Terrified

100% trust

by Gotrhythm - 2018-06-06 14:53:42

I thought I probably didn't have anything to say about your post until I got to your last two sentences. 

Being paced 100% isn't a big deal. I am. Lots of us are. The amount you are paced doesn't mean a lot, as long as you are paced as much as you need to be.

Today's pacemakers are miracles of reliability with lots of checks to make sure they are working okay. I'd rather trust a pacemaker to keep my heart beating than trust my wonky heart on its own.

Terrified

by pogerm1 - 2018-06-06 16:14:25

Don't get your node ablated, you are so young--Do you have Atrial Fib?  I don't know where you are but there are very good doctors like Dr. Natalie in Texas, he does thousands of Ablations every year.  I would exhaust every avenue before I would get my node ablated.

(Don't be) Terrified

by AgentX86 - 2018-06-06 22:53:42

I had an AV ablation about fifteen weeks ago, after three failed ablations, after a MAZE procedure caused highly symptomatic atypical A-flutter.  Don't take the AV ablation ligthly but it's not the end of the world either.  I don't like the idea of an ICD to convert Afib constantly.  Seems a little drastic but try everything else before an AV ablation.  There is no way back (but it's not horrible, either).

Hi

by Bionic Beat - 2018-06-06 23:02:27

A pacemaker wont shock you, that would be an ICD.  A pacemaker simply paces you as much as you need to be paced.

I had an AV node ablation in 2008, it was the best thing ever.  A pacemaker had been implanted a few weeks in advance of the ablation, so I was all set.

I asked 'when am I going to feel better' and the doctor replied, 'in about 45 minutes'.

He wasnt kidding!   During the recovery time, they kept releasing the clamp and giving me cups of tea.

After 45 minutes and 3 cups of tea, you had to walk what seemed a mile to the bathroom.

I was nervous but fine.  I swear they put the bathroom far away to give patients confidence by the time they got back for discharge!

I trust the pacemaker to keep me ticking, I have chronic AFib so take coumadin and dont give it a second thought.  As long as the ventricles are in syc, its a good day.

It has bought me over a decade of life, how could I not be happy?

Best Wishes,

Bionic Beat

Shilo

by Bionic Beat - 2018-06-06 23:06:54

Im also in Ontario.  May I ask which hospital/doctor you are dealing with??

I go to Toronto General Hospital.  They are terrific.

My EP guy has just retired, makes me want to cry.....he was a total lifesaver!  

Just wondering if you're in the TO area?

Bionic Beat

Thank you everyone

by shilo - 2018-06-07 10:43:51

Bionic Beat.....I love your user name !    I live south of London Ont and have a team of doctors at The London Cardiac Institute.  Thank you for clarifying some things for me :)    Because of the surgery that I had as a child I have a lot of scar tissue ( which the think may be a lot of my problem}.  I had an ablation last year, around this same time, but still had a few problems afterwards.  I was able to go back to work but in the last few months things have slowly gotten worse again and Im at the point of not being able to do much...including work.   I have been called  "special"   lol    What works for others does not seem to work for me.   I had to wear a holter monitor for 24 hr and had a ECG and am currently sitting at home waiting to hear back from them

Thank you again  It is nice to know that I have people to talk to when the time comes for me to have a pacemaker 

Thank you

by Bionic Beat - 2018-06-07 15:14:13

Thank you, I like it too!    ;-))

London has great cardiac people, glad to hear you are a centre of excellence.

We had to bring one of our children to London Health Sciences when Sick Kids couldnt treat her problems.  They were superb.

I had been in heart failure, using a doc from another hospital for quite some time when I went back to TGH for their opinion.  Within a day, they had an answer. The pacemaker went in rather quickly and six weeks later the AV node was ablated.  as I posted, 45 minutes later I was up and walking around, feeling pretty darn good.

Its never the same as Sinus Rythm but its very good compared to how I had been pre ablation.

We were just happy to be living in times when they had a 'fix' for this.  

Please let your 'terror' go, it's not a good thing as it drains you and takes away from the idea that your doctors have your best interests at heart.  Pun intended.

Best Wishes,

Bionic Beat