Hello Everyone. Today, the 21st of August, marks the 5 year anniversary of the PVI cryo-ablation procedure I had for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Happily, the results of the ablation far exceeded my expectations. I have been completely free of AFib since the procedure. As well, there have been no PACs or skipped beats (at least none that I'm aware of) - just blissful NSR. The decision to have an ablation 5 years ago ultimately became an easy one, as my quality of life went off a cliff due to progressive worsening of my PAF condition and the associated effects. The PVI cryo-ablation completely restored my quality of life. For this I am so very thankful and appreciative.
Best wishes to all.
Richard
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Breezera
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Great to hear it was such a good choice for you. I have PAF and have an admission date on 5/9/23 for a first cryoablation. PAF has settled down in recent weeks and was beginning to give some thought to backing out of procedure but hearing how well your ablation went has refocused me on getting the job done. I know theres no guarantees regarding success but thanks for your update.
^ Gambia100 - Thank you for your post. Best Wishes for a successful outcome regarding your upcoming cryoablation. Coincidentally, the date of your cryoablation is my birthday - I'll be turning 67.
mike1961 - Thank you for your reply. Indeed, I suppose I was/am a fairly uncomplicated case! When I was in the recovery room in hospital, the very talented EP who performed the ablation came to my bedside and said that whenever he simply approached the openings of my pulmonary veins with his catheters he was able to trigger AFib. He added that my cryoablation was an "acute success" (his exact words), so I felt pretty confident early on that my ablation was going to be successful. 😀
wonderful! Good to have a post from a success as most of us with successful ablations are unlikely to be very interested in following the site. Mine is nearly three years ago, three very brief episodes in that time replacing 8-12 hour monsters.
^ OldJane - Thank you for your kind reply. Congratulations to you for the successful ablation you experienced nearly three years ago. It's nice to hear that your heart is now ticking along quite happily, like a well-oiled Swiss timepiece! 😂
Thank you for posting such a lovely optimistic message. It means a lot on this forum hearing success stories especially for those of us on a waiting list for cryoablation. Brilliant news and wishing you continued good health!
Got mine scheduled for 20th September. Hope it will be as successful as yours. I am a little worried about the procedure though, but I suppose that’s only natural.
^ Sixtychick - Being a little worried about the procedure is only natural - I certainly was. But I reasoned that I simply could not continue going along with my PAF situation, such as it was. My medication (metoprolol and flecainide, and finally disopyramide) was no longer doing the job and my frequent AF episodes (with rapid, very uncomfortable heartrate), lasting anywhere from 8 hours to 24 hours, was greatly reducing my QoL. It became clear to me that an ablation was a must.
Best wishes for a successful outcome on the 20th of September! Let us know how things go.
^ JOY2THEWORLD49 - Thank you for your reply. Yes, the type of ablation I had involved a cryo-balloon. Here's a link to a YouTube video that shows how the cryo-balloon performs a pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) ablation:
^ Colutd - Thank you for your reply. Yes, certainly - I am taking Eliquis (apixaban) 5 mg twice daily as well as metoprolol 12.5 mg twice daily. I don't really need to take metoprolol, but after many years of being on the drug I've come to like its calming effect. As well it helps keep my resting heart rate in the low to mid 60s.
As info, I had an ischemic stroke in 2016, brought on by my PAF. For that reason alone (and its affect on my CHADS2 score), I need to be on apixaban for the rest of my life, successful ablation notwithstanding.
^ Tiburon - Thank you for your reply. When I had my cryoablation in August 2016 I was 61 years of age. My very first episode of AFib was way back in 1987, when I was 31 years old. The episode came on right after I ate "Chinese food", which evidently contained a lot of MSG. A couple of subsequent AFib episodes occurred in the 90s. I wasn't officially diagnosed with AFib (PAF) until my early 50s, and my condition was largely contained for a long period of time by taking propafenone (at first) and then later on flecainide and finally disopyramide. Eventually those medications did little to prevent my AFib episodes, which, immediately prior to my cryoablation, were coming on about every 10 days or so.
^ Snowgirl65 - Thank you for your kind words. Indeed, the main purpose of my post was to give others more 'peace of mind' regarding the ablation procedure. Should the need ever arise I would have another ablation without a second thought.
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For this I am so very thankful and appreciative.
PVI ablation for PAF next month
Cryo-balloon ablation completed Nov. 5
One year ablation anniversary 
