Thank you for all the kind words of support from many of you recently, about my ablation which should have taken place on Tuesday at St Barts in London.
It has been postponed because of a booking error!😬
Basically someone in admin didn’t pass on the information that I had requested a general anaesthetic.
I’ve been told it may happen in September but no date has been given.
By the way, the animation they sent me to watch shows something that I haven’t heard of before and it feels me with terror…
It says that before the procedure you have to swallow a camera which is then fed into both lungs to check for clots?!!
Oh my goodness me. No?!
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Slidingdoors99
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Ha! The camera business is called a Trans Oesophagael Echo...TOE for short. I agree it sounds terrifying and indeed I worried more about that than the actual ablation.
If you are having a general this would normally be given when you are 'under' so you will know nothing about it. At least that is what happened to me when I had my one and only GA. My other 3 ablations were sedation so obviously I was aware. My throat was sprayed with a numbing liquid and really its all done so swiftly and over before you know it. I just told myself how vital it was to detect any lurking clots. Oddly enough for my most recent ablation 2 years ago I wasn't given a TOE even though I had the same EP for all of my procedures.
Good luck with your new appt. Don't worry....or at least try not to!
I never had that for my ablation,however I have had that done for gastric problems. It is a tiny soft tube with a micro camera on the end ,not even a cm diameter. They sprayed my throat immediately beforehand with a anesthetic and before I knew it, was all done. I feared gagging on it, as I am terrible with even a hair in my mouth but all was well.How annoying about the booking error! What is going on? I had a booking error recently too,sent letter saying phone appointment but were expecting me at hospital. Wasted their time!
My impression as I've had both is endoscopy for gastric and a TOE are different. TOE felt more rigid,lasted longer I think but didn't go into my stomach which endoscopy did.
I think I know the animation you mean - the cartoon of an oesophageal fistula? It scared the beejeesus out of me! Its an incredibly rare side effect so why they feel the need to animate it is beyond me.
If its any reassurance I was prepared to have a TOE before my ablation but they decided not to on the day. They didnt tell me that until I asked why it hadnt happened.
Barts are technically excellent - you're in safe hands. But I didnt find them particularly psychologically intelligent.
I had one when I had my last ablation but it