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Picture of jtedescucci
posted
Anyone here ever had a cardiac ablation done? If so, what can the uninitiated expect? What do you feel before (yeah, I know -> FEAR), after, how much pain and/or discomfort, what is your life expectancy now, etc, etc, etc... Just, in general, what am I looking at - or forward to? By the way -> THANKS!!....FredT


"...we have put together I think the most extensive & inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics." - Joe Biden
 
Posts: 3043 | Location: AC/Clarksville | Registered: February 13, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of HayesGreener
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I had it done 19 years ago. No problems since until 2 years ago when meds for the flu put me into AFIB but that passed when the meds stopped and I am still good. Thankful to have never needed blood thinners.


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Posts: 4358 | Location: Florida Panhandle | Registered: September 27, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too soon old,
Too late smart
posted Hide Post
Had it done in 2014. Yeah, there's fear! Totally understandable until it's over and you wonder why you were so apprehensive! Are you having RF or cryo?

Techniques have improved over the last few years. It's now an outpatient procedure and no need for one of those 3D cat scans of the heart prior to procedure.

You'll be glad you had it. I was having episodes about once a week and it was almost impossible to sleep.

I just met with my EP a few weeks ago and what I'm saying is from our conversation.

If you would like more details don't hesitate to drop me an email.


_______________________________________

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Member Isaac Walton League

I wouldn't let anyone do to me what I've done to myself
 
Posts: 1487 | Location: NoVa | Registered: March 14, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I made it so far,
now I'll go for more
Picture of rbert0005
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Had 2 of them, both cryo.

The procedure is a piece of cake. I had to stay overnite for both.

The numbers are if a second one is needed the success rate is like 99%. Guess who is in the 1 percentile group. I am still AFibing about once every 40 days or so. They have me taking an extra 1/2 a dose again of my BP med and i'm good to go.

It was still worth it and it will be for you too.

Bob

Bob


I am no expert, but think I am sometimes.
 
Posts: 4578 | Location: South Carolina | Registered: January 23, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I had one about 8 yrs ago . No pain , one night in the hospital for observation . Piece of cake . No more SVT's .
 
Posts: 3970 | Location: Down in Louisiana . | Registered: February 27, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Jimbo Jones
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My best friend from high school had it done and what I learned from her is to ask how many times your MD has performed the procedure, how many times it had to be redone and how many times the patient then was required a pacemaker because they fucked up.

Her local cardiologist hadnt done many at all. She flew to the Mayo Clinic (Rochester MN) because the person there had deon around 400 of them, only a couple had to be redone and none were botched.


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It's like my brain's a tree and you're those little cookie elves.
 
Posts: 3625 | Location: Cary, NC | Registered: February 26, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of smlsig
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My wife had an unusual Afib condition as the signal was coming from her left atrium as opposed to the right. At the time (2003) there were only 3 places in the country that had the equipment/expertise to do this. Fortunately, one was here at UVA in Charlottesville. The procedure went very well and she has been drug free for almost 18 years now with only a very brief and minor afib episode lasting a couple of minutes. This occurs maybe once every couple of years...

She was mildly sedated but conscious during the procedure. I’m not sure if things have changed since then.


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Eddie

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Posts: 6309 | Location: In transit | Registered: February 19, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Living my life my way
Picture of molachi
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I've had an ablation on both chambers. Unfortunately AFIB still kicks in from time to time. Right chamber in 2012, left chamber in 2013.
 
Posts: 1756 | Location: The Backyard of Nowhere | Registered: August 09, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
goodheart
Picture of sjtill
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No such thing as a “cardiac ablation”. Unless you’re more specific, can’t help you.


_________________________
“ What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.”— Lord Melbourne
 
Posts: 18017 | Location: One hop from Paradise | Registered: July 27, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of robbiedog
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I had aortic valve replacement and ascending aorta replacement in 2013, because of a birth defect. It took 56 years to require surgery. 10 days post op my heartbeat was at 140 and didn't go below that. I waited 4 days to tell my wife, and then we went back to Baylor in Dallas where I had an ablation. The procedure took longer than expected, about 2.5 hours, but my heart rate came down to 90 per minute. The only memory of discomfort was the clamp they put on my femoral artery, which bound me to the "table" afterward. I had no fear of this procedure, it isn't life threatening, as opposed to my major heart surgery 10 days prior! My diagnosis was "Atrial Flutter", which sounds like butterflies and unicorns, but it wasn't fun. I lost almost 15 pounds during that 5 plus days.....
 
Posts: 136 | Location: East Texas | Registered: December 21, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Frangas non Flectes
Picture of P220 Smudge
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I had an ablation for afib this past Dec 4th. My heart rhythm is much improved. I’ve had a few random flutters, but they tend to stop immediately after starting instead of kicking my heart into afib. There was one night about three weeks in where I had about a dozen of those spaced out over hours, and I can’t really explain how I know, but I know that prior to the surgery, that would have been a night of really bad afib.

