Hello from a fairly Newbe, Ablation been and gone,

[choccydeb]

Hi, I have been a member on here for a little while but I have never written a post b4 I just sat back read and took comfort from everyone else's post.

I was diagnosed with an enlarged left ventricle and irregular heartbeat possibly bought on by chemo back in 2007.

Well, I was told back in November that I had very mild Heart Failure which frightened the hell out of me if I'm honest and that would be booked in to have an ablation.

So since November, I have been worrying about my upcoming Ablation under GA as I told my cardiologist I had anxiety and couldn't possibly have it done under local so he said ok he could do it under GA but there was less chance of it working as you are in a more relaxed state so your heart pattern may be different or something along those lines, well what I am trying to say for anyone worried about it is plz don't worry as I am now 1 week tomorrow post ablation and feeling really well its not nearly as scary as you imagine it to be, I had no bruising but then we are all different, a slight ache in the heart but that's all I am taking it really easy at home and will be for another week or so.

So please please don't stress over an Ablation as if need be I would definitely have it done again and I am a right scaredy cat lol.

The nursing staff at the day centre where I went for my procedure were amazing.

Well it was a success I was told but still slightly worried that that might change so hence why I have my hubby waiting on me hand & foot

[Finvola]

Welcome to the forum deb - what a lovely positive post. I especially like the 'hand and foot' bit!

It's interesting that your cardiologist felt that GA made one too relaxed. It does make sense but, like you, I'm a scardycat and would prefer not to know what was going on - even at the dentist.

I hope your ablation has given you a new lease of life and things go well for you in the future.

[choccydeb in reply to Finvola]

Hi, Finvola

I nearly turned around and walked back out on the day but I am so glad I didn't.

I just wanted to assure people that it's not as scary as you imagine and if they are given the chance to go ahead with it. x

[Kellyjelly]

What a lovely post and so helpful to someone like me, I am having my first ablation under sedation on 25th March. It’s lovely to think that you went through it even though you were scared, shows real bravery!

Wishing you all the best as you continue to heal, take it easy. 😊

[choccydeb in reply to Kellyjelly]

Hi, Kellyjelly you won't know anything about so plz don't worry, the worse bit was when I came round and needed a pee it is not easy to pee on a bedpan laying down flat when your a lady lol.

xx

[Kellyjelly in reply to choccydeb]

Haha! I’m having mine under sedation but from what I’ve read it makes you feel quite relaxed 🙏 I was in a&e recently with SVT which makes me pee non stop and it seems to fill my bladder to the top even though I’m not drinking! I agree, it’s very disconcerting especially when you’re almost filling it to the bedpan😳😂

[dwright12 in reply to choccydeb]

I agree...I thought I was going to bust

[BobD Volunteer]

Thanks for your positivity which is so welcome right now.

[AIW58]

As the others have said thank you for the reassuring post. I'm booked for March 28th, don't now what technique/approach yet as have my pre assessment March 13th. As you say we are all different but I hope I'll feel well, like you, afterwards. I am taking the advice frequently offered here to rest and I have zero commitments for all of April and will book the waiter service from husband.

I hope you continue to recover well.

[jedimasterlincoln]

Glad to hear it went well. It's very reassuring that as well as there being an abundance of different experiences on here, and a broad collection of those are good bad and ugly... yours is so positive and encouraging to anyone having doubts!

Onwards and upwards for you.

[avma]

Hey choccydeb,

I stumbled upon your post about your ablation under GA. I too will have one and asked myself the same question (made also a thread of it) if they could trigger the arrhythmia under GA. Yours did work so that gives me hope. Mine was easily triggered when I had the EP exam but then I was awake, that isn’t the same as under GA. So I’m a bit worried about that.

[Hidden in reply to avma]

I had my ablation under GA two years ago next week. I'm still in NSR and have been for all of those wonderful 12 months.

I had to have GA as I have a degenerative back condition and would not be able to lie still for the 5 hours that my procedure took.

The worst part of the ablation for me was coming round with searing back pain from lying on my back for so long, and then having to lie still for another hour in agony whilst a nurse put pressure on the entry site to stop the bleeding.

When I could move around again the pain subsided. The actual procedure and recovery caused no pain at all

They can pace the heart under GA to find the hot spots. If you read this link, you will see that it only mentions that SVT ablations are more successful under sedation

academic.oup.com/bjaed/arti...

[avma in reply to Hidden]

Hey Mike,

Thx for your reply! The article is from 2012, I hope that they can induce it easier now with GA than they did 7 years ago.

The procedure is for an SVT arrhythmia, it’s for atrial tachycardia and that’s also an SVT. This is why I worry.

Which arrhythmia did you have when they ablate under GA?

[Hidden in reply to avma]

Svt, AF and flutter

[avma in reply to Hidden]

Wow! That’s a lot at once. Did they ablate it all at once?

[Hidden in reply to avma]

Yes, 4 and a half hours it took, all RF

[avma in reply to Hidden]

Hey, that’s wonderful. I have never heart this before that they did all the arrhythmia’s in one procedure. You always read that they do this separate in more procedures.

You must have had a very good EP, I hope you stay in NSR 🤞.

Hopefully mine will go as smooth as yours and I will recover without complications 🤞🤗

[Hidden in reply to avma]

My EP was a wonderful man, he turned my life around.

First time I met him he introduced himself as "the electrician"

The flutter was something that he spotted "on the way out" so "I did it anyway as I was in the area"

He cycled in to work on a bank holiday Saturday (his day off) to personally do the heart scan and tests required to get me discharged rather than have to stay on a ward until the following Tuesday.