I needed the pacemaker/defib combo device and I'm on the second one now as the first was nearing the end of it's battery life.
I remember clearly how hesitant and anxious I was about receiving the first one and I sympathize with you, but really, there is no downside to it. Whatever you may have read about interference from microwaves or remote controls, its all baloney. These devices are heavily shielded against interference and it takes a tremendously powerful electrical field to penetrate them. You won't be able to get an MRI anymore, and should avoid walking through metal detectors, because you will set them off every time. You may not want to be loafing around one of the generators at Hoover dam, but otherwise, forget about it.
And you will indeed forget about it. Mine initiates 70% of my heartbeats, and while that is kind of a creepy thought it is not something that I can sense. The only effects noticeable to me are a better lived life. Seriously. I can go about my ordinary life without concern about my heart function, I dont have to have any attention stuck on sensations of stray heart flutters, thumps, or the nauseating weakness of heart failure.
There are still heart risks, of course. But those risks are about ordinary heart health, like controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. There are no risks to having the implanted device, it removes risks. It fixes problems without creating new ones.
I encourage you to go ahead, ignore your natural hesitations, and get the procedure. After a few days the incision will heal and you won't have to think about it again.
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