My ICD

I am so sorry for the long absence! It was a mixture of writers block and being very busy, but I'm sure you don't want to hear my excuses. Today I would like to share with you all my experience with having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or an ICD.

Image from google.

As I have mentioned in my previous post here, I received an ICD in October 2008, during the freshman year of high school. The purpose of an ICD is to use electrical pulses or shocks to help control life-threatening arrhythmias in the ventricles of the heart, especially those that cause sudden cardiac arrests. It’s dual function as both a pacemaker and defibrillator is what makes it so incredibly imperative to have. My ICD was implanted into me after my first sudden cardiac arrest, and to be perfectly honest, it was the second most painful surgery I’ve ever had (my most recent VT ablation is ranked the highest, although that may be because it’s still fresh in my mind compared to the ICD surgery..) I don’t even think my chest hurt the most after the surgery, it was definitely my throat from having the breathing tube in! My family had to feed me ice chips and I couldn’t talk and it hurt to swallow for three to five days. It basically felt like having an extremely sore throat that wouldn’t go away no matter what you did. I wasn’t able to move my left arm without being met with pain, and even when I was finally released from the hospital after the surgery, I had to keep my arm in a sling.

Despite after everything had healed, the scar that was left from my surgery continued to bother me for 6 months. It would be just like a dull throbbing pain, and no matter what I did it never went away. Occasionally, it would even become itchy! My mom tried to put lotion and anti-scar cream and all sorts of other ointments to try and help it, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, all the pain and sensations stopped and to this day it still hasn’t bothered me anymore.

However, setting the process of obtaining the ICD aside, my ICD is the reason why I am still alive today. I cannot stress how thankful I am to have my ICD, and it has already shocked me back to life about 4 times, not including the VT storm, as I have mentioned in the posts with my complete story. Unfortunately, it is because of that VT storm that I am scared of my ICD, because being shocked while conscious has left such unforgettable pain that I still haven’t quite gotten over. I went through a time period where I was scared to be left alone in case something happened to me and my ICD would go off, and I became incredibly conscious of my heart beat. I know others have gone through/is going through the same thing because interestingly enough, when I go see my electrophysiologist they ask for patients to submit a survey with questions about how they feel about their ICDs/arrhythmia, just like the feelings I had been dealing with the past year. The only thing I wish I could have done differently want seek help earlier instead of telling myself the feeling would go away, and I still think it would be extremely helpful to talk to someone who feels the same way as I do.

If anyone has any other questions about ICDs from a person who actually has one rather than a doctor's point of view, feel free to ask me! Of course if it regards whether you need one/your child needs one then consult with a doctor. I know it may seem that I have a bad experience with my ICD, but I wouldn't change a thing and I am so thankful to have my ICD rather than having to get a heart transplant.

Also, some general things about having an ICD: I can't walk through security monitors (just like people with pacemakers), I generally need to stay away from magnets, I wear a Medic Alert bracelet notifying others about my defibrillator, and I sometimes get questions about my scar but usually my hair covers it!

Labor Day Weekend Hike

I apologize for having such a random posting schedule... Life has certainly been hectic these last weeks. Between midterms and studying for my final, getting my research sorted, and moving apartments, things still won't be all sorted out until at least September 12!

First off, I hope you all had an amazing Labor Day Weekend! On Saturday my friends and I decided to go on a Labor Day Weekend hike to Sturtevant Falls, a place we found online with amazing waterfall pictures. I thought it'd be a perfect little opportunity to share a blog post about the trip.

So I picked up my friends a little after noon, and we set off to Angeles National Forest, about an hour and 15 min drive away where the falls were located. We had to drive about 3 miles up an incredibly windy road to get to the parking lot, and it was my first time being the driver since usually I make my dad or sister drive when we have to go through mountains to get to the beach or something, so it was super scary! The tiny little railing brought little comfort, but we managed to make it to the parking lot alive. Another thing to mention, because who knows why, we all decided to literally go during the hottest part of the day.... but after buying our parking pass and getting situated, we set off on the hike.

Luckily, the beginning of the hike is all downhill, but that only meant the way back was going to be killer. I tried to stick to the shade as much as possible, and as we went farther down the mountain there were more trees and shade. Sturtevant Falls was about a 2 mile hike from where we parked, and the plan was to eat our packed sandwiches at the falls.

Beginning view of the hike!

Being one with nature.

After about an hour and half since we took a couple breaks here and there, we finally arrived at the waterfall! It was actually good for me since the friends that I was with had a tendency to walk SUPER slow so I didn't have to exert my heart in any way. Unfortunately, to our utter dismay, the waterfall was just a trickle of water from the California drought!! ):

The "waterfall". Nothing like the pictures we found online... lol 

My friends and I! :) 

After finishing our lunches and enjoying the nature, we all decided to climb to the top of the waterfall. Originally I wasn't planning on it and the boys went ahead, but curiosity overtook me and I really wanted to see what was up there. The climb was extremely steep and I'm still shocked I made it, but I'm glad I did! There ended up being another trail at the top of the waterfall, and we decided to take the trail back to the parking lot.

View from the top of the waterfall

As we predicted, the uphill hike back was certainly a struggle. But we definitely made it back faster than it took to get to the waterfall, and we finished the day off with driving to Honey Boba for some milk tea, and grabbing dinner at Grill'em All, a burger place that was on the way back to UCLA.
Overall, it was a pretty fun day and a cool adventure with my friends!