A fibbed out.....

[Eliza2]

Have persistent afib now for 2 months. am scared, exhausted and looking for support. Will be having ablation hopefully within 2 months. Got very scared when a specialist told me I needed the hybrid technique to raise my chance of success. This seemed pretty drastic. Any feedback?

[AnticoagulateNow]

You can find quite a bit about hybrid ablations through google Ronnie and it seems to offer a much better chance of success to those with persistent AF. That's got to be a good thing. It's a little more 'invasive' than simple catheter ablation but it's minimal nevertheless; this is not open-heart surgery.

I would look at this optimistically. Until now, if you had persistent AF then realistically, your chances of ablation success compared to others with paroxysmal AF was lower. That's not necessarily the case now. And you've only recently become persistent so I would have thought you are definitely looking at a glass half full! Good luck.

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi Ronnie and welcome. We all understand you situation I'm sure. May I suggest that you look on the AF Association website as there is a new booklet available this month which covers all aspects of ablation and will help you to understand what goes on. The new hybrid ablation is very new and uses key hole access via the rib cage for the external scar making and then a few months later you have the catheter part. One of our members recently had this so may read your post and answer more fully. It is said to offer a better outcome for those in persistent AF

Bob

[Michael1234 in reply to BobD]

Bob,

I sent a message a while ago explaining that there seem to be so many variations on AF that the stories people tell are hard to understand.

I have been on Flecainide as PIP since February 2015. I should have been put on it 8 years earlier but my GP advised that no treatment was required despite repeated complaints from me that I was having 12 hour episodes.

I tried taking it continuously but I still had episodes. I've now gone back to PIP and my latest success is 11 days without an attack.

It really is an awful problem because it is debilitating to have it, and debilitating to take Flecainide. There is also no guarantee of a successful ablation. So everyone is on their own really. Any advice from a doctor is speculative at best. How could a doctor do anything but guess if every individual's prognosis is so unique?

Mike

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Michael1234]

Try not to be so negative Mike. Lots of people have greatly improved quality of life after ablation. Your problem is that you haven't seen the3 right doctor yet; Go see an Electrophysiologist and get his take on things.

[Michael1234 in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob,

I just want to make people wary of relying on the advice of doctors without their own due diligence. I have 5 family members; a nephew, mother, father, son and myself who have all been the victims of varying degrees of medical negligence. The medical profession closes ranks and makes negligence claims very hard to win. In addition, there is no database kept by the medical profession to log unsuccessful claims. Hence their own data lacks the reliability required for self-improvement.

On another subject, this website is very informative and when looking at the number of drugs people are taking one realises the complexity of the problem and the risk that many may not be on the optimum medication regime.

Regards,

Mike

[PeterWh in reply to Michael1234]

In my view it is a lot better than a guess and judgement, experience and knowledge certainly comes into the equation (so to speak). Also as you say the individual's condition and medical history. If the same person saw 3 different EPs there is a quite a good possibility that the recommended courses of action may be different but these are more likely to be slight rather than fundamental. Also the timings may very well be different. It is almost impossible to say which EP was the best but very unlikely that one is wrong.

In the initial assessment(s) the key thing that the EPs will do is split people up into one of the three AF category types (1) paroxysmal), (2) persistent or (3) permanent. I have actually also seen category (3) include those who have been in persistent AF for longer than 1 year.

[teach2learn]

After several months of persistent AF, then turning to flutter, I had a very successful (regular catheter) ablation. I think it may actually be easier for the docs to get the job done when the heart is in persistent af and doesn't have to be stimulated to find the right spots. Mine took three hours, but my brother, with paroxysmal AF took five hours, eventually had to go in for three ablations to do the job, and STILL needs flecainide! Anyway, you'll be so glad to have your energy back, it will be worth every moment of recovery, I'm certain. Best wishes.

[Eliza2 in reply to teach2learn]

Thank you teach....appreciate your words of support.

[Kodaska]

Are you on your deathbed?

If not, then you don't have a terminal condition.

I don't mean to be flip (well, yes, I really do) but fear is your enemy, not AF. Settle down and get to know your AF - when it arises, how it responds to activity and other inputs, etc. And learn all you can about AF and the various treatments available. It's not a death sentence so don't treat it that way.