A Bit Of Health Advice

[LHookins 3,102]

I thought I'd pass this along in hopes that it might help someone.  If it helps even one other person, it's worth it.

Four years ago I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and the doctor recommended I have a defibrillator implanted.  This device will detect a life threatening heart arrhythmia and automatically deliver a shock to the heart to get it beating again normally.  It will deliver multiple shocks if necessary.

At the time, I really didn't want the device, and thought I was basically bullied into getting it.  Having it is not really a problem, modern microwave ovens do not affect them, but we're advised to stay away from HAM radio including the radios in light aircraft.  Well maybe... they operate on the same radio frequency that hot air balloons use.

Well, yesterday I found out why I needed it.  My heart went into v-fib and after maybe 5 seconds I lost consciousness.  About 10 seconds later the device shocked my heart back into normal rhythm, and shortly after I regained consciousness.  Aside from being a little weak and disoriented for a few minutes, there were no adverse effects.  I never felt the shock, and had no discomfort afterwards (they say that you wake up feeling like you've been kicked in the chest by a mule... not so in my case). 

 

Dying is not a particularly pleasant experience, but it would be considerably less pleasant if I was pleading my case to Saint Peter right about now.  

So if your doctor recommends a defibrillator, go ahead and get it.  It could make a big difference, sooner or later.

Hook

PS.  This actually is flight sim related:  at the time I was reviewing screen shots from P3D. 
 

[max2770 74]

I happen to be a paramedic.  Glad you got it, it works very well!  Although we can see it on most people, I advise you get a medic-alert or something to warn EMTs that you have one - we can quite easily interfere with it if we don't know, and we have means to disable it if it ever malfunctions.