I am glad to be out of the hospital and that the surgery is finally over.
The surgery took about an hour and a half–the doctor implanted the ICD and tested it during the timespan. He pushed my heart rate up to 200 bpms and the device kicked right in. The normal position of the device is in the hollow of the left shoulder, the doctor planted my device closer to the middle of my chest–so I can play golf and have more mobility with my shoulder.
After the procedure I felt awful, I was groggy from the anesthetic and my chest was very swollen where the incision and the defibrillator are–which I expected. I didn’t think the anesthetic would wear off so quickly after the surgery, I thought I would be crackin jokes afterward. Not the case. I had monitored bed rest for 24 hours and antibiotics by IV. They gave me some Tylenol with Codine for the pain and that worked real well.
There are restrictions that result from the surgery such as reaching over my head with my left arm for two weeks and lifting anything over 5 lbs. for two months.
There is a selection of items that you can’t use, these are covered on the medtronic website, Medtronic makes my defibrillator. The most notable electronic devices that can cause an interference are cellphones–you can use them all you want but you have to remember to keep them at least 6 inches away from your device. Also theft detection systems in stores and metal detectors in airports can be set off by the casing of your device–medtronic gives you an ICD identification card to keep with you that you can show security or store employees (most stores and all airports are aware of the devices). Do not let airport security use the handheld screening wand–that can interfere as well.
I found these websites and articles helpful during my transition.