Knowing that this may not be the right place to post this but though I would get more feed back here.
Having some heart problems in the past. I was recommended to have a ICD.
Which was done on Nov 4th, 2008. I wondering if ANY ONE has this and is still riding?
I've been riding for well over 40 years and it would kill me to give it up, but I would hate for this device to go off while riding at 80MPH on the freeway...

 

You make a very valid point. Although I don't have one, I do work with a large population of people who do (nurse on a cardiac unit). I've had people who have had theirs fire. They could feel it, but no real discomofort. I also had someone who said "it felt like someone hit them from behind" it literally took them to the ground. Not something you want at 80 mph!

What did your cardiologist have to say? What was the reason for the implant? Did you have slow or fast rates?

I'm sure you'll find a hundred different opinions. Discuss with your doc and make the best decision for you. Enjoy riding that bike!!

 

i have heart problems. arent we at risk of the "big one" at anytime anyway?no exp with your unit but seems to me no diff than the risk we all take when we ride. MO

 

A friend of ours has had one for several years and still rides. It has "hit" but never when he was riding.

 

Thanks all for the reply's. I have asked the Rep for the company after the implant when he came in to verify programming but he didn't have a answer for me right then ... I have went to there web site and asked them same question.

Stubby0032, Answer to your question is had a couple of heart attacks back in 2000 and now my heart is enlarged. Rep was worried that the extra vibration may effect the ICD but he wasn't sure..

Thanks All

 

SoCal,
I'm a pastor and have had several church members who have had ICDs. Most of them have reported that they experienced the "kick" when they had been overexerting themselves and were under a great deal of physical duress. They also said they knew that something was going to happen because they could feel themselves getting weaker/tired, out of breath, etc.
If riding gives you pleasure and you find it relaxing, having the ICD kick in may be the least likely thing to happen, unless you ride the "Tail of the Dragon."
No personal experience, just what my church members tell me.

 

What happens if it kicks in when you are coming up on a school crosswalk with a 800lb chunk of metal. I see people complaining all the time about cars and cell phones. How about people with heart conditions riding bikes? There must be some danger to it and the only concern i see is for yourself. Not slamming, just wondering.

 

My cardiologist wanted to put one of those in me a couple years ago. After hearing it could knock me to my knees when it activated, I decided against it. The other side of this was that the doc said I would be unconcious when it fired anyway. All in all, I didn't think much of the whole deal.
They were going to cut me open again, without having done anything else. No therapy or medications or anything. Just stick a machine in me. That alone gave me cause to say no. My condition was excelerated heart rate. Medications and a kidney transplant seem to have cleared things up fine. Actually, I was fine, heart wise, while on dialysis. My point is, I think the medical world is just a bit too eager to install appliances. In this case, to the best of my knowledge, they have yet to find a way to remove the thing once it's in.
For those that don't know, the device in implanted in your chest and is plugged into your heart via ****** needles. It sits idle until it is needed. Then it shoots an electric charge directly into your heart. Depending on ones condition, it is to either restart your heart or bring it back into a normal beat.
With my arythmic heart they said I would pass out from the high heart rate before the machine worked. I figured if I was riding, or driving, I'd probably be hitting a wall, vehicle, person, tree, etc, about the time the thing fired. Wouldn't be of much good to me at that point.

 

I dont have one, but I have worked on many who have. Some that had them go off, for unknown reasons (misfired). I have seen both and head from both sides. Some say it felt like a vibration in the chest and a couple I have met have Yelled at the top of their lungs when it went off. The answer is yes, its made to "Shock" when it sences a lethal cardiac arythmia V-Tach, or a run of PVCs (more then 3) or if the heat goes into V-fib. All but V-fib you very well can be awake and well knowing that it went off. I have heard nothing about increased vibration causing a misfire.

My feeling is riding on 2 wheels or driving on 4, if it hits you HARD you might not be in control of either. I have never heard of anyone loosing there dirving privliges because they had a AICD. I say if you love to ride.....Ride on

 

Good point. And we're no safer if he were driving a car. For the good of the rest we should put him on an ice floe and let him drift out to sea.