how many on hear agree with 75%sucsess after 1 abolation.
everyone seems to have had more and or problems.
I'm realy strugling to go ahead with this.
? 75% success rate: how many on hear... - Atrial Fibrillati...
? 75% success rate
Written by
heartready2go
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38 Replies
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Hi
My understanding is, the success rate is far, far lower, it did nothing for me. Perhaps, we can get more feedback
J
Heartready2go, we have tried to help you as much as we can but you seem to want to torture yourself and there is a limit to what more we can do to help you to get to Tuesday. Please bear in mind that, as a general rule, forums are used by people seeking help after having bad experiences. Please consider how many thousands of people have an ablation in this country and then consider how few people come back after and say they wished they had never had it done. Truly, this rarely happens. What is true is that some people, like me, may need two or three before their symptoms are controlled, but once you have been through one, most accept this is NO big deal.
The team at Hull will be professionals in their field and they will guide you through the procedure and make sure you are comfortable and safe - that is what they do. All you have to do for a couple of weeks after is take it easy and not strain either your heart or the entry wound in the groin
Obviously we do not know your personal circumstances, you may be living alone, and that makes it more difficult because you feel alone and isolated but we are always going to be here to help.
It will be a great shame if you talk yourself out of having this ablation because you may live to regret for the rest of your life. All the evidence indicates that AF is progressive and this may be your best chance of getting it controlled.
I have seen your recent posts and clearly you are trying to talk yourself out of the situation.
Hidden has given you really good advice and I want you to take it on board.
Ablation is not a cure for AF but it does provide a significant improvement in quality of life for the majority after the first procedure.
I agree with Flapjack that sometimes one procedure is not sufficient and more than one can be necessary.
As FJ states after the first one it is not such a big deal to have more procedures.
I can talk from experience as I am among the minority of patients who have had to have more than one ablation.
I am now virtually free of heart rhythm problems and I had over 20 years of suffering AF before an ablation was offered.
I have no regrets.
Pete
Hi, I was terrified before my ablation but it was a chance to get off meds and avoid a pacemaker so I had to overcome panic. My AF did come back after two years but I'm taking hardly any medication so things are much better and I have no regrets. It seems this decision has not properly been talked through with you so you feel you haven't really made it yourself. You don't have to have it, you can delay it until you are sure you want it even though you'll still be scared!
Sit down with a hot drink and a nice piece of cake and read through the encouraging replies you have had and accept there is nothing you can be sure of in life so things haven't worked out well for everybody, however the chances of a big improvement are much higher than those of a small one or none.
If you decide to go through with it we'll be virtually holding your hand so try to imagine that, hope it helps 🤗
thank u so much for your kindness I realy needed that.
I lost my son 12 months ago after a long terible illness I was his carer first af attack 1 month before he died followed by one a month for 6 months I live alone don't know anyone with af have been refered to electro cardiology 3 times difrent one every time with 3 diffrent opinions last on put me on the list he said for to have a look at heart found out Monday I'm down for abolation.
I have strugled to digest and decide what to do BUT your kind last words have given me corage .
as my af is relatively new and paradoxical and I have no other illnesses dispite being 70.
this is pos the best chance I have of putting thing right.
leaving it longer I may get worce or other illnesses that will preclude me.
I know the staff will all do there best for me. I'm emotionaly on my knees
after a year of trauma
I only hope they give me enough sedation .
your kind words will go in there with me.
Thank you.
How you are feeling is exactly how many of us have felt as the day for ablation draws near. Should we, or shouldn't we have it? I understand how that question goes round and around in your head. What do we all generally end up doing though? Well, it's going ahead with the procedure.
The most important thing though is to make sure you rest afterwards, for my first two ablations it took me a few weeks to recover, but after the third I was back to normal immediately and had no after effects.
You are not being forced into making the decision to go ahead, as it's your choice entirely. Remember though that not all people get the chance of having one as they are extremely expensive.
No matter what we say to you here, you are the only one that can say whether you'll go ahead or not. I think you'll be like the rest of us, fret a little beforehand and then just bite the bullet, go ahead and hope it will be a success.
Here for you, please ask for support any time you want. We understand, ignore those who appear to chastise you for needing comforting words.
Big hug my friend.
Jean
thank you for your kindness.
the posts I know are all trying to help me.
sake me or hug me they all come from a good place.
I am going through with it. I have worked out through all your posts better sooner than later.
I will let u all know how I get on.
I'm so sorry for your loss and all you have been through. I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do.
So,so, sorry for your sad loss and can quite understand your emotional distress, please let the AF forum support you. Please accept a “Cyber Hug”. Very Best Wishes. PhylK.
So, so sorry for your loss xx Words are just not enough ...
You are strong. You have shouldered and come through so much. You should be proud of yourself.
Sending love and hugs xxx
I would def go ahead with this. You will find that after a bit your quality of life will be much better. I had a bit of a problem immediately post ablation but am so pleased I had it done two years ago now. I am playing golf again, albeit with a buggy cos it is a hilly course. I was in a dreadful state before the ablation and my quality of life was not good at all. I agree with jeanjeannie50 that you need to take it easy for a while post ablation. Don’t try to do too much too soon and listen to your body.
