Reply With QuoteIf the cardiologist recommends it-I would go for it.
Waiting lists and cancellations are so problematic now, I would take the opportunity if offered it.
Hi all. Anyone else on tz had an ablation for Af before ?
Had a call of the cardiologist today saying they have a cancellation and
Can do my ablation next week. Any dos and donts ?
Cheers Andy
Ps it’s the freeze type ablation I’m having he said
If the cardiologist recommends it-I would go for it.
Waiting lists and cancellations are so problematic now, I would take the opportunity if offered it.
I’ve had it a couple of times , awake mostly only sedated when they might need to shock you to get heart back into rhythm.
Try and relax hopefully they go in through your arm but shave your nuts just in case
You are braver than me !! I had it since the age of 10 (tachycardia with missing p wave).
I eventually got it recorded some 40 years later, although I had been taking Propanol as and when necessary.
I went to the Cardiologist at Southampton General had a quite a few tests (including one where they put an ultra sound down your throat.
I was told that ablation may permanently correct the problem but there was also a strong chance that it could go wrong resulting in them having to fit a pace maker.
I decided to learn to live with it!!
In any case, it only seems to be a problem when my body is under stress (say hot and humid weather) and I am exercising too hard. The propanol works but then it’s a lot harder to exercise.
As others have mentioned you will probably be sedated- when I had this ultra sound probe down my throat I was given a rohypnol type drug, so that I was conscious and aware during the procedure BUT had no memory of it after they stopped giving me the drug..
I still can’t remember anything from the point where they said they were injecting the sedative to the point where I seemed to be in mid conversation with a nurse in the recovery room - really weird
I had my first attack of fibrillation in 2010 at the age of 61. I was getting a 30 hour attack every 3 days which wasn't much fun to say the least. Strangely enough the very first attack was on the first day of my retirement and I wouldn't have blamed anyone for taking the piss at my funeral. What pillock dies (as I very nearly did) on the first day of his retirement.
However although it is a lifelong condition which will never go away, I take flecanides which control it 100%. I haven't had an attack since 2010 but one day it will catch up and overtake the meds.
I was told the best bet (in my case at least) was to keep taking the meds for as long as possible and leave the ablation for as long as I can.
Cheers guys. I get an attack once a month roughly. I pop a 100mg flecanide and it’s gone in a couple of hours.
I was very surprised when my cardiologist said he thinks the ablation is the best thing.
I’ve had if for about 7 years on and off.
Ablation offers the chance of actually curing the AF rather than staying on life long medication. Also any risks of the ablation procedure are greatly reduced the younger you are when you have it. Not sure I would risk it in my 70s for example.
Personally, I would always take the chance of a cure over chronic medication and I certainly would not put off any curative procedure for a drug especially as both options have their own risks and benefits.
I didn't seem to get any benefit from Flecanide, as I was prescribed this as it wouldn't drain the life out of me that Propanolol can do - although this works by reducing adrenaline.Originally Posted by lenlec
My GP also tried to prescribe me taking Warfarin but I took the view that if I can control the AF then I don't need to take them :)
I bought one of those portable monitors and was able to provide a plot of the AF, followed by the sudden recovery to normal rhythm.
I was also able to measure by blood pressure during the AF - it had dropped like a stone which explains the light headiness.
These days if I over do it on a run, I take deep breaths, couch down and the Tachycardia recovers in a couple of minutes or less :)
Last edited by odyseus10; 5th August 2021 at 01:03.
Please stop as you are providing very poor information and I doubt you fully understand your condition and medications from your comments even with your so called qualifications in science!
Firstly, propanol is an alcohol and not a medication. Did you mean Propranolol which is a Beta Blocker and works to slow your heart rate and doesn’t reduce your adrenaline.
Warfarin is an anticoagulant and is offered to those people who are at an increased risk of suffering a stroke due to their arrhythmias. This is because blood clots can form in the left atrial appendage and then travel up to your brain to cause a massive ischaemic stroke. Even with controlled arrhythmias this risk still exists plus you can also suffer from silent asymptomatic arrhythmias.
I would suggest at your next check up to ask for a CHADsVasC score and if it is 2 or more then consider your options with your doctor.
Wifey has dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed at 34 after cardiac arrest and started on meds for a few years but none worked had her first ablation at barts in London then went on to have 2 more none of which worked had a pacemaker fitted 3yrs ago and is 100% paced she has had her av node ablated so totally reliant on the pacemaker now at 50 she’s felt better than she has done for the last 16yrs only on warfarin now and no other meds I’m surprised they haven’t suggested cardioversion first rather than ablation
First of all keep your snide comments in Bear Pit where they and you belong!
You can carry on insulting me in the BP, to your hearts content in the BP but it’s unacceptable behaviour on the normal forums.
Yes I did mean Propanolol - it was clearly autocorrected by my iPad autocorrected. I have dyslexia and so I probably missed it.
Maybe you think it’s funny mocking someone’s disability??
You are totally Wrong about Beta blockers - they do block Adrenaline.
Get your facts straight before trying to be a smart arse
“ Propranolol is a beta blocker. It works by blocking the action of stress hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) on your body’s beta adrenergic receptors.”
For your information my CHADsVasC score is 0, which explains why I could opt out of the Warfarin.
I think my GP knows what he is doing and doesn’t need your unwarranted questioning.
Last edited by odyseus10; 5th August 2021 at 01:21.
However, I have to say it is good to see you outside of the bear pit and sales corner!
Last edited by paw3001; 5th August 2021 at 15:19.
