I know this is an AF community, but I feel it is more active than the Arrhythmia Alliance so I am posting here. I am a 34 year old female have been seeing EP for about a year, was initially diagnosed with CPVT ( genetic, adrenaline induced Ventricular Tachycardia) I got a second opinion where I was diagnosed with RVOT VT (Right Ventricular Outflow Trac VT) The second opinion says ablation could work to treat my VT. I have PVC's regularly and am on 50mg flecainide 2x daily to supress the VT. I have an ablation scheduled for this Wednesday, December 4. I would really like to not be on medication my whole life, and also to get back to my regular activity since the VT happens when I am active. I am extremely nervous about the surgery but am hopeful it will mean I can get off flecainide. I have always been very active and this VT has impacted my ability to get to the top of those beautiful mountains here in Western Wyoming USA. Any tips, advice or positive experiences to share? I appreciate this community, though most of you are dealing with AF I find there are a lot of similarities.
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wyo19
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Hello Wyo and welcome to the forum. Thanks for details relating to your condition, there are members who will have more specific information for you but I thought I would start the ball rolling! I don’t really want to start by being picky, but a catheter ablation is not surgery in the true sense of the word, it is a procedure. There will be no “zip” on your chest, just a couple of puncture holes on one, or both of your inner thighs and possibly on your wrist. The easiest thing to do at this stage, is read the 2 factsheets (links below) which will tell you everything you should need to know about preparing for and recovering from a catheter ablation. They are written by patients, for patients, so there will be a lot more useful information than maybe provided by your hospital. Once you have read them, if you feel you need more info, just ask. The best of luck, most people get through the procedure without any drama but please let us know how you get on......
Thank you! I appreciate your links to these fact sheets and will read them. I also thank you for noting that it is a procedure not surgery, anything I can do to lighten the nervousness helps. And thinking of it as a procedure does just that! I look forward to updating folks on the Forum and let you all know how it went! Thank you for your response!
Flapjack is correct. I had an ablation in May 2018. I had a few hiccups in the days following. Just recently, I developed a kidney disease that has required large doses of steroids which has brought my afib back to a real boil. The EP won’t do anything except rate control and medications. Nephrologist won’t change his approach. A real conundrum for me. However, as soon as I’m off the steroids I ll be lined up for a second ablation. It is a procedure that worked really well for me.
I have posted about my experience of an ablation in February and regular updates since. If you click on then photo above it will take you to the posts - just read the ablation ones for now. Worth remembering that recovery in many is much quicker but one thing you should not forget is make sure you take it easy for much longer than you think you should. The other thing is the Docs often don't really know what the problem is until they do an EP study at the time of the ablation. By the way the puncture holes heal quickly and are invisible after a few weeks.
Thanks so much! I have read some of your posts before and I will click on your profile to read more before I go in on Wednesday. I have several stress tests with VT and 60 days of a monitor that show the VT also. My EP seems to think he can get pretty close to location just based on that data, so hopefully he will be a leg up when he gets in there! Have a great weekend!
Good advice here....main thing afterwards is to rest give heart chance to recover and for scars to form. People here say EPs vastly over estimate recovery time ,and it can cause problems if you try to do too much too soon. Patient leaflet is very clear. Good luck!! Xx
I think all the worrying you have will drift away once you get to hospital....you will be surprised how calming it is once the hospital takes over......I had mine ten months back........I too like in the mountains the French alps. Yes living where everywhere is uphill does have its disadvantages initially, but my advice is after your procedure do what everybody else says...rest! Two weeks stay home and Potter. When you feel up to it treat your body with care, your heart will be hurting and recovering but you will look well on the outside . Start having little walks and build up. I stayed on a flat circuit in morzine with a cup of tea stop at a cafe in the middle......!!
I did have a few blips where I fekt completely knocked out but it was because I carried on doung stuff when I was feeling tired....don’t do that! Listen to your body......
Yes it would be great to get off the tablets.....it seems to me there are various approaches to this, my cardio over here has kept me in tablets while the heart heals........some folk seem to come iff very quick......
All will be fine, we all think it’s a huge thing to do, it’s our heart.....but what I’ve learned on this forum is it’s a pretty well practiced procedure .
Thank you Morzine! I will plan to only stick to flat walks for the first couple of weeks. I really enjoy pilates, but I believe I will have to table that for a couple of weeks also. Great to hear another highlander has had a good ablation experience! I plan to visit France in March! A friend of mine is from Paris- hopeful she will show me some of your beautiful mountainous areas!
Thanks for the reminder. I am learning I will have to take possibly more time than my EP suggests. I think I will do okay for the first week or so, but after that will have to talk myself into resting. I am a busy body! I will keep you all informed on how things go, and promise to listen to my body and get plenty of rest. Thanks again for your responses
Just to emphasise- very little activity in the first few weeks. It took 5 months for all my arrhythmias to stop and another 6 months before my resting heartbeat was back to normal rate. So I would be very careful in the first 6 months and only gentle - ish activities.
I had my one and only ablation in 2013 and still mercifully free if AF.
Wow! Great to hear your ablation has been successful for so many years! I will take it easy the first few weeks. Plan on lots of crafts and short walks I am not looking forward to the several months of waiting to know if it worked... Mostly because I have several travel plans this season. Hopefully it will all go smoothly! Appreciate your response
The anxiety is the worse. I was very anxious when I had mine 2 years ago. I received general anesthesia which was great because I slept thru it. I followed the advice on this forum and all went well. I wish you the best.
I am right there with you on the anxiety!! I don't think anyone is a fan of hospitals, but I certainly am pretty anxious about hospitals and the whole thing. Really appreciate all the advice on here, thanks for your response.
I had an ablation exactly one year ago. Back doing light gym after 3 weeks and now AF free for 9 months. Best decision I made. Now off both flecainide and bisopropol. But I take Rivoraxaban daily. You will be fine and don't stress. AF loves stress! Take care.
Good luck to you tomorrow. I had my ablation on November 5 in Illinois. Almost one month later, I am feeling pretty good and started to work out again. At a very active age of 53, I can't wait to get back to life. Go slowly on everything from the day after the procedure. You will be sore and tired and your heart will feel different. I suffered some migraine headaches for days later, which can happen, but is not too common. Just take care of yourself. You will do great.
Sending hugs and prayers! My 32 yr old daughter had a 5 hr ablation for WPW syndrome 10 wks ago and she is just finally getting some energy back, she had Propofol and was intubated. This turned out to be her best bet since her surgery lasted all day long, and she stayed overnight to recover. The EP did end up locating 2accessory pathways and had to burn one of them twice. She had 5 Catheters. A lot of people WILL say that this surgery is nothing. That is not a true statement. This is serious, so I will be thinking of you all day tomorrow and hoping for the best and that the EP goes in and gets the job done correctly! Godspeed from Chicago dear girl! XOXO!😇
wow!! thank you for your insight!So glad things are looking up for her. I'm talking this very seriously and have set aside a lot of rest time. thanks for the response and well wishes
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