u/Jealous-Ad150

Hii ^^

I got my ICD implanted approximately 2 weeks ago and I still struggle to breathe.

Like, I can do it, but there are times where I have to Inhale deeply to get air, and it happens far too often. According to my apple watch, my respiratory rate is currently 17,3, which is far above my usual rate.

The doctors said after the surgery that everything is fine, but it's not going away... And since the watch says it also happens at night, it's not only in my head, I guess?

Anyone else with similar experiences?

Heya :D

I got an ICD(Medtronic, single lead) implanted last week and am still trying to register everything. I am in my middle 20ies.

I never had a cardiac arrest or anything, just was born with HOCM and already had two alcohol ablation when I was younger. The doctors told me to get it for safety, but I still struggle to accept it, as I have read that people get it for much worse reasons and all I have is that sickness with 2 cases of strong dizziness and some irregular heartbeats in the past. It's hard for me to understand why I need it, and I am starting to regret that I implanted it.

I am very scared of being shocked (I can't handle pain very much). And that fear steals my sleep, but I guess that is my life now.

The surgery itself also wasn't the best, the leads loosened and I needed to go a second time, so additional fear unlocked.

And last but not least, my bf finds the bulge of the implantation unattractive. He helped me so much before, but when he saw that little hill on my chest there was disgust. I understand it's ugly but man , this hurts. He is now unsure if we can cuddle and do stuff like before.

I don't know how to handle things right now. I am scared and feel like crying and I just want to remove this thing..

Did anyone had similar experiences? Any input is helpful..

Edit: Everyone of you is so helpful! Thank you so much, you don't know how much this helps ;-; . I hope your comments can also help a person in the future. My boyfriend has also since apologized for his reaction, he is all new to this and doesn't want to lose me and was very scared the past days while I was in the hospital.

Thank you so much again everyone! Even if I don't answer, I read every comment! ♥️