For the uninitiated amongst us, what is the bear pit? Sounds like I might be missing something....
Unobtainable watches are flipped for prices that mere mortals can only dream of, though the initiation ceremony puts most people off.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Areas of the Forum that are not public but which you gain access to after you have been a member for a set period of time and after you have made a set number of posts.
How very secret squirrel.....
Does my MI5 badge not gain me entry?
The badge no. The hacking capabilities, maybe…
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Op,
So I had a number of these procedures as I had SVT, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suprav...chycardia-svt/
It took 5 attempts to fix it as I was difficult apparently. It involved them going through my groin and on occasions the clavicle. Normally these procedures should only be relatively short, 3-5 hours. Pretty much all of mine were in excess of 10 hours except the last one which was around 4 hours and very painful.
I was conscious throughout but did get pain relief and on occasions dozed off / lost consciousness.
For mine there was a screen where you could see what they were doing like a live x Ray. And you could feel the wires moving inside and when they did the freezing ablations.
On my first one they were a little forceful when removing the wires from my groin and trying to stop some bleeding, so I ended up with a rainbow coloured groin. I was in overnight on most of mine but you might get out if yours go ok and are AM appointments.
I have a number of very small scars for the entry points, nothing to write home about.
You will be a little sore for a few days and have to take it easy.
Best of luck with it all.
My heart rate went from 174 to around 70 if memory serves. Obviously your heart rate should go up it you're being active but before the successful procedure mine just went at the higher rate.
Best,
Ben
Something you may find helpful or maybe already a member of.. link below........Also check out Dr Sanjay Gupta of York Cardiology on YouTube he has produced some very helpful content
https://healthunlocked.com/afassocia...m=daily+digest
Stay Well.
Thanks guys. Some very useful info. Cheers.
I had Atrial Flutter which is Fibrilations lesser spotted cousin. After sending my local GP into a tailspin with a heart rate of nearly 200bpm and a few trips to hospital it was brought under control with drugs and I was advised to go for an ablation to fix it. The usual 'it might go horribly wrong and you'll need a pacemaker' warnings were given but as my quality of life was awful I decided to go for it.
The procedure was done at Papworth when it was still a hospital and aside from my veins physically rejecting the cannula and freaking the nurses (the needle was being visibly pushed out of my arm) out it was a success. A few things to note though:
1) You are sedated not anesthetized. This means it can bloody hurt, but you don;t seem to care that much. I remember I felt most of the pain in my right shoulder.
2) They go in though your leg so you might be a bit limpy for a day or two.
3) I felt awful for at least a month afterwards and wondered if I'd made the right decision (the meds given to me to stave off attacks and strokes for the months leading up to the op were great).
4) Give your heart time to heal (i'd basically had bits of it lasered or frozen away) and #3 will fade into the past and you'll realise that feeling good is not a function of rattling like a tube of smarties.
Personally I'd wholeheartedly recommend the operation (I may of course be singing a different tune if it had gone awry and I needed a pacemaker), but in the end it's totally up to you whether to go for it or not.
As for the MI5 secret forums, I hear there are dark rumors of worlds beyond the pit of bears, reserved for only those who wholly embrace the dark side.... I shall say no more.
Hi all. Just following up this thread
Had my ablation yesterday morning.
All went well fingers crossed. Had the freeze type ablation. Go in through the groin
And freeze the 4 pulmonary vein areas I believe?
Took about 2 hours in total from leaving my room to coming back
I’m sore and my chest feels feels heavy. But I’m good
Docs say it was a text book procedure.
Oh. And it was bloody painful in the upper chest / shoulder area as they did it
Last edited by lenlec; 15th September 2021 at 23:43.
It's amazing the wealth of shared experience that can be found on TZ-UK. Had my ablation done under a general anaesthetic on Friday afternoon at John Radcliffe in Oxford. The actual procedure went well evidently, but my ticker didn't take too kindly to it and decided it had enough and promptly shut down.Two sessions of CPR later I woke up in intensive care feeling like I'd been stomped on. Not so much as a twinge from the groin area.
Daaaamn, glad you made it back, scary stuff. I’d say it’s time for a new watch to cheer yourself up / celebrate your mastery of the one with the scythe. Hopefully the groin area will twinge once more, quite an unusual side effect that lol. Seriously though take it easy, get better and celebrate still being here.It's amazing the wealth of shared experience that can be found on TZ-UK. Had my ablation done under a general anaesthetic on Friday afternoon at John Radcliffe in Oxford. The actual procedure went well evidently, but my ticker didn't take too kindly to it and decided it had enough and promptly shut down.
My stepson just had it done last month(he’s 34and very fit -county standard swimmer)
Good recovery and surgeons hopeful it’s a one-off fix.
His uncle is a senior doctor and loaned him a Kardia device (about £100 and talks to your iPhone) this works really well as I’ve found out, since using it after my own major open heart surgery about8 weeks ago.
I had an aortic valve replacement and very interesting looking at the odd arrhythmias a week or 2 after the surgery
All settled down now thankfully
Good luck with it….sooner the better I’d say-be prepared for the femoral arteries route.
Edit: just read that it’s done! SPeedy recovery
Last edited by GOAT; 23rd March 2022 at 18:04.
Goodness - glad you are OK!It's amazing the wealth of shared experience that can be found on TZ-UK. Had my ablation done under a general anaesthetic on Friday afternoon at John Radcliffe in Oxford. The actual procedure went well evidently, but my ticker didn't take too kindly to it and decided it had enough and promptly shut down.
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