Came across this, a Winter Olympics athlete who has just had an ablation

[Beancounter]

Have a look at this it's really interesting

bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-ol...

OK I understand he had tachycardia and not A Fib, but a really heartening story and he had had an ablation.

I'm going to watch him skate now and cheer him on in Sochi

Ian

[BobD Volunteer]

Thanks for the link Ian but I do wish they wouldn't talk about surgery. It is a procedure carried out in a catheter laboratory not in an operating theatre. Call me pedantic if you will but it does wind me up!

Cheers

Bob

[Japaholic]

What winds me up (and I apologise in advance for the rant) but those "special" people who are wealthy, can sing nicely or do sport get very different treatment than us mere plebs coping daily with AF for years on end. Not only do we have to cope with the bottom tier of a two tier health service, we also have to cope with the post code lottery that accompanies it.

I can't skate or sing and am only just financially stable but not well off does that mean my quality of life is any less valuable or that my person is on any less worth than Jessie J or this Olympic skater?

It seems to me it really is a case of us and them. If you want to join them you either have to sing or dance or otherwise entertain "them" or simply buy your way up to the top tier of health care.

[Lizzo in reply to Japaholic]

I do understand what you're saying, but in the end any publicity about heart conditions and available treatments is good. If reading this educates people who have never heard of arrhythmia, then we should all benefit.

[Hidden in reply to Japaholic]

Life as we know it in Great Britain, 100% agree with you Japaholic.

[Hidden]

Right, that's my mind made up, I'm going to start skating again!

[Japaholic]

.... I feel particularly bitter having had an episode come after three weeks AF free. I simply feel (as Orwell put it so eloquently) we are all equal except that some are more equal than others. If that's the right treatment for my condition I want it regardless of my singing or skating ability or my ability to pay. It really is a sad state of affairs and a damming statement on society when your health is linked to your ability to pay.

Certain things should be free such as education and healthcare.

But then as much as I'd like to we dont live in utopia do we?

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Japaholic]

Agree with all you've said 100%

[rosailor in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Just to add a comment about a sense of us having an unequal access to treatments for AF in the U.K.

In Edinburgh,where I live there is just one E.P. surgeon to covers the city and all the surrounding towns,must be a total population of 7 or 8 hundred thousand (he also works at a private hospital in the city, )

There are only 4 E.P. practicing surgeons in Scotland for a population of about 5 million.

moan over.

I hope Nick does well at the Winter Olmypics , I will be cheering him on