I've got to have it done.

After 10 years of on and off A-fib, 2 ablations and several cardioversions, I am scheduled for my third ablation in October and the following day a pacemaker. How long will it be before I can start to get active again after 10 years of mostly feeling like crap? I use to be active but get tired and out of breath all the time now, will a lot of this be gone? Any and all info will be helpful.

6 Comments

Avoid artifical pacing

by Terry - 2014-08-31 08:08:05

Many doctors still bypass the cardiac conduction system by placing the lead deep within the right ventricle. More and more, doctors are pacing the His bundle. Google Pacemaker Patient Advocacy for more. (The scientific literature lists the deleterious effects of bypassing the conduction system of the heart as you will see.) Also, Google cardiac conduction system.

Dr. Dandamudi, for example, says "As I always tell my patients, there is the artificial way of pacing the heart muscle and the God given way of pacing the heart- we are going to try to replicate Gods work!" He places the lead tip electrode at the His bundle for a physiological ventricular contraction, choreographed by the high conduction velocity His/Purkinje system. It acts like nerve branches and controls the timing of cardiac muscle cell contraction for the sake of heart health, as you will find with a little study. It's not really difficult.

All the best,
Terry

PVI

by golden_snitch - 2014-09-01 02:09:28

Hi again!

Now, I understand, you are going for another PVI, not an AV-node ablation. I had jumped to the conclusion that an AV-node ablation is what you are heading for, because ablations and cardioversions had failed. But if they are doing a pulmonary vein isolation again, then you will of course not go into a complete heart block afterwards, so then the pacemaker implant can wait.

Good luck!

Inga

AV-node ablation

by golden_snitch - 2014-09-01 02:09:52

Hi!

First of all, Terry, can you please at least also answer the question that was posted, instead of preaching over and over and over again the bible of how to physiologically pace the right ventricle? The problem with right ventricular pacing is a hot topic within cardiology/electrophysiology, doctors and manufacturers alike are already working on it. There is not a heart rhythm conference that does not address this issue. When I read your comments, it always sounds like hardly anyone is aware of this problem, while the truth is that most EPs are!

Now, bowl299, I'm surprised to read that you will have the ablation and then have the pacemaker the next day. It sounds like they will now be doing an AV-node ablation, so that you end up with a complete heart block. What's going to happen in those 24 hours when there is no pacemaker to compensate for the block??? In those stories about AV-node ablation for Afib, that I have heard, it's done the other way around: First the pacemaker, then the ablation. Once the ablation is done, you need the pacemaker to stimulate the ventricles, you cannot wait 24 hours, otherwise you'll have a very slow ventricular rate, pauses, or no beating of the ventricles at all. So, you should definitely check, if this was only a misunderstanding. If it wasn't, ask them, what they are going to do to keep your ventricles beating until the pacemaker is put in.

I started a running/walking interval training about 3 weeks after my AV-node ablation. Since I, like you, had not been active for a long time, I took it really slowly. First week I ran three minutes, walked three, and so on. Second week, ran four minutes, walked two, ... After three months I was able to do 30 minutes, without pausing (around 4.5 km).

Yes, you should feel better after the ablation. I had my AV-node ablation not because of Afib, but because of other arrhythmias, and it helped a lot. Also heard quite a few stories from Afib patients with AV-node ablation, and they all did much better afterwards.

Good luck!

Inga

More information.

by bowl299 - 2014-09-01 11:09:43

I had my first ablation in march of 2007 for a-fib which did not work, the in august of 2007 I had a second ablation for a-fib and it worked until late 2012 or early 2013 when I went haywire again. In February of 2014 I had a loop recorder implanted to monitor my heart 24/7. IN July they got the information that they needed. In a 10 day period I had over 500 episodes of a-fib and to make matters worse when I go from a-fib to normal rhythm there is the usual 1-3 sec pause with no heart beat, but when I go the other way I have a 5-8 sec pause which is the reason for the pacemaker,

The pacemaker will be the keep the heart rate normal if a-fib affects it. The ablation will be to try and correct the a-fib.

This all started at 52 year of age and no family history of any heart problems other than blood pressure. I am now 63

As Inga says...

by Terry - 2014-09-01 12:09:09

..."The problem with right ventricular pacing is a hot topic within cardiology/electrophysiology, doctors and manufacturers alike are already working on it."

There are only two ways for a pacemaker to pace the heart; pacing that results in a natural ventricular contraction and pacing that bypasses the cardiac conduction system, known in the literature to cause some serious "deleterious effects." The time to consider heart health is before the pacemaker is implanted. It's time for patients to get involved with healthcare and sometimes ask for a second opinion, especially when a paradigm shift is under way as it currently is.

Ablation/Pacemaker

by MichaelToyne - 2014-09-13 06:09:58

HI
I feel much less informed than others posting so forgive me if I fail to respond appropriately.

I have just had an ablation (left) which was followed by an unscheduled pacemaker inserted

This is a non technical post

Prior to this I had a coupe of cardioversions (failed) and for the last year or so I was completely knackered after a few hundred yards of walking, stairs would exhaust me and I was generally feeling rubbish.
Only two years ago I was regularly running for 5-7 miles and playing squash once or twice a week.
Two weeks post operation, I am walking 4-5 miles a day, can do stairs and am starting to feel much better in myself, I am still coming to terms with being reliant on a bit of technology and have regular nightmares about it
The pain resulting from the operation is still annoying but I am confident that its getting better all the time

my concern now is that I will have more emotional than physical problems with the pacemaker, that said, I feel that I can look forward to a time when I can play tennis again with my kids

Also not mentioned by other contributors, I have found that meditation has helped me enormously in both dealing with the process (relatively safe but daunting) and recovery

I wish you well and hope that this has in some way been helpful

Mick

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