Laser Balloon Catheter Ablation .

[Polldoll]

I am going into hospital this Sunday to have my laser balloon catheter ablation procedure ! I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had this with regard to how it goes .

I was only diagnosed with AFib a couple of months ago . I had previously had a few episodes over a couple of years which had never been caught on ECG because I had always suffere them alone thinking I was soft or panicking or just generally making a fuss .

After having an implantable loop recorder fitted last December I waited , thinking id cured myself and maybe they had gone for good , and then BAM ... In July this year they came back with a vengeance , fuelled by stress I am sure but in any case , I started to suffer the dreaded fast (250) heart rate and the uncontrollable erratic beats that usually lasted for 5 or more hours at a time . They started usually at night with no common denominator .

Those of you who suffer this know how debilitating this condition is , I tried " don't think about it , you're dwelling on it too much " that made no difference , once in afib I found it totally impossible to do anything else but wait for it to go .. I wasn't on any meds as I hadn't at this time been diagnosed and because I am usually disgustingly healthy active and immensely capable and strong minded I didn't call emergency services and just thought I could and should push myself through it !

apparent,y that was wrong !! One night I could stand it no longer called 111 who sent an ambulance straight away , my Afib was then diagnosed and I now have a very good EC who arranged angiogram and echos etc to check the condition of arteries and valves .

Good news is all is good on that front so now I am on the dreaded bisoprolol 2.5mgs ( he did up it to 5 but I just couldn't tolerate it ) flecanide and riveroxaban for my blood this is keeping things in check and although I am having problems like the majority if peeps on here, with the meds ( which one cause the embarrassing wind ??? Oops pretend I didn't ask that !!) I can tolerate it until Monday when I have this Laser Balloon Ablation

My EC says I am fortunate that I am a candidate for this as it's only viable in certain circumstances ? I've done my research and this seems like a good option and hopefully I can be free if AFib and free of meds very soon . I'm hoping to get my fitness levels back because I have been so breathless for a long while now even when I wasn't in Afib I thought I was just getting lazy in my not so old age (61)

So , can anyone tell me of their experience ie was it painfull , how long to recuperate and fitness levels post op.?

I'm just finding it difficult to understand how destroying a part if your heart can be advantageous ! Ha

Overall I am very lucky that from start to finish ( by finish I mean finish of AFib , not finish of me , literally , I hope !!! Ha ) I have only suffered for a few months as the first symptoms were so sporadic for the first couple years . I have sympathy for anyone who suffers this for a minute longer than they have to and now I know how important it is to control the symptoms I urge anyone to get checked and not suffer in silence like I did .

Details of your experiences please ... And ASAP I'm going in on Sunday !

[jennydog]

Caramia, Loo and I have had recent ablations. Have a look at our postings. We are all glad that we've had it done. It wasn't as bad as root canal dentistry (as Bob told us). Try looking up our recent posts and ask any questions you want to, directly.

My advice is to get it done. You are bound to be anxious but it is really not that awful!

Let us know how you get on.

[Polldoll in reply to jennydog]

Thanks fir the prompt reply , as i have just stated to Rellim296 its the oesophageal thermometer im most concerned by , .... Im usually pretty tough and can cope with most things but have heard some scary reports on this particular procedure . My son said it will be a doddle as he used to regularly put things up his nose wen he was a child !!! not quite the reply i was looking for but made me laugh .

Anyway , not really much alternative that i can tolerate so lets give it a whirl , im sick and tired if being sick and tired ha

I am grateful really that it isnt something more serious and that there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel ...

[Rellim296]

Yes, I've had a laser balloon catheter ablation. Painful? Not at all. I felt fine afterwards and had no problems and felt I'd got back to my usual self quite quickly. I took exercising slowly and gently to start with after doing nothing for a week.

If you have an oesophageal thermometer for the procedure, it may be necessary to swallow it before you have any or much sedation. This can be achieved with their skilled assistance but is a bit of a challenge because they spray your throat with vile stuff to numb it. Good luck!

Remember that they are destroying a bit of your heart that is not functioning properly.

Whilst I haven't been 100% free of AF, I have been able to give up flecainide which I feel is huge progress.

All the best!

[Polldoll in reply to Rellim296]

Thanks fir that , i am rather hoping i will be both symptom and medication free after the op . Yes i am having the oesophageal thermometer up nose and down throat ....... to be honest thats the bit im worried about but , on balance it appears to be the right route and im thankful for anything that can bring some normality back to my life .

Again thanks fir the reply and i hope you continue to improve

[Rellim296 in reply to Polldoll]

Thanks for that. We got the thermometer down first time but it wasn 't quite right and was removed. I would have been able to say I didn't want a second go, but I went ahead and would opt for this procedure again if needed. Not the easiest, but i thought the spray was the worst bit!

It doesn't hurt, by the way, but it is a strange sensation getting the tube down. It is very small.

[Polldoll in reply to Rellim296]

Thank you , I will let you know how I go on . Mixed feelings at the mo but I'm a tough person so I'm sure I'll be fine !! Watch this space .

[Polldoll in reply to Rellim296]

Thank you , I will let you know how I go on . Mixed feelings at the mo but I'm a tough person so I'm sure I'll be fine !! Watch this space .

[Rellim296 in reply to Polldoll]

I'm sure you can do it. I'd opt for it again. They are skilled and experienced and I'm sure they will be helpful and supportive should you find any of it difficult. But it will be OK - better than dental work.