ER. I spent 13 hours in the ER. Most of the time, I was waiting around for specialists to come see me. I did a blood test, ECG, and Chest Xray but nothing was found. The doctors said everything was normal. The pacemaker team finally came and checked my ICD. Turned out I had a Ventricular Fibrillation. (VF- the most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance. The lower chambers quiver and the heart can't pump any blood, causing cardiac arrest.) Luckily, my ICD worked and did what it was suppose to do which was to save my life. The pacemaker team also told me that I had another episode that lasted 4 seconds on May 5, 2012 (on My WEDDING DAY, omg! ) however my heart corrected itself somehow. The cardiologist increased my dosage of beta blockers to prevent VF from happening again. Then I was sent home.
My doctors still have not figured out why I had a cardiac arrest. It has been 10 months.
Currently, I am undergoing genetic testing to see if I have Long QT syndrome. If so, there is no cure; there is only treatment to prevent a cardiac arrest from happening again which is beta blockers ( slows down the heart rate).
A short definition of what is Long QT syndrome:
Long Q-T syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of the heart's electrical system that can happen in otherwise healthy people. Its name comes from the way the heart's electrical activity is recorded during an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). The electrical activity that is recorded produces a characteristic pattern and the different parts of the pattern are labelled with the letters P, Q, R, S and T. The space between the Q and the T (the Q-T interval) represents the time it takes for the electrical signal to pass through the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) until the heart is ready for its next beat. If it takes longer than normal, it is diagnosed as a prolonged or long Q-T interval.
My husband and I are also in the process of volunteering and becoming an advocate for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian SADS Foundation.
