Progress

[Runskicycler]

Had my appointment with EP, Dr Schilling on Tuesday. Thought I was going to go into AF just stepping of the train at Euston ; not used to so many people! The appointment went well and he seemed confident he could fix my AF with cryoablation. Even said I was a 'slam dunk' for abaltion which gives me confidence to go ahead.

I haven't been on any drugs yet and have taken the approach that its probably better to go for gold now rather wait for the condition to develop with or without drugs, than have a less successful ablation later down the line. I have the option of NHS or private, just weighing up the cost implications. Looks like private will be similar to the price of a small family car which, doesn't seem too bad considering the potential quality of life improvements.

So it looks like I may be in the cath lab sooner than I was expecting! Many thanks to everyone who posted very useful info about their own ablation experiences; really helped me navigate to this point and hopefully further down the line.

[CDreamer]

All sounds good, you have one of the best EPs there! Let us know how you get on.

[rich101]

I hope I will be in a similar position soon, I have been referred to Dr Kim Rajappan in Oxford, and actually quite excited about getting his view in the hope he can answer my questions and if all is well, get an ablation lined up.

Like you, I take no regular meds but my cardio doc acknowledges that af is affecting my quality of life to much now.

Dr schilling has excellent reviews, think I saw a vid with him and tom james, the rower talking.

As a matter of interest how old are you and is it paf you also have. I'm 31, been on and off since 18

Cheers

[Runskicycler in reply to rich101]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I'm 55. Had the first hint there was a problem about a year ago. I had a pretty bad attack while out in the hills in July which would have been a big problem if the weather was anything other than warm and sunny. I do a lot of ski touring in Scotland, usually alone, so AF has pretty much knocked that on the head.

[Japaholic]

Im not bemoaning you going private, I would too if I could afford to.

My point is we shouldn't have to. Each persons quality of life as as valuable as the next, it doesnt matter if you are an Olympian or a bin man.

We should all have equal access to the best health care regardless.

If our poxy government spent all the money it uses to fight wars building and bettering the NHS (instead of knocking it down) we wouldnt be in this position.

[Loo53]

I agree you shouldn't have to go private. Go ahead with it runskicycler. I was also given a 90/95% success rate slam dunk and so far so good 8 weeks down the line I feel great! Its fantatic to have a normal heart again and feel comfortable and sleep at night even those pesky ectopics at night have got less and less. I would go through it all again to get this quality of life back.....oh wait I am! On 1st October but only as part of a trial. Keep us posted!

[Runskicycler in reply to Loo53]

Will do Loo. Been following your posts with great interest. Hope it goes well on 1st October.

[MarkS]

I agree, go private. I had the same options with Prof Schilling and I'm very glad I went private.

[Runskicycler in reply to MarkS]

Did you have your ablation at London Bridge? Any tips?

[MarkS in reply to Runskicycler]

Yes. My ablation started about 1300 and didn't finish til gone 1700. I spent an uncomfortable night there - the bed was propped up a bit and gave me bad back ache. Otherwise it was fine. When they release you make sure someone comes to pick you up or you take public transport (that's best - the traffic is really bad around there).

Try to make sure your INR is as close as possible to 2.5 by getting extra tests in the days before.

Also when you shower afterwards - don't use the handwash as I did - it gave me a rash. Take your own shower gel!

[Runskicycler in reply to MarkS]

Did you have a general aesthetic? I'm slightly concerned about how I'm going to get home. Thinking taxi to Euston then train.

[MarkS in reply to Runskicycler]

No I just had sedation. Personally I would always go for sedation as you recover that much quicker. It also doesn't freeze the prostate gland like an anaesthetic did for me. But that's your choice.

I took a taxi to Waterloo but I would have been fit enough for the tube. It would have been a lot quicker. If you take it steadily - London Bridge and Euston are on the Northern Line. However an anaesthetic may affect you more in which case a taxi might be best. Can anyone give you a hand?

[Hidden]

I've had an ablation private and NHS by the same EP. The private one was quicker (a lot quicker), and also I had it done by him not his "oppo", not that would make any difference as he was there.

Just remember that if you are private, what are the chances of anything going wrong, what will that cost, will you have to pay for it and also what if you may need a 2nd ablation? It can add up VERY quickly, I'd take advice unless you are insured, which sounds like you aren't.

Also, my GP, rightly or wrongly, said you can't switch between private and NHS more than once. Haven't a clue what she was talking about and never heard it, but it does make some sense if you think about it. Needs checking out at least.

Good luck, my first ablation was a fantastic and immediate success.

Koll

[Runskicycler]

Thanks for the replies guys. I haven't decided whether I will go private or not yet and I agree that the same treatment should be available to all. One thing is true, I did have to go private with my EP consultation. My next cardiologist appointment is another 3 months at least followed by another 3 months or so if he agreed to refer me to an NHS EP. I wasn't prepared to wait that long. The impression I'm getting is that GPs and Cardio's are playing catch up with the latest thinking on AF. i.e. they should be referring sooner and being more upbeat about latest ablation success rates.