Ablation Meeting

[virgle4178]

Hi . I am to see the cardiologist on 30th dec to discuss Ablation as Flecanide causing many side effects

Not sure what to ask at meeting so any suggestions please.

[pip_pip]

Hi.when I went for my first meeting for an ablation my EP explained everything to me in detail. Also there was a separate 2 hour session / workshop with other patients, EP and cardiac nurse. I'm sure all will be revealed. Any questions will come to mind while you are at these sessions. It all very free to speak.

Pip

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Virgle

Well the first thing I would try and establish, is who is the doctor you will be seeing, there are cardios and cardios, and ideally you need to see an EP, (electrophysiologist) which is a branch of cardiology dealing with the electrics of the heart.

That will probably depend on the hospital you are attending, but you have a right to see any specialist of your choosing, just have to wait longer for some.

The answer as always to the criteria is "it depends" depends on your symptoms, depends on what other challenges you may have, depends on whether or not they have tried you on other drugs. I can tell you that the NICE guidelines officially say you should have failed at drug therapy prior to consideration for an ablation, but even that is becoming less important now with some EPs saying ablate and the earlier the better.

But generally the cardios are very helpful and will explain everything.

Good luck

Ian

[Hidden]

You could ask:

What are the risks?

What is the likelihood of success?

Is it a permanent cure or will I need another ablation?

How long does it take?

How long for recovery?

If it works, will it take effect straight away or over time?

Can I drive afterwards?

Should I continue with my drugs after the ablation?

Should I stop drugs before the ablation?

How long is the waiting list for an ablation?

Who/where will it be done by?

My mind's just gone blank.

I've had 2 ablations and both were a breeze. First one worked brilliantly for 8 years, the second one they couldn't find anything wrong, but it came back after the op like your car does when you take it to a garage!

You will ask for yourself of course, but from what I know regarding serious risk, they are low.

All the best

Koll

[johncb in reply to Hidden]

Bean Counter is right - see an EP. Forget the Cardiologist, he will keep you on drugs till they fail, if they work at all, and then ablation success will be compromised.

[meadfoot]

I would ask how many ablations the EP has done and what his success rates are.

[virgle4178 in reply to meadfoot]

Thanks foe suggestions, all very usefull, it seems the cardiogist has done many ablations, so looks promising,as liver function test shows drugs effecting it. also i have some Co Morbidities to consider.