Recovery was a lot easier and faster than I thought it would be, but do take it easy and take your time to rest and heal. The day after I had mine done, there was a searing pain that started in my back, and worked its way through the center of my chest to tightness in the front and it felt like someone had reached into my chest and was crushing my heart. And then, it abruptly stopped a few minutes later and that was that. I also found if I tip my head back to drink, when I swallow, my throat hurt like crazy. That persisted for about a month solid, but it’s been getting better. Apparently, when they cut, burn, and freeze stuff on your insides, there can be a little ‘minor discomfort’ in the resulting recovery.

So, less than 60 days out, I’m feeling unbelievably better overall. Living life in normal heart rhythm for what feels like the first time is somewhat like getting eyesight at middle age after being born blind - you made it through life this far with a handicap you couldn’t fully appreciate the effects of until it was removed. Proper blood flow to the brain has me feeling sharper to boot.

Yeah, it’s scary. It’s minimally invasive, but it’s heart surgery all the same. I’m not a huge fan of medical procedures and really didn’t want to have surgery, but the meds weren’t controlling my afib by any measure of success, and my quality of life was right in the toilet. I figured whatever remote risk of dying or having a stroke during the surgery was worth it for me, given how miserable I felt all the time. I’m glad I had it done. “Life changing” doesn’t begin to cover it.


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Posts: 17057 | Location: Sonoran Desert | Registered: February 10, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of George43
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I had AFIB.

Had an ablation 3 years ago. No more AFIB.

Easy peasy, got up from the table and went home.


A gun in the hand is worth more than ten policemen on the phone.
The American Revolution was carried out by a group of gun toting religious zealots.
 
Posts: 3808 | Location: Spring, Texas | Registered: June 26, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Krazeehorse
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No big deal. You’ll feel fine. I had one done during my valve replacement. Then later I had an A/V node ablation (up through the groin). If I have any more atrial flutter issues they will go in again. (As a side note since may 2016 I’ve had 8 Cardioversions. No biggie either)


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Be careful what you tolerate. You are teaching people how to treat you.
 
Posts: 5681 | Location: Ohio | Registered: December 27, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Muzzle flash
aficionado
Picture of flashguy
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I had an ablation in March 2019 and it did stop the fluttering of my heart rhythm. I was still having skipped beats, though, and in June 2019 a pacemaker was installed. Some time during that period I was also given a Cardioversion, but it didn't seem to have much effect. I've been doing pretty well since then. I take Eliquis twice a day.

None of the procedures were painful and recovery was quick. You should not worry about it--it's a pretty routine treatment.

flashguy




Texan by choice, not accident of birth
 
Posts: 27902 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: May 08, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by sjtill:
No such thing as a “cardiac ablation”. Unless you’re more specific, can’t help you.


I guess no one told the Mayo Clinic that.

Mayo clinic
 
Posts: 260 | Registered: March 08, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Had mine April 15, 2005. Burned off 25 spots. Took about 7 hours. Had some mild issues for about 6 months after the procedure. No afib since. Recovery wasn't bad. My doctor is/was one of the pioneers in the field. Had it at MCV in Richmond, Virginia. I am glad I had the procedure.
 
Posts: 56 | Registered: January 12, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
10mm is The
Boom of Doom
Picture of Fenris
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by JimmyRayBob:
quote:
Originally posted by sjtill:
No such thing as a “cardiac ablation”. Unless you’re more specific, can’t help you.

I guess no one told the Mayo Clinic that.

Mayo clinic

No such thing as the Mayo Clinic. Razz




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Posts: 17459 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 08, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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1998. Two. I had SVTs, the technology then was such that they were not routine. Not rare either. The first one was NOT able to ablate the trouble spot on my heart because it was too close to the sinus node of the heart. The Dr. said the possibility of screwing up and I wake up with a pacemaker was close to 50/50.

2-3 months later a super-specialist in Georgetown Hospital in Washington DC who said she "only did the tough ones" said she was 90 to 95% confident she could do it. The rest is history.

Still going strong, but I get a few extremely short-lived periods of SVT that last from 2-5 seconds a few times per year. I also used to get short to long periods of "extra heart beats" as a self-contained residual from the procedure. Harmless, but annoying. A type of BP medicine I started taking 3-4 years ago mostly nipped those in the bud.

You'll be fine. Life-changing surgery for me. Best of luck.
 
Posts: 3531 | Location: Alexandria, VA | Registered: March 07, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Youngest son had SVT’s and an atrial septal defect, SVT was corrected by radio ablation in 1995 when he was 8. Out patient, the AST corrected when he was about 12, overnight stay then. Both were thru the femoral artery. No issues at all except when he woke up from the svt and asked what the catheter was. Lol
 
Posts: 3 | Registered: November 27, 2019Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Jimbo Jones
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Another thing I rememberd is that the procedure before the ablation is crucial...to hook a seriously complicated EKG and identify the nodes that are causing the improper heart rhythm.

Like defusing a bomb I guess...anyone can cut a wire but you have to know which wire to cut...


quote:
Originally posted by Donothing:
Had mine April 15, 2005. Burned off 25 spots. Took about 7 hours. Had some mild issues for about 6 months after the procedure. No afib since. Recovery wasn't bad. My doctor is/was one of the pioneers in the field. Had it at MCV in Richmond, Virginia. I am glad I had the procedure.


---------------------------------------
It's like my brain's a tree and you're those little cookie elves.
 
Posts: 3625 | Location: Cary, NC | Registered: February 26, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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