Hi all
Finally had my cardiology appointment with a different consultant and he wants me to have a new echocardiogram and a nucleus stress test.
I am a little concerned about the stress test is this normal to have this done.
I am on the list for a cardioversion although he said it might be a couple of months.
He also suggested that I might like to consider an ablation in the future due to my age.
All seems really scary at the moment.
Take care everyone Deb x
I was offered an ablation on Monday and also found it scary so understand how you feel,I declined and put on different meds have another appt in 6 months so may reconsider,have not had a stress test but someone on here will be able to tell you about it.
Thank you Maisie. He was concerned about me being on medication for any length of time but I suppose I will have to make a decision once I know what else may be wrong and whether the cardioversion works
It’s a difficult decision I really dislike taking medication so think once I get my head round it I will make the right choice for me.
Keep well
Good luck with either decision you decide on
Sounds like they are doing a good job for you Deb.
Ablation shouldn't be scary. I've had four-- for different things of course and if you are young it is a good idea rather than a long life of toxic drugs none of which are a cure. The more you understand the less you fear so do educate yourself as much as you can for your own sake. Knowledge is power.
Thank you Bob, I will try and read up about it.
He was very impressed with my knowledge, as he said it makes his job much easier if he doesn’t have to explain everything. So thank you to you and everyone on here for your help.
I suppose it is better to know what I am dealing with than find out to late.
Many thanks Deb
It's a big decision to make. I was ready to get off the trolley in the cath lab before they did mine. So glad that I went through with it though. No AF for coming up to 3 years now.
AF only gets worse, and I'm medication free at the moment (well, other than BP meds) I will definitely ask for another ablation should I ever need one
Thank you Mikee I think his argument was that because of my age and the side effects of the drugs he wouldn’t really want me on them for that amount of time.
Glad you made the right decision. Look after yourself. Deb
I had an MRI STRESS test last week at St Barts. Takes 35/40 mins max. Lots of breathing in and out then holding your breath whilst they take images. The stress part is they inject a drug into your arm which makes your heart beat faster simulating a work out -more pictures . They advise that chest will feel tighter and your breathing will increase but I hardly felt any difference to my heart. Good luck
You say, "I am on the list for a cardioversion although he said it might be a couple of months."
Does that mean that you are in persistent A F , and you are made to wait for a couple of months? Remember "AF begets AF," and the more you are in AF, the more AF you will get. I strongly suggest that you get a good understanding of what persistent is.
How many months persistent are you? The aim of cardioversion is to get you back to sinus rhythm because if you do, you qualify for an ablation. There are two types of cardioversions -- electrical and chemical. The electrical is the procedure where paddles are put on you chest and a quick current is applied. In chemical cardioversion, an anti-rhythmic drug is given to try to get you back to sinus.
The Cabana trial has concluded that an ablation is superior to drugs. You might want to read one of the latest publication:
practiceupdate.com/C/90925/...
In term of options, it will depend on the medical system you are in unless you go private.
The cardiologist is telling me that I will have an electrical cardioversion. Been like this for 3 months. He is pushing for an ablation rather than drugs because of my age.
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