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ablation booked

malorie profile image
11 Replies

i have only ever had three episodes of svt where heart went to 240, all very frightening traumatizing experiences one needing adenosine in the hospital.

after my last episode on 14th of march i showed cardiologist ecg on my kardia phone monitor he thought i might have wpw syndrome.

since then i have been referred to another cardiologist who reviewed my ecgs this man does ablations and offered me ablation procedure on 13th of may. At the minute i feel like i am a ticking time bomb waiting for another episode to happen and i want to have another baby in the future and i don’t want to have to deal with these episodes when there is a fix.

Feeling happy to finally have a date for procedure but also very frightened that something might go wrong during the procedure and i might die. sounds ridiculous when i write it but it’s what i have found myself googling and thinking about lately. I know i have to be brave and face this head on . it can however be easier said than done.

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malorie
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11 Replies
BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

You might die at any time. We all could!!! (especially the way some people drive these days. lol )

This sort of anxiety is quite normal and we have all been through it before our ablations. Try to relax. The team in the cath lab are so professional and will I am sure comfort you and put you at ease. I have always said I would rather have an ablation that root canal work and most people would agree with me I think..

If you haven’t seen them yet, click on the two links below for factsheets about preparing for and recovering from an ablation which I’m sure you will find helpful.

heartrhythmalliance.org/res...

heartrhythmalliance.org/res...

I’ve had two and neither were a problem so try and relax and look forward to the benefits of having the procedure......best wishes.

Kellyjelly profile image
Kellyjelly

Hi malorie,

I just wanted to reassure you that the weird thoughts about dying and it all going horribly wrong are completely normal. I had my ablation a week ago and I spent a lot of time beforehand convinced I was going to die. I even had the “if I die talk”with my poor husband 🥴

Really try not to google love, it is the easiest way to scare yourself. My hospital gave me their data with the percentage of problems serious and minor after ablations. The risk of death was the same as my lifetime risk of dying in a fatal car accident, My reasoning is that I know that every single time I get in my car that I could have a fatal accident but I do it over and over again so having a one off ablation suddenly didn’t seem as risky as my imagination was making out. It didn’t stop the fear but it made me more able to rationalise it and accept that is a fear reaction and not based in fact.

If you are anything like me the next few weeks will be a bit of a rollercoaster as you try to gather yourself in preparation the big day. My advice is go with it, being brave isn’t about not feeling fear, it’s about feeling fear and doing it anyway.

I wish you all the very best, take good care 😊

rosyG profile image
rosyG

Hi,

I think you need to ask for a little more information from your cardiologist as I don't think you need to worry too much. From memory, I think I have heard the ablations for SVT and/or possible wpw syndrome are easy to ablate as there is just a small area that needs to be worked on to stop the errant signals. Do check this out but if I am right it is much easier than ablation for AF so some of the worrying things you may have read won't apply

sjanee11 profile image
sjanee11 in reply torosyG

There is a much higher success rate for ablation for SVT than Afib :)

Kaz747 profile image
Kaz747

Hi Malorie

Being diagnosed with heart problems can be very scary so it’s natural to be worried. It’s also human to think the worse, especially when you’re hooked up to hospital monitors with a racing heart and doctors and nurses doing all sorts of things to you. Try not to stress. I’ve had 4 ablations (SVT, Atrial Flutter and Atrial Fibrillation). It’s amazing what the medical profession can do nowadays. You’ll be in good hands xx

Lola555 profile image
Lola555

Hi Malorie

I’m 6 days in after an ablation for SVT. Your fears are perfectly normal. I sat down the night before and wrote letters for my children just in case. It did make me feel a little calmer doing that, but those letters are still in my drawer unopened 😊 I found all the staff who cared for me and carried out the procedure to be warm and approachable. Wishing you all the very best for your ablation. X

in reply toLola555

I did the same, and was so scared on op day that I almost got off the trolley in the cath lab and legged it. So glad I didn't though. My kids have their dad back, not some shell of a man that was crippled by AF and the drugs that were supposed to manage it

sjanee11 profile image
sjanee11 in reply toLola555

I wrote letters as well. I thought I was crazy but did it anyways.

sjanee11 profile image
sjanee11

I only had three episodes (all required adenosine) as well when I got my ablation for SVT. Wishing you well for your ablation. It's really quite wonderful to not feel like a ticking time bomb!

perkman profile image
perkman

Malorie,

Completely normal to be afraid. I am having my ablation tomorrow and have thoughts of something going wrong. Just human nature.

The odds of dying from ablation are .1% or 1 in 1000. In positive terms the odds are 99.9% or 999-1you will be fine.

You have greater odds of dying from cataract or appendix surgery than ablation.

You'll be fine.

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