I had my procedure to map out where the rogue impulses were coming from which turned out to be just about everywhere except the pulmonary veins which had been successfully ablated by cryo ablation 2 months ago . My EP said the pulmonary veins were not joining the party … 😀
He then set about mapping the other areas and zapping them. I didn’t have any sedation or pain relief until he was zapping a particularly difficult area. This he said was so that the drugs didn’t affect my heart rate. He made it clear that if this didn’t work the next stage would be pace and ablate. I was terrified but faced with his honest telling of the situation I decided I would have to use meditation techniques that I have been practicing for ever but never used in a difficult situation. I can’t actually believe how well that worked! I kept myself calm and could feel my shaking body relaxing. I was glad I had been aware of what a complex and demanding procedure it was and I was humbled by my EPs desire to make this work for me. Afterwards he declared that as far as he is concerned it had been a total success on the day and is hoping I will feel like a new woman 😝 I am in a normal rhythm 24 hours later but have a realistic outlook on this so won’t count my chickens yet.
The not so good news:
As some will be aware I had a previous ablation with a rare complication before and this time I had a different one! when the procedure was over I started to slur my words and the upshot was that I had a small embolic stroke and spent the night in hospital . This is one of the complications on the consent form of course.
I am home now mostly recovered but with some still lasting articulation problems. Doctors confirmed the likely cause was the procedure but said it was a very small stroke and they are not concerned.
My EP and arrhythmia nurse have been really good . Obviously very concerned about me. Everyone in hospital fantastic. By 11 0. Clock this morning I had seen a physio an occupational therapist a speech therapist a pharmacist and 2 doctors. Had s cT scan last night and saw stroke team. Amazing.
Conclusion:
Some might think me crazy but if my heart continues to behave I think it may have still been worth it.
However, I reckon it is worth actually reading the consent form so you know what you signing.
Fingers crossed now. X
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dedeottie
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Oh my goodness! You have certainly had an awful time, especially considering the complications from your previous ablation.I admire your attitude and stoicism, not to say courage ! I wish you all the luck in the world for a complete recovery.
I dont think I'll push my luck with further ablations !
The art of meditation really works in a stressful situation (I use it quite often). Hoping you get stronger each day and the ablation really works this time and remember rest x
Gosh! You have been brave! And it's good for others to know this can happen. From what i know about the voice, your speech will most likely recover fully within months or even weeks. Our brains are amazing at creating new pathways for this. A neighbour of ours recently had quite a serious stroke and is back to singing beautifully and normal speaking. If you like singing along with something on the radio or similar, do that as part of your rehabilitation. Song is stored in a different part of our brain and you'll be getting those word pathways to reconnect.
Admiration for your postive attitude which Im sure will help.your recovery! It sounds as if that will be forthcoming soon,and that you are in good hands.I wish you all the best for the ablation results and your recovery.
What with all that went on...well done. Putting into place your meditation techniques, great job. Brave of you . Sounds like you had a brill team working on and for you. I wish you a speedy recovery and lasting wellbeing. Take care.
You are a trooper. I wish you continued success. I am sorry about what happened it scares me knowing that this can happen. Everything has possibilities now a matter how minor it appears to be. Look at all the side effects on medication. I am sending healing thoughts and prayers your way.🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
I do understand what you are saying about worth it. Without a while working heart we have no quality of life to speak of. I will continue to do whatever needs to be done to get and keep mine quiet
How helpful of you to take the time to post this to let the others know the perspective from "the other side" of ablation. Re/ the stroke: Keep doing every thing your speech pathologist and therapist tell you to do without fail, working constantly, and I bet you will get back to 100%. When my partner had a stroke two years ago, he could not speak a word. But we worked hard and within a month he was back to 90%.
Thank you all for your lovey and genuinely helpful comments on my post. I think this may be the first time I have been called brave or inspirational let alone both together. I have had a very long and eventful AF journey but I think there are many on here who can say the same. If it hadn’t been for the people on this forum I’m not sure I would have been able to cope so if I have given something back that is wonderful. Many many thanks to you all and especially to Bob and some of the other long timers( you will know who you are) who picked me up when I was in pieces especially at the start. X
I admire your use of meditation in this situation, as your always going to improve outcomes by getting your minds fears reduced. A note about consent forms. They all say that should anything happen to cause you pain, side effects, or death you understand going on that it is your fault.
Yes that is a really good point to get across I think. It is always tempting to sign without reading but at least armed with knowledge ,you can make informed decisions about whether or not you want to take the risk. I had thought long and hard about this and decided to go ahead fully understanding what could happen.
OMG! Good news and bad news. So sorry you had to go through this. I had a minor complication from my ablation, a partial clot in the Greater Saphenous Vein in my thigh. It wasn't life threatening, but it was scary. The clot dissolved after 2 weeks. Going back on Eliquis helped, no doubt. I've had 3 episodes of tachycardia since the January 31 ablation. (While Atrial Flutter was suspected, my final diagnosis was AV Node Re-entrant Tachycardia.) Each episode resolved after several hours, and I returned to normal sinus rhythm. In October 2021 I was hospitalized for unremitting tachycardia and it took a cardioversion to get me back to normal sinus rhythm. I didn't panic in these recent episodes like I did before, thanks to now being part of Health Unlocked/British Forum and reading about participants' experiences. BUT: I will be wary of another ablation and hope I won't need one.Wishing you all the best for a speedy and complete recovery!
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