Successful ablation

[zorro15]

If our ablation is deemed successful does that mean our afib triggers are no more

[jeanjeannie50]

You had your ablation 10 days ago and only time will tell. Your EP obviously feels he managed to find all the areas where the rogue pulses were getting through, which is good. It can depend on many things, like how bad your condition was. For some people the procedure works first time, for others like me, I've had three and still get AF, but it's nowhere near as bad. The mind can play a big part in AF, so for now think positive and look forward to feeling better.

[BobD Volunteer]

Basically I think the current intelligence is that if you ignore all advice and return to pre ablation life style then you do risk AF returning at some point. Life style modification is as if not more important than any treatment for AF.

[Hidden]

I don’t think you fully appreciate that an ablation is NOT a cure, it is purely a means of controlling the symptoms of AF.

[zorro15 in reply to Hidden]

Thx for your reply flap The fine EPs who ablated me at Loyola university medical center in chicago made it clear that afib is a curse but that afib symptoms can be a thing of my past if i follow gameplan That is all i seek, my goal

[Jalia]

If only.......

[Hidden]

I think we are all agreed on that Zorro, which is why we are trying to encourage you not to do anything that will spoil the results of your ablation. If, after 10 days, someone asks about, or suggests returning to a lifestyle which is likely to have contributed to the having AF in the first place, then obviously we have to make them aware of the risks.

However, it has to be your decision and I’m sure you will make the right one 👍

[Hidden]

Two and a half years after my successful ablation I'm still not taking the risk of trying it.

I'm not 💯% sure what my triggers were to be honest, I think stress was the biggest, but I steer clear of alcohol, especially high sulphite ones, caffeine and Chinese food (and Doritos with their high MSG content)

[Dawsonmackay]

It depends on a lot of factors. But at the top of the list, the tippy top, the zenith, there is a word that says, Rest here awhile and don't listen to anyone else saying, go for a jog, swim a few laps, quick walk a mile. REST

[zorro15]

Thank you all for your input to me in regards to the nightmare known as afib. I so appreciate you all

[absolutepatsy]

Sadly I think not. In my case 2 years post ablation, I had two mince pies late at night before bed at Christmas and he presto, woke at 3am in AF. Don't poke the bear.

[Dawsonmackay in reply to absolutepatsy]

I would like to say that it was probably the sugar content that kicked your heart into high gear that pushed you into Afib. Was that a recent mince pie episode?

[icklebud99 in reply to Dawsonmackay]

Yeah beginning of January. i never thought about sugar, i thought maybe a spice or additive. I will watch my sugar intake now.

[hopper99]

After my so-far successful ablation in October 2019 (3+ months ago), my electrophysiologist told me that as a 50-year-old man, I was likely to get AFib again. That was discouraging but I think she wants me to be vigilant about my health and not get complacent, so she’s using psychology to encourage me to live healthfully. She also wants to avoid setting unreasonably high expectations.

She said that an ablation only removes the rogue tissues that caused AFib episodes but an ablation cannot “cure” AFib because it cannot change my physiology that caused the tissues in my heart to develop AFib in the first place. It’s like an ablation literally cuts out the symptoms but not my underlying predisposition to develop AFib. I still have my genetics (Dad has AFib) and I do expect to continue to age, both of which are risk factors.

All that I can control is lifestyle. I have cut out alcohol entirely and I have limited my caffeine to 1-2 cups of green tea, and I eat fairly healthfully and exercise moderately. I try to avoid extreme emotions in particular anger. I do miss the occasional beer or glass of wine, but there was a long period in my 30s to 40s where I drank daily and I wonder if that wasn’t a contributor to my AFib. Even if moderate alcohol might be safe, I just won’t take a chance anymore.

For now, I will enjoy this time of AFib “remission” and being off medications and just hope it goes on indefinitely. I hope I will have many years in remission but I also know that whatever caused me to develop AFib is still in my anatomy and I just have to hope that a good lifestyle will prevent the AFib monster from returning.

[Dawsonmackay in reply to hopper99]

Yes, I agree, but I think diet and high glycemic foods are triggers. Check out the Mediterranean diet...

[cpalmermn in reply to hopper99]

Your EP sounds like the voice of reason! I look at ablation as a temporary break from Afib...could be months, or years...I’m only a couple months out, Afib free, but my heart def tries some weird things here and there. I’ll take what I can, and try to avoid some of the surefire Afib triggers if the past. I’m completely ok with the idea that it will come back, hopefully medicine continues to improve and I won’t take the Afib free time for granted!

[Zozzy]

I believe AF is a symptom, not a cause; a successful ablation blocks the symptom, it does not address the cause.

Can the symptom return if the cause is still present? Can the block fail? Will provoking the cause increase the risk?

I'm not convinced that anyone definitively knows the answer ... it's our risk, answered or not.

[Madscientist16]

I had my ablation November 5, also in Illinois. My EP instructed that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and not returning to any old habits was the best way to ensure that the ablation with stay successful for a long period of time. He also said that AF will return, but hopefully not for many years from now. As for right now, aging is the most detrimental trigger in my case.

[cuore]

Yes, lifestyle is definitely wise to eliminate or at least control the triggers.

For success , let's look at the ablation itself. A patient in persistent (depending on the length of time) will generally have to have more than one ablation because all the rogue signal may not be able to be ablated during the first procedure (the heart swells). Also new rogue areas may start firing. Plus, the EP may not have the best mapping tools to locate these rogue areas at that time. Consider,too, his/her experience to locate them. There can also be reconnection of the ablated area.

Genetics also plays a role and EPs are currently studying how and to what extent.

My conclusion is that afib triggers will always be there. It is a matter of keeping them at bay.

[zorro15 in reply to cuore]

Thanks cuore. Well said