Saw my cardiologist

I saw my cardiologist this morning - I was counting the days because I'm fed up with the bisoprolol! I get more sleep during the day than I do at night, and for a 22 year old that's really not doing much for my social life...

Anyway, I thought it was just a checkup to see how I was doing on the beta-blockers, but when I told her about the side-effects (I nearly fainted the other day when I stood up) she said it would be better in the long run if I had an ablation! I knew this was a possibility, but with everything else going on in my life, I'd pushed it to the back of my mind. Now I'm worried about it, and when she was talking about it in her office she did ask if I had any questions but I was too busy processing it all in my mind to think of any, apart from "Will I have to stay overnight?" which isn't even important! So, I'm gonna ask the experts:

Does it hurt? The literature I've found all says it doesn't, but they said that about the PM procedure too, and that was uncomfortable to say the least!
How long does it last? I've read from between 1 and 5 hours.
What actually happens, from a patient's perspective?

Thanks in advance guys! :)

Emma xxx

6 Comments

Inga's comment

by Genie - 2010-04-27 04:04:34

Hi Emma,

We chatted before about the bisoprolol. Didn't realise you were based in the UK (I am too). I'm a patient at the Brompton (similar history to you - Mobitz type 1, pacemaker, now tachycardia). Not Dr Ernst though (Dr Clague) - but they are all brilliant there so I would second Inga's suggestion.

Did you try taking the bisoprolol at a different time of day? Or asking about alternative drugs (other beta blockers/ivabradine). I know ablation works for some, but not for everyone, so if it was me (and it might be in the long term) I'd explore everything first. It's not necessarily a simple cure. I am definitely feeling better on the bisoprolol now than when I started it. It's taking me a long time to get my energy back, and I get really tired (first day back at work yesterday, and I'm exhausted). So you might still find something to suit you.

Would definitely ask for a referral to a specialist hosptial to talk to someone before you make a decision. They can advise you as to whether ablation is a good option for you, and talk you through it. Message me if you want to chat more from a UK perspective!

Wish I Could Help ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2010-04-27 11:04:51

First, you have come to the right place to get some good, educated, experienced advice. Your fellow PM members who have been on here the longest have a lot to share with you on ablations, pain, meds, etc.

I had the ablation/PM implant 10/09. My surgery lasted about 1 1/2~2 hours. Thankfully, I am one of the ones who did not experience any complications.

I assume they put me to sleep since I do not remember anything but my talking non-stop to people in the "ice cave", the surgery area, before I took my "nap". The ablation? It is within your body and I did not feel that at all. The incision for the implant was so small and smooth, the only thing which bothered me was a couple of weeks of some uncomfortable stitches, which dissolved themselves. Everyone is different.

They kept me overnite in the Heart Hospital just for observation. I felt so good the next morning, except for the incision area, I was ready to be at my home.

Of course, my advice would be, "do not eat the food". LOL ~ bland, lack of taste, "what is it?", etc. Afterall, I guess that is why we call it the Heart Hospital. LOL

Best of Luck to You. Let us hear from you,

Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ Spring rains bring Spring flowers

Ablation

by golden_snitch - 2010-04-27 12:04:02

Hi Emma,

I have had six ablations, and I was only awake for the first one, for the other five I had a sedation (no general anaesthesia, just a combination of painkillers and something to sleep called Propofol). I must admit that I was not a happy camper when I had to stay awake. I felt the ablations (burning & stinging pain that moved up to my chin), my back started to hurt after an hour or so, and this laying perfectly still, not moving at all was really hard. Sleeping through the procedure was, in my opinion, much much better. Just ask your EP about it, I'm sure you can have a sedation, too. In the hospital where I had my ablations done, everyone gets the sedation unless one wants to stay awake or there is a good reason for it; my EP said he wanted me awake for the first procedure because he had the feeling that he would not be able to induce my arrhythmia while I was asleep. How long an ablation takes depends a bit on what kind of tachycardia is being ablated. In some patients EPs only need an hour, in others - like me - they need a couple of hours; for my longest I was in the EP lab for ten hours since they found several tachycardias.

After the ablation you have to lay flat on your back for about six hours. The sites where the catheters were put into the veins, are sometimes a bit bruised and might bother you a few days but that's about it.

I have heard many patients say that in the end the ablation procedure wasn't nearly as bad as they had expected, especially those who slept through it said that.

You can find a good overview of the procedure at:
http://www.heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/html/catheter_ablation_info.html

Best wishes
Inga

Great EP in London

by golden_snitch - 2010-04-27 12:04:27

Hey again,

I just saw that you are from the UK. If you want a really, really great EP to do the ablation, go to Royal Brompton Hospital in London and see Dr. Sabine Ernst. She's German, and she was trained by my EP in Hamburg. She's fantastic!

Bye
Inga

Thanks everyone

by petrolhead - 2010-04-28 09:04:06

Thanks for the advice and information everyone, I'm still researching it at every opportunity I get, thank God for the internet, I really don't know where I'd be without it, and as for you - I'm so glad I found you!! My cardiologist suggested looking it up on the internet, but I knew you'd be my first port of call, and you didn't disappoint.

Genie, I now take the bisoprolol at night, the same time as my other meds, but it's made no difference. That's why my cardiologist wants me to have the ablation, because my problems were caused by beta-blockers in the first place. I was put on propranolol as migraine prophylaxis, which caused the AV block, and now it seems I don't react well to any beta-blockers at all. She's referred me to her colleague at a neighbouring hospital and when I see him I hope to have a long list of questions to interrogate him with!

I definitely trust my cardiologist though, and know that she wouldn't have recommended the ablation if she didn't think it was absolutely necessary, because initially she was unwilling to fit the PM until she'd exhausted every other avenue and tried every test under the sun!

Thanks people, you're all amazing, and it's times like this I'm so glad I joined!

Emma xxx

Beta-blockers and block

by Genie - 2010-04-28 11:04:56

Glad you trust the cardiologist: if you feel comfortable about it and know its the right thing that's good.

I didn't have my AV block before I took propranolol for tachycardia. But my GP says that the beta-blocker cause the block, because if it did then it would go away when I stopped it (which it didn't). She said it just made an underlying problem more obvious. Who knows? It seems there a lot of people with the same story...

Anyway, let us know what you decide.

Best Wishes,

Genie

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