Any suggestion

[groesclose]

I am really nervous and unsure how to proceed. The ep and cardio think i am a suitable candidate for pace and ablate strategy. I had a stroke 5 years ago and any symptoms due to loss of atrial contraction or any symptoms related to the stroke will be uneffected but symptoms due to rapid ventricular rates or heart rhythem irregularities will be relieved. I just want to stop feeling so wobbly and shaky all the time. Has anyone any experience. I would be so grateful for your comments.

[Hidden]

The honest answer from me anyway, is no! Only because it is way out of my field of limited knowledge and understanding. I guess it will boil down to how much confidence you have in the guys (or gals) offering you the advice or whether or not you should seek a second professional opinion for your peace of mind. Hopefully, there will be others here, who are more able to assist you in your dilemma, but reading your post, I get the feeling you will end up making the right decision.......best of luck....John

[groesclose in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, John. Seems so hit and miss. No going back from this proceedure and the lack of control scares me. More discussion needed I think. For the first time i'm glad i dont have private health insurance. They tell me probably about 6 months. Then i think, well it can't be that serious then, then i think etc. etc. etc. Sorry, but I want to be sure. Only heart i've got!

[BobD Volunteer]

I do know a lady who had pace and ablate and quite right, she still feels the fibrillation although her other symptoms are greatly improved. I agree with John that you need to discuss with your medical team.

[tibetan36]

I've had the "pace and ablate" last October.

It was the best procedure to happen to me.

I have my life back and can breathe again.

[groesclose in reply to tibetan36]

So pleased for you Tibetan36. You sound a success story. Had you had a stroke before your AF? Not sure my AF caused my stroke or if the stroke caused the AF. Such an irreversable proceedure. The thought of relying on a pacemaker to help my heart beat is realy scarey. Justcbeen to my strength and balance class. Was difficult but should i count my blessings?

[Hidden in reply to groesclose]

Hi my story slightly different but I do have a pacemaker and my QOL has greatly improved. I agree relying on it is scary but in my case the option of long pauses in Heart beat and other things make me feel secure. Only you can decide read lots and ask lots of questions to make an informed decision. Good luck keep us posted

[tibetan36 in reply to groesclose]

Hi!

My AF has been a journey 5 years in the making.

Before that I was as healthy as one could be.

I had not had a stroke before AF.

I did have a TIA and a mini stroke 3 years ago. It was caused by going into AF where the heart fibrilates so it's not pumping blood properly. A tiny clotformed and journeyed to my held resulting in a mini stroke.

I received my pacemaker 4 years ago due to Bradycardia so when the time came to have the AV Node ablated (last October) it was already in situ.

For me the Pacemaker was a life saver and well worth having it installed.

Even though I'm Pacemaker dependent the EP leaves a tiny piece of the AV Node so that if there is a challenge with the pm then the heart will still keep pumping.

So for 5 years I haven't been able to breathe properly and now since April where my Cardiologist tweaked the pacemaker I can breathe normally.

The pacemaker is a tiny computer that helps to keep me alive. It records every heart beat so that when you have a pm checkup the Cardiologist can make any necessary adjustments. My Cardiologist transfers the info from the PM onto a special computer Amazing technology these days.

Overall I'm so glad I have a pm and glad I had the AV Node ablated.

Remember any procedure we have there never is any turning back.

I only look forward to the future and good living.

Cheers

Barry

[Teignfisher]

Hi

I have started down the road of pace and ablate having had 3 ablations and run out of suitable medications . However my 3 lead pacemaker was fitted in April 2016 and since then only suffered one AF attack which reverted after 5 hours so I shall stay as is until the AF comes back and makes life difficult again. I am not concerned about the reliability of the pacemaker,only my quality of life after the procedure,let's face it my own Pacemaker has hardly been reliable over the past 18 years! I take Sotolol and Dabigatran and generally feel OK.

I hope you come to the right decision good luck please keep us posted.