afib & abalation

Has anyone had abaltion and how succesfull was it?

8 Comments

hi

by alice G - 2008-10-20 01:10:27

hi allan as my good friend wannabe has explained there are several types of ablation. i went in to have the simplier one but i had to come off my medicines for 3 days before they could do the procedure as they need a true readingof the heart without any interference from your meds by the time i got to the hospital i was so ill they couldnt do it..( iam not saying that will happen to you) so there was no other option for me than to have a pacemaker fitted first and then have the AVmode ablation done.. i had my pm put in on 15 july and 2 weeks ago i had the ablation i felt wonderful i could work without having pains in my chest , my breathing was 100%better the only thing was as sheila said now iam 100% dependant on my pm. to me personally that was the only down side of it. you need to look into all the options i didnt think the doctors discuss this enough with you. it was only after i had things done that the facts came out and by then its too late to change your mind..so please for your own peace of mind make sure its the right thing for you. iam here if you need to ask anymore questions. i wish you well

Ablation for A-fib

by ted - 2008-10-20 05:10:51

My doctors are not much in favor of ablation for Afib. I never asked why.

Worked too well...

by chip - 2008-10-20 06:10:04

I had an ablation SVT and it worked so well in slowing my heart that now I have the pacemaker.

Get a second or even third opinion first!

I have had an ablation

by afibber - 2008-10-20 11:10:09

Hi,
I have had an a/v node ablation, and a pacemaker inserted in 1998, for chronic a-fib. I can say that I have had no problems that I am aware of from the ablation.
until I reached the 10 year mark, and when I became short of breath- I was told that complications with ablations for a-fib with pacemakers happen usually in the first 2 years or so. It tool me 10 years. So, I guess that I cannot complain. My EP told me that "I am an unusual case." Sometimes the node will grow back, sometimes it won't. I know that mine has not because when my pacemaker is turned off I feel terrible, I get a pounding in my chest, I become very dizzy, and everything starts to go black. So, with that in mind, I always ask the interrogaters NOT to turn it off.

Explore your options, learn all you can about a-fib and ask about other procedures that can be done for a-fib. Get a 2nd opinion. There are alot of new things out there for us a-fibbers.

Best of luck to you, and I hope that my post helps.

A-fibber


those darn ablations.....

by Angelie - 2008-10-20 11:10:21

Ablations are a wonderful addition to the cardiac realm of procedures. They can do wonders, and I have seen them cure arrhythmias that have been deemed untreatable.
However, there are ALWAYS risks involved with every procedure. I have had 3 ablations. They were partly successful, and partly unsuccessful. Sometimes the doctors get in there and everything works perfectly. Sometimes it doesn't go so well.
I have had sinus node ablation, and ablation for atrial tach. Both of those they were able to ablate some areas, but had to avoid other areas. The last one I had was filled with complications because my phrenic nerve was too close to where they needed to ablate. The doctor froze it with a -82 degree catheter leaving me with right lung problems that I hope are not permanent. My phrenic nerve, they say, is in the wrong spot.
Mostly the risk of ablations is that you go through all of that only for it not to work, or it works for a short while and your arrhythmia comes back.

Ablation

by Wannabe - 2008-10-20 12:10:42

Hello Allan - I'd an ablation for atrial flutter in March of 2007. This was entirely successful and I've been grateful to be relieved of the flutter every day since. You might remember Tony Blair had an ablation for the same condition and apparently remains in excellent health as he'd no other arrhythmias at that stage.

However, it was while they were doing my ablation for atrial flutter that they discovered I'd a further problem with atrial fibrillation and it took 27 seconds for my heart to recover after an attack. I understand an ablation to relieve fibrillation's nowhere like as easy as it is for flutter. Partly because the catheter has to pass through (or over, not sure) two areas of the heart in an indirect route. Also, it's not as straightforward as simply interrupting the electrical circuit once the circuit's been identified. Fibrillation seems to be caused by a more complicated wiring fault. I understand if atrial fibrillation becomes so bad and doesn't respond to mediciation then the AV node ablation's the answer, but it means you're entirely PM dependent after it.

I have to take Flecainide for the atrial fibrillation and have a PM to prevent my heart from taking such an age to sort itself out after an attack. I also have to have Warfarin and am presently being weaned off beta-blockers. I'm down from 2.50mgs per day to 1.75mgs per day. As of Wednesday this week I'm to take 1.75mgs on alternate days for a further week.

Sorry to be so wordy - I hope to be better when I grow up! Kindest wishes, Sheila (aka Wannabe)

Very successful

by PattiAnn237 - 2008-10-21 08:10:03

I had two ablations, one in 97 which was unsucessful, and another in 98, which was very successful, and has (knock on wood) left me with a normal heart rate for the past 10 years. I was sufferering from fast, slow and irregular heart beats.

if you buy now...

by blueangel1432 - 2008-10-22 04:10:48

If you buy now...they'll throw in a handy dandy pacemaker! (sorry, its only been a week, I'm still bitter...) I had a cardiac ablation for WPW that made me pass out occasionally. If there are other options try them. I was told and am still told its an easy and nearly risk free procedure but mine resulted in a heart block and ...well, Im bionic and grumpy and a 29yr old single mom who left the hospital ( a week later) far worse than I went in.

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