Hello All, I have not posted on here for quite some time, but I do read the majority of daily posts, which have helped me tremendously, and I thank you for them.
A summary of my AF history:
I am a female aged 72. I was diagnosed with AF in May ‘16. Have had 10 electric cardio versions & 2 RF ablations during this time. All put me back into normal sinus rhythm, but none for very long. I have never reverted back without an electric ‘cv’, and have been on all the usual meds at some time or other.
As a last resort, in April ’18 I had a ‘pace & ablate’, both done at the same time. I have a CRT-P two lead pacemaker, and it was set at min of 80 and max of 120. At my 1st check at pacing clinic, 9 weeks later, the lower rate was reduced to 70. I was told it will probably be further reduced to 60 at my next check in December. Whilst I am now permanently in AF, and will always be, I do not feel any symptoms of it at all. I used to be quite symptomatic I now feel great, physically and mentally. Although I was actually terrified at the thought of having the p & a, and of how it would affect my life, I am sooooo glad that I took my EP’s advice, and went ahead......it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
My only problem now is my SCAR! It has become raised as you can see in the pic, and looks like a small worm, lying on my skin. It is red and at times it itches and gives me a feeling of being stung! My GP says it is an overgrowth of tissue that occurs when too much collagen is produced at the site of the wound. It is called a ‘Keloid scar’. He said to try putting ‘Bio oil’ on it, which I am now doing.... If it continues to grow, and if it bothers me, he said it could be surgically removed but the new scar may turn out the same! GP also mentioned the possibility of my having steroid injections into the site!
Has anyone else got/had such a scar? If so, what treatment did you have, if any, and how is the scar now?
Thanks for reading my ‘longer than I intended’ post, and I wish you all a happy and healthy outcome to your AF journey.
Avril xx
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AvrilB
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I can’t help you with your scar but thank you for thoughts on having a p & a. I had an unsuccessful ablation in June and the recommendation of a p & a is a distinct possibility next month. I have already made up my mind but it’s always helpful when someone says something that helps to support the decision.
Thank you Ian for your kind reply. I am really sorry your ablation didn’t work and I wish you well with your p & a, if you do have one. I nearly changed my mind the night before I had mine, but I am so glad I didn’t. Best wishes, Avril
I hit the road with my knee in March and removed some skin in so doing and have two scars like yours. One is the size of a finger nail and the other is smaller. They are red and at times itch and give me a feeling of being stung. I've done nothing about them and am glad to have an explanation!
Well, there are already other scars on my knees which I have gathered over the years. Yes, I hope we both find the scars will improve in time. And HappyJo too.
Very interesting, thank you, though sorry about the scar. I was interested to hear about the two lead pacemaker as there have been complaints from others who have had P&A that they still suffer from high heart rate. Two leads seems to overcome that problem.
Hello Butterfly, Thank you for your kind reply. My EP explained that there are 1 lead, 2 leads and 3 lead pacemakers and that he felt for me, 2 would be most suitable. My pre p & a resting HR was in the early 50’s, lower than it is now, but it was kept down that low by the medication I was on then. Best wishes, Avril
Thank you for posting details of your pace & ablate. My EP thinks this is where I am heading and he specifically wrote about a " dual chamber pacemaker" to my GP.
Regarding the scar, I always produce a great deal of scar tissue. Is it an inherited thing? Eventually the colour will fade and nobody will notice it. Give it time and don't mess with it . Bio oil is expensive. I used it after my cervical discectomy because someone said it was good. I don't think it did anything.
Jo, thank you so much for your reply which I greatly appreciate.
I hope the p & a will never be necessary but my EP does predict deterioration of my condition. Maybe I can prove him wrong - the only thing I can currently think of, is losing some weight.
Hello Happyjo, Thank you for your reply, and for your good wishes. Next time I see my GP I will mention Haelan tape to him, as I don’t fancy having injections, or surgery.
I agree, it is very disappointing, ending up with an ugly, uncomfortable scar, but the vast improvement the ‘p & a’ has made to the way I feel, makes the problems with the scar, fade into insignificance.
How is your scar now? Your description sounded like me describing my scar - it looked like worm lying on my chest, itched and stung. I went to a dermatologist who injected a steroid (Kenalog) into the scar, NOT THE PACEMAKER POCKET. After the first visit there was improvement, but not as much as I wanted. After a second time, the scar flattened with no more itching, stinging, burning sensation and the color was the same as the rest of my skin.
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I now feel great, physically and mentally. Although I was actually terrified at the thought of having the p & a, and of how it would affect my life, I am sooooo glad that I took my EP’s advice, and went ahead......it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
Sleeping like a log after ablation
NSAID's (like Ibuprofen) with Apixaban
My scars from the mini-maze.
What’s sedation really like?
