Wellness

[sidsmom]

My good friend, who recently had a stroke (in her mid-50's), checked in to the Cleveland Clinic last Fall to have this done.  She did a lot of soul-searching because it's a procedure she really didn't want, but finally agreed w/ her family & Doctor.  

Doctors tried & tried to recreate the issues to perform the ablation...but couldn't. Why?  Don't know to this day. She checked out without completing the procedure.

She later found out even WITH the ablation, A-fib issues can return in time.    She considers herself very lucky the ablation wasn't completed. 

[KonaKat]

I have had this procedure done and it has made a world of difference. It is not without some risks. You need to discuss this with your doctor who will refer you to an electrophysiologist. That is a fancy name for a cardiologist who specializes in   rhythm disdorders of the heart. At the consultation with the electrophysiologist, he or she will discuss the procedure, risks, etc. which will vary according to the individual.

Mine was only done on one atrium as doing both atria would result in all day procedure. Mine started at 7am at which time the EP inserted a catheter in leg and worked it up to the heart atrium. There he "mapped" the atrium which is basically finding the heart cells that were misfiring and sending electrical signals when it shouldn't and causing the other cells to react and get out of order. When the bad misfiring cells are located, they are then destroyed. After the procedure is over, you have to lie flat on back for several hours to permit the blood to clot where the catheter was inserted. I was finally transferred to a private room at 4pm. Because the left atria was not done, my meds were changed in hopes that the ablation on the right plus the meds would keep the AFib in control. I had no problems during or after the procedure with the procedure or recovery.

We are all different. Get the referral and consultation and then make your decision.

[karol59]

I had this done a few months after hip replacement, my heart acted up lying in bed, crash cart brought in twice, heart rate went up to 215 in bed, cardiologist stopped heart to restart, they said i had a super ventricular tachycardia and did the cardiac ablation a few months later, after it was done they made me lie still for six hours, it was so uncomfortable on my back, as with any procedure they fill you with fluids so insist on a catheter, because you cant move. Good news is they will send you home after.

[karol59]

It's not a 6 hour operation, but takes 6 hours of lying still after before you can be released, its a pretty simple, they insert catheters or whatever they are called into groin area to the heart so they can trigger the tachycardia and zap the problem area, at least they did with me.

[hckynut]

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@neetsPA wrote:

Has anyone had or know anyone who has had the ablation procedure for A-fib? My cardiologist has recommended it for me.  I would appreciate any input.  TIA

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 @neetsPA

2 of my hockey player friends have had Ablation. For 1 it worked very well, for the other one it did not help him much. The one that work well had the Vein/Catheter Procedure. The one the did work hsd that same procedure, first.

His doctor recommended having the more invasive procedure, which uses small incisions to methods to destroy the affecting tissue. That worked and is still working well for him.

The other friend's Cardiologist said his A-Fib was not serious enough to try the more invasive procedure. He did change meds and it does help him. He can still do vigorous exercising and this never creates a problem with his A-Fib. He tells me it happens mostly when he is doing just regular things.

I wish you the best with finding the correct solution for your A-Fib issue.

hckynut(john)

[hckynut]

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@bebe777 wrote:

I think this is a realtively new proceedure. I'd also like to have more information about it.

-- bebe

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@bebe777

This procedure I know for sure has been done since 2008, as that is when my 1 hockey player friend had his done. May have been around longer, I am not sure of when it became a more common procedure for A-Fib.

hckynut(john)

[neetsPA]

Thank you all for your responses.  I want to make it clear that I wasn't looking for medical advice.  I have discussed this at length with my cardiologist and am familiar with the actual procedure.  I was looking for "real person" experiences, and I truly appreciate all of you who gave me just that.  My A-fib usually occurs when I am doing nothing in particular, rarely exercise induced.  My procedure won't take place for a couple months, due to a backlog of patients.  My cardiologist called the doctors who do this type of procedure "electricians", as opposed to "plumbers"!  He also told me that they have been doing the procedure in their practice for 11 years.  Thanks again for your input.

[neetsPA]

Mantaraye  Thank you for the tip.  I will check out the site.

[bebe777]

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@151949 wrote:

This is not a new procedure at all. If you want information about it , you need to ask your doctor.That is part of his job.

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@151949, of course, the doctor is an integral part of any medical conversation, but it is also my job to be a well informed patient if I expect to receive the best medical care... and that means that I take the time and initiative to educate myself on my medical options. 

It is my life, and I choose to treat it with the understanding and respect that I deserve.

For example, my mother has silent (acid) reflux and I recognized the symptoms about a year and a half before she finally got it properly diagnosed (it took months between specialist and super specialist appointments). -- I don't have a medical background, so I come to the medical world through my understanding of Nutrition (which has been an avocation for the past ten years). -- The rest of my family thought that I was on the wrong track (but I never let up), right up until the point that she finally received an acid reflux diagnosis. 

During this time, based on her symptoms, I kept doing internet searches trying to pinpoint the vagaries of her specific issues... and of course, si kept sharing them with my family. 

Well we finally saw the top acid reflux specialist in our state, and she gave my mother a thorough examination and diagnosis. -- Three times during the office visit, she mentioned something unusual that had to do with the specifics of my mom's issue... and each time my mom mentioned that I had previously mentioned it.  -- The first time, the specialist was honestly very impressed (i.e. she wasn't being condescending). By the third time (when she mentioned Schatzki Rings), she smiled and joked with my mom that I was doing such an impressive job that my mom didn't really need to see her.--  lol, at that point, I could see the lightbulb go off in my mother's head, as she finally realized that I had really been right on the mark. -- And no, the specialist was not being condescending or annoyed, because we had a lovely 2 hour conversation (It was the specialist's last appointment on friday and the specialist was enjoying talking to my mom).

The specialiast was very impressed with the nutritional and dietary changes that I had worked on with my mom for the past year and a half (I literally had talked to my mom about her food choices and nutritional supplements every day for a year in order for the necessary food changes and substitutions to become permanent). -- When the specialist had finally seen my mom, my mom's condition had stabilized (due to the changes), and she only had one very tiny suggestion to add.

Bottom line, undiagnosed acid reflux can sometimes lead to Barrett's Esophageal cancer which is a particularly miserable way to end life. -- This was my mom and so I made sure that I was an educated part of the medical solution. 

Of course, it's important for me to vet and balance my sources but, from my perspective, my broader medical understanding only enhances the value of our doctors' expertise. 

-- bebe

[bebe777]

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@Mary Bailey wrote:

@neetsPA  DH had ablation about 11 years ago after a stroke.  It was a 6 hour operation. Eventually he was off all blood thinners. 

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@Mary Bailey, thank you for sharing this information. For the person in consideration in my case, he was diagnosed with a-fib decades ago and had been on warfarin for decades without incident. He recently had a hemorrhagic (brain bleed) stroke -- as opposed to the "clot" type of stroke -- and he has had several TIAs in the past. His GP, neurosurgeon and cardiologist were involved in the decision to finally take him off of warfarin.

The cardiologist basically told him that he had been extremely lucky to have come through so well this time... and that if this were her father that she would have advised him to stop the warfarin (which is what he did). 

So now it's a question of what is the best way to protect his a-fib condition, since we're protecting his brain by discontinuing the warfarin. 

Of course, therapy, medically apprived types of exercise, eating right, nutritional supplements, and exercising his brain (he reads a lot) are all part of the wellness program.

I haven't had much time to do research, but I had come across some information about this relatively new a-fib ablation procedure. -- So I am really grateful to everyone for sharing any information they have about it.

-- bebe