# I got my implanted cardiac monitor yesterday.



## Tracyarts (Oct 26, 2016)

It's a loop recorder, the Medtronics LINQ monitor. The point is that it will continuously monitor my heart 24/7 for 2 to 3 years and catch an atrial fibrillation episode if I have one. One of the possible causes of a cryptogenic stroke is Afib but in a form that happens several months to more than a year between episodes. If this is the case with me, they can change my medication to one that significantly reduces the risk of subsequent strokes related to Afib. It will also detect any other abnormal heart rate or rhythm episodes. 

The procedure took less than a minute after I was prepped. I was discharged an hour later. I have a tiny incision about a third of an inch across on my upper left chest that's going to heal in a couple of weeks. No sedation, no iv, and no stitches (just some dermabond to close the incision). I took a xanax before heading to the hospital but really didn't need it. The only pain was the poke from the lidocaine shot. Today I just feel a slight stinging like a paper cut now and then. 

Now, I did have an allergic reaction to the lidocaine later in the day and had to get a cortisone shot and take some benadryl for a few days. But I've never had lidocaine, so it was just bad luck to be allergic to it. 

The monitor is the size of a couple matchsticks held together and I can't see or feel it. I have a device that looks like a computer mouse that I hold against it every night and upload the data so my cardiologist can review it. I also have a little clicker the size of a key fob that I can point at my chest to "mark" any episodes when I feel like something is wrong. I can call my doctor and do an upload then, or go to the office or a hospital to get checked out. 

If any of you guys are told to consider this kind of a device, don't be afraid of the procedure. It was very fast and painless, and there is next to no post op pain.


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## seaturtle71 (Dec 29, 2016)

medical technology is so amazing. Good luck with everything. I read your post about having a stroke. How scary. Thank god it did not affect the crucial parts of your bran.


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## Tracyarts (Dec 31, 2016)

seaturtle71 said:


> medical technology is so amazing. Good luck with everything. I read your post about having a stroke. How scary. Thank god it did not affect the crucial parts of your bran.



It really is an amazing piece of technology. Most of the time I forget it's there. The implantation scar is tiny, and I can't feel it while I'm going about my business. I can feel it under the skin if I rub my fingertip across it though, and that's kinda weird. But not in a disturbing way. 

So far so good. Absolutely no irregular heart rhythms have been detected. No tachycardia, no bradycardia, and no atrial fibrillation. Big Brother is keeping an eye on me, and that really took away a lot of the medical anxiety. 

I'm also not feeling like the stroke is a big sword hanging over my head any longer. Nobody knows why it happened, but I'm taking steps to prevent a second one. So while I'm at increased risk for future strokes, the risks are being minimized.


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## Tad (Dec 31, 2016)

Glad both that you are being monitored and that the anxiety is waning, hopefully this will be one of those things that is always a puzzle... because nothing else ever happens to show a pattern.


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## Leem (Dec 31, 2016)

It sounds like it's not to invasive. I hope everything works out and it continues to be easy to live with.


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