Good luck.
Hi Heartready 
In an earlier post you told us ...........
'' had 6 episodes of what some doctors said was AF others were not so shure it made me Dizy my heart beat 200 bpm I had urge to use lo and felt nautious it lasted 5 hrs I lost consiousness several times fleetingly, felt I was going to die.The ambulance men caught it on ecg but by the time I got to hosp it had reverted.This happened once a month for 6 months.''
..................just remind yourself of this and ask can you really cope with situation indefinitely.
I would never tell anyone to go ahead and have an Ablation that is a personal decison for each person to make based on their individual circumstance. It is a good idea to weigh everything up carefully.
If you are having an Ablation the best thing for your heart is to try to concentrate on something else to take your mind off it. Read a book, go for a walk and do some breathing exercises above all try to stop worrying.
Well I guess I am different than everybody else! I had three ablations - the last one holding now and been in NSR for about ten months. WOW! Let me say this again, WOW! I am a different person. I have energy. I can work an eight hour day. I can walk up three flights of stairs, twice or three times. Did I say, WOW! Now, this is where I am different than others. When I had my first ablation, I wasn't worried at all. I had done a tremendous amount of research and reading on ablations and I had a really good cardiologist and EP to answer all my questions. I likened my first ablation to one of those roller coasters that some of us experience early in life when things are not fearful and it's like, I wanna go on it again. My first ablation lasted about three days in NSR and it was an amazing experience too. Total calm without the friggin' Afib monster in my chest or the frequent leg cramps or muscle cramps in my arms and chest. I was not happy that I only stayed in NSR for three days and decided that I would wait a year to have my second ablation. My cardiologist stomped on that notion, saying that ablations, shore up the previous one. So I had a second ablation within six months and NSR lasted about three days. But this time, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and jumped for a third. And it finally took hold. There are so many ablations occurring throughout the world now that it is very routine. I keep on writing that and I also see that there are newer and more expedient techniques for ablations. In the UK, they are are starting to use magnetic resonance to push the catheter into the heart instead of the EP guiding it. I am 69, was diagnosed with Afib in 2007, had an ejection fraction in the low 30's, and they gave me a choice, either amioadorone (spelling?) or ablation. I chose the right path. "HeartReadyGo," you are ready. Just hold your nose and take the plunge. I am your happy (WOW!) example of success. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Glad to hear you’ve made a decision. I think most of us get really worried about going through it. And you’ve had some really heartbreaking trauma recently, so it’s likely even harder for you to sort out your feelings. Just keep yourself distracted between now and then. Good luck! It will be done before you know it!
p.s. want to know the worst part of an ablation was for me? Being cold in the hospital room overnight! I don’t know about UK hospitals, but US ones are always too cold. I had to ask for lots of blankets. If I ever need to do it again, I’ll take my own cozy blanket!
UK ones are also very cold, kept that way For the machines I was told. Take nice warm socks, slippers and your dressing gown! Was allowed to keep slippers & socks on and they draped my dressing gown over my lower legs & feet. They also used heated blankets on my. Had my ablation last April and was very scared up until the actual morning, felt surprisingly calm on the day, don’t know why. Done under sedation - that fairy dust is good stuff! No pain just the odd brief sense of awareness but nothing scary or horrible.
I would not hesitate to had a second ablation if needed to. All the best.
I don't know what hospital you go too but my experience of UK hospitals (Banbury, Northampton, Rugby and Coventry x 2, usually as a visitor, I'm not constantly sick!) is that they are so over-heated and airless that I feel like I'm going to pass out when I go in. I can't bear them. I wear the least clothing I can and strip any outer layers off before I walk through the doors. It's terribly unhealthy to be kept so hot and airless. How menopausal staff cope I have no idea.
Oh yes those power surges are awful, my layers come off & on like a yoyo!
With regards to the cold , it was the room where they carried out my ablation that was freezing, I was physically shaking, not on the ward after.
In USA here the nurses were very nice and brought blankets to me that has been in a warming device.
It must be more than painful for the loss of your son. As you live alone and do not know others in AF, it's great that you found this forum because, in my opinion, the comfort, direction, and experience are overwhelming. I was a little older than you when I had my first ablation-- 74. Plus, I have had three total.
Since you have had a lot of love , comfort, and procedural advice, let me approach your situation from a different angle. I Googled the technique of ablation plus watched a few videos. For me, that knowledge removed the fear allowing me to be most calm when I was wheeled into the catheter lab. If I remember my Bordeaux EP accurately, there are 500,000 ablations done worldwide annually. You will be just fine.
It is a fact that most of the people who write on health forums are ones who have had problems after their procedures/operations. Whereas people who have had successful outcomes even if they have been on the forums to ask for advice prior to their procedures/operations probably post less than half a dozen times afterwards and then leave. I try not to do that but I can understand that others do. From what I understand 75%-80% of first ablations are successful. Of those who go forward for another ablation about 60% of those are successful and I believe about 40% of those who go forward for a third ablation are successful so the answer is to keep going. I have also learned that even though the ablation may not be successful it does sometimes help by making other treatments more acceptable. So, just because one ablation doesn't work doesn't mean that the next won't work and also it still may make things better even if you don't choose to go ahead with another.
It is also true to say that generally the fear and your imaginings of the procedure or operation and recovery is far worse than the operation/procedure than the procedure itself. My wife had a procedure 13 years ago and had never had any hospital procedure before. She was so fearful before the procedure that she almost ran out of the prep room. She didn't and had no problems at all with the procedure or the recovery - though again some people do and for some it is not successful and a major operation could have been the next step. Obviously she is so glad she had it done and didn't run out. Since then she has had a couple of far more painful operations but knows that running out is not really an option when compared with the benefits of having the operations.
I am waiting for an ablation in the next 3 months and am having my 3rd cardioversion tomorrow. Having read through the fact sheet on ablation a few times I too could easily talk myself out of having the ablation even though I knew that the recovery would be long and not that easy. I don't think it would actually be much worse than recovery from my Total Knee Replacement which has been really painful and gruelling and still is quite painful after 4 months. It will just be different. My hospital does heart health classes before the ablation so I am waiting to go to those as I will be annoying those nurses with a lot of questions as I will be tomorrow before my cardioversion - I know the cardioversion nurses quite well now so they are used to me asking all sorts of questions.
I shall be thinking of you tomorrow and hope everything goes well for you and that your ablation makes a huge difference to you.
All the best,
Des
Depends on the type of AF: PAF is, apparently, more likely to be successful on first ablation around 70- 75%)- persistent and permanent are more likely to require a second ablation. I think the outcome also depends on factors like age, comorbidities etc. And there is some variation depending on the centre. There may also be some variation in what is adjudged to be a successful ablation.
I think it all depends on what you had the ablation for. I have two friends who had successful ablations 10 years ago both for SVT. I was diagnosed last April with VT no cardiomyopathy healthy heart I had an ICD fitted in September I still get palpitations which can be very annoying and scary I was offered an ablation but decided to wait 6 months to see if upping my meds (Bisoprolol) sort the palpitations out and if that don’t work I will go for an ablation which have a very high success rate for VT
my success rate is 100%.
Nearly 3 years in NSR following my one and only ablation and still counting
My ablation was for flutter and fib
No problems during the procedure or post procedure
If this one fails ill be queuing up for another one
Hi, I’ve had two ablations which haven’t worked but I’m on the waiting list once more. I was a little nervous both times as anyone having an operation would be but I had no post op issues and the team who looked after me both times were fantastic. I have a friend who had one ablation that worked first time and he is now enjoying life to the full. Hope that helps reassure you. Good luck
I'm having my first ablation on Saturday and I am scared, so I have an understanding of how you feel. I've asked lots of questions, some very silly, both on here and of the arrhythmia nurses. It's the fear of the unknown and I think that I will feel much less scared once the procedure starts. I hope you do too. This week, I'm being very practical, cleaning the house, getting all the washing and ironing up to date, finishing the joey pouch I'm knitting and making sure I keep busy doing stuff I can't do next week when I'm recovering. The good people in this group have a wealth of experience and they have reassured me enormously. Believe them. All the best and I look forward to hearing that yours went well.
Thinking of you and wishing you well.
I had my first Ablation last Tuesday and have had two AFibs since. Under a week. No fair.
Go for it. I had a totally success until I was involved in a car crash.
I had my ablation five weeks ago, I really had no choice as I could not tolerate beta blockers long term. I had atrial fibrillation,atrial flutter and a third arrhythmia which was found during the procedure ablated over four and a half period under a general anaesthetic. I must admit my recovery was more prolonged than I had expected, I had a lot of chest pain and heartburn for 4 weeks, I was constantly pestering my arrhythmia nurse and this forum for reassurance! I can only say that after 5 weeks I am so much better, I have no pain, the only problem I have is tiredness after walking which I put down to the fact that I am taking sotolol 40mg twice daily, which by the way I was on 80mg before my ablation, and which I hope to be able to discontinue before too long. I am having the odd ectopic or irregular beats, but nothing I can’t handle, and nothing compared to the symptoms resulting in blue light trips to hospital, and the accompanying apprehension and fear that goes with it. All I would say is that I would have it done again without hesitation if I needed to, and I agree that anyone who has had a stress free recovery won’t post on this site, so please try not to worry, and any concerns we’ll be here to help if we can. Best of luck.
We're all pulling for you here. Bite the bullet and go for it. We'll be waiting to hear your good thoughts in a few months after all has settled down. I can't imagine the loss of a child -- I'm so sorry. Please know that many of us here are with you!
Wishing you well godwilling for a wonderful result if you go ahead xxx
Good luck tomorrow.
Thinking of you ... And sending you love and prayers and very best wishes for your ablation tomorrow.
All will be well
Your AF forum friends back here are all rooting for you, and we look forward to hearing from you afterwards ❤️
Jane x
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