Ablation?

[doramar38]

Hello again. Reading some of the posts here about ablation makes me wonder. My AF is now occurring almost daily, for up to 4 hours at a time. I see my cardiologist next week. If he recommends an ablation, should I go for it? It obviously doesn't work for everyone, so I'm not sure that I want to go through it, if its not going to work. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm 79.

[BobD Volunteer]

Depends how much AF affects your life. Any treatment for AF is only ever about improving quality of life. Personally I am a fan having had three and no AF these last ten years.

[Hidden]

Having an ablation is a big step and deserves serious thought. Ask your specialist for an honest opinion about the likelihood of success for your particular condition.

One thing to bear in mind, forums by there very nature, tend to relate to people’s problems rather than their successes. Consider how many hundreds/thousands of ablations are carried out annually. The number of bad experiences we hear about here is, thankfully, very low. Good luck

[meadfoot]

An indepth conversation with your EP looking at the pros and cons in your particular case will help give you answers and then be able to make an informed decision. Have a list of questions, concerns etc of meds v ablation and ensure you have answers that will make the decision easier for you. Ask him how many ablations he/she has done and success rate to date. If you have a good relationship with your EP and trust them it makes decisions easier. Good luck.

[doramar38 in reply to meadfoot]

Hi, I don't have an EP, only my cardiologist...so I have to rely on him.

[doodle68]

Hello Doramar I think ablation is a difficult decision to make and can only be based on the individual person's circumstances.

Also if a person has a suspected contributary factor to AF like high blood pressure/sleep apnea /drinking too much alchohol/being overweight, for an ablation to be successful in improving the quality of life and reducing AF these issues need to be addressed.

I understood in most circumstances unless someone is newly diagnosed with P-AF with no history of previous episodes or had tried different kinds of medication to control AF and it had failed , ablation is not an automatic early option.

I was recently asked to consider an ablation and declined for now, I don't really think I meet the criteria above . I have gone down the route of lifestyle changes along with medication and although I still get episodes of P-AF episodes I feel it has improved and is under control for now . I am a 'bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' kind of person and as my quality of life is good at this time I have no wish to jeopardise that with a procedure that can not 'cure' my condition and could give me additional problems .

If I do change my mind and go for an ablation a healthy body with a low BMI will be in a better position to make it successful.

Doramar an ablation may be the best option for you if the episodes of AF are giving you a poor quality of life. Your cardiologist will know your personal circumstance you should be able to help you to come to a decision.

[Buffafly]

I see you are seeing a cardiologist, not an EP. Not all cardiologists are fans of ablations, my cardiologist made no attempt to encourage me to have a second one. If you would consider an ablation then I think you should see an EP, but bear in mind they are big fans of ablation and might want you to take strong medication to increase the chances of success. As you already have a pacemaker a different one might be an option.

[CDreamer]

It’s all about assessing the risks to the possible benefits - as others have said it’s a big decision and you need to to be confident in your consultant’s training, experience and your relationship - so do your research. Recovery is also an issue and the older and less fit you are the longer it is going to take so be very prepared for that and read the AFA leaflet about recovering from ablation.

There are no guarantees but the question I think was most helpful for me to consider was - would I be better off with or without?

I’ve had 2 - never regretted them as they gave me 3+ years feee from very symptomatic AF. AF came back - but I’m not nearly as symptomatic so all round - if you want to improve your quality of life and are prepared for the possibility of failure as complications - then go for it.

Best wishes

[Brizzy5000]

Hi Doramar as being said it's quality of life that counts I'm a bit younger than you at 65 but my AF was ruining my QofL it was running at every 2 or 3 days for hours and days at a time so I had an ablation on the 2nd of May and over a month later I've had a 1 hour AF episode and a few ectopic beats, the difference is amazing for me, the op itself while uncomfortable was not too bad.

[SMRM]

Quality of life is the determining factor, I believe, agreeing with others here. My PAF is controlled with meds (Flecainide & beta blocker) BUT I'm very fatigued with HR of 45. So I've scheduled ablation for July - looking forward to hopefully coming off meds by the fall. I'm 69. Each of us must make that call about quality of life. Good luck to you.

[Brad43]

After more than 50 years of AF, I got my first and only ablation yesterday. Lots of skipped beats today, but not worried about it. I'm more concerned about the moderate pain I'm getting with every breath in the upper chest and upper back. Apparently this is roughly the location of the lungs and pulmonary veins, so I'm guessing the traumatized veins are reacting to the pressure from the lungs with each breath. I'm guessing only because I've been unable to contact my EP since it started, which was only about an hour before I left the hospital. This was totally unexpected, and it's very bothersome because I think I would be feeling relatively good otherwise. I'm mentioning it here because I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this. I'm also pointing out that after you consider all the pros and cons before making your decision, be aware that there may be cons that you're not even aware of.

[Buffafly in reply to Brad43]

Best to ask as a post of your own, but others have had discomfort in that area (I had a cough for a few weeks). However if you are concerned and the symptoms gets worse you should contact the hospital where you had the ablation or wherever they told you to contact on discharge. See leaflet Recovering from ablation' on AFA website.