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Life with an ICD: “My ICD saved my life”

Michael Munson had an ICD fitted after he had a sudden cardiac arrest while running a marathon in 2017. He shares how his ICD has since saved his life.

Mike on bench putting on running shoes

Mike, 69, a retired account director at BT, is now a health walk leader in his home town of Stowmarket, and he has set up a group for fellow cardiac arrest survivors in Suffolk.

He says: “When I first had the ICD, I joined a sudden cardiac arrest survivors’ group so I could have other people to talk to. I had been told that being shocked by the ICD would be like being kicked in the chest by a horse, so I wasn’t looking forward to that at all. But in fact when I had my first shock, in 2018 when I was out doing some light jogging, it was more a feeling of not being able to control anything and I blacked out.

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My family were very worried about me – they wanted me to be careful. The ICD has fired again when I was out walking with friends. It was a shock when it happened, but I never thought I would die.

Within a fraction of a second, I was back in normal rhythm

When they showed me the printout of my heartbeat in hospital, I thought, what a wonderful thing that this little ICD is inside me. My heartbeat looked like the shutting down of a computer and then within a fraction of a second, I was back in normal rhythm. It was brilliant.

If it had never shocked me, I would be sitting here wondering if it works. I know inappropriate shocks can be a problem for some people. I was lucky because my ICD shocked me when I needed it and saved my life.”

 

Elizabeth on a hillside

Building confidence after an ICD shock

“Getting used to the ICD took quite a bit of doing. I felt anxious at first.”

Read Elizabeth's story

Becky with her dog  Learning to see the positives

“It does feel like I’ve had some special enhancement to make me more robust.”

Read Becky's story

 

Published 25 February 2022

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Elizabeth walking in countryside