P220 Smudge, I did not want to post this in Para's Dear Diary thread. I have had an ablation on both chambers of my heart. The right chamber in July 2012 and the left in Nov. 2013. Felt better after each but unfortunately I still have Afib, just not as bad as before. I take Multaq 400mg pill twice a day. I also have a pacemaker to keep the heart rate somewhat stable.

I also have a pacemaker

This message has been edited. Last edited by: molachi,

My mom has now had '4' ablations and still has Afib. Doctor has recommended a pacemaker but she being the hard head she is, is not cooperating on that one.

I had an ablation a year or 2 ago for my A-Fib, but the fix didn't last and a pacemaker was installed. Doing OK now. I do take 50mg of Metoprolol twice a day.

flashguy

Pacemakers don't prevent afib, their main purpose is to prevent the heart from beating too slow. That is a concern because meds given to afib patients have the effect of slowing the heart rate. If rate becomes too slow the person can experience dizziness and possibly pass out.

I was given the option of a pacemaker along with meds or having an ablation. That was 6 years ago, so far still in normal sinus rhythm.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Which treatment did you choose?

Cryo. What they don't tell you is cryo requires a larger diameter catheter, so your groin is a bit of a mess afterwards. Lots of bruising not to mention taking overnight or longer to completely stop the bleeding.

It was back in 2014 so maybe things are different now.

Thank you. They can also do the ablation through the wrist.

Had my ablation for A-fib January 2019 after two ablations for “fluttering”; one failed, one succeeded. All three I had tubes inserted on each side of my man parts to gain access to the heart. For the “fluttering, I was discharged the same day and was able to do normal things (I went to my daughter’s basketball game after one). The A-Fib one required an overnight hospital stay and was actually welcomed. They punctured my sternum on that one. I had one Tylenol for pain treatment, otherwise not a big deal.

If you want any encouragement or more details e-mail me. I’ll be happy to address any questions.

Btw, A-Fib is gone. Also, as before and afterward, my resting heart rate is 48bpm, so using drugs was out of the question.

Thanks, guys. I’ll shoot an email your way soon, craigcpa.

Yeah, I was on metoprolol 50mg twice a day. Now they have me trying metoprolol 25mg in the morning and flecainide 50mg twice a day. It’s working better, but I’m finding I have to be religious about taking them every 12 hours, or I “break through” as the doc says, into afib. I woke up with afib this morning, had warning flutters all yesterday. I had a solid three days of afib last week, not even a full week on the flecainide. I don’t know why I had the three day episode as I was being real careful about taking the meds on time, but if I’m late on one or forget the evening dose, it’s all but guaranteed I’m going to have afib. Anyways, doc is having me try it as a possible alternative to the ablation. When it works, it works great, but it’s like the line from Anchorman: “60% of the time, it works every time.”

Oh, and plenty of dizziness and blackouts here, thankfully I haven’t gone full lights out and hit the floor yet. When I stand up or bend over to pick something up, I have to be careful to have something to hang onto, though. Last night I was working on a knife in a Lansky sharpener, and twice, when I stopped working the stone back and forth, the room started spinning. Damndest thing.

My paternal grandfather had his first heart attack at age 34, the same age I was when I went to the ER in bad afib thinking I was having a heart attack. He had multiple heart attacks throughout his 40’s and 50’s, had a pacemaker installed, and only just made it to his early 60’s before he passed. I seem to have inherited this from him. He smoked and drank for many years, and I did for quite some time also. The hearts we were given really don’t seem to appreciate this. Like him, I suspect a pacemaker is also in my future, and probably sooner rather than later.

To say it has changed me is quite an understatement. I feel pretty similar to the mindset Para described being in before he went to the ER.

Very informative post, as I suffer from paroxysmal afib.
So far a Xarelto a day is all i take.

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:
They punctured my sternum on that one. I had one Tylenol for pain treatment, otherwise not a big deal.

Can you explain why they punctured your sternum ? I don't understand.....

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:

quote:

Originally posted by craigcpa:
They punctured my sternum on that one. I had one Tylenol for pain treatment, otherwise not a big deal.

Can you explain why they punctured your sternum ? I don't understand.....

In my simplistic memory:

Imagine the heart cut into halves at the equator. Then, imagine the top half cut into halves - sideways. Between those two halves my a-fib was occurring on the left side of that half. And to get there they would choose the appropriate route which was through the sternum. If the offending “charge” had been on the right side that would not have been required. “StJill” may be around to ask him for a more medical description.

The “pain” wasn’t really pain, rather discomfort. I took a Tylenol about 4:00 a.m. after walking the halls by myself. I tried to let a “burp” out thinking that would relieve the discomfort. Otherwise, no pain meds for me. The worst part of the whole procedure, including the two “fluttering” procedures was having to lie flat for several hours after the procedures due to being on Elliquis and blood not coagulating. The first time I got up front the bed, going to the restroom with a nurse’s assistance, I dripped down the hallway - not urine. From then on I told my medicals that I was a bleeder so be prepared.

Was it a pacemaker of an AICD/pacemaker? Newer dual chamber pacemakers can end a-fib episodes.
A-Fib.com

Well, the exact quote is Newer dual chamber pacemakers can POSSIBLY terminate A-Fib episodes. Also stopping afib episodes is not the same as eliminating afib altogether. Even EPs will avoid the word "cure" when it comes to afib.

Just keeping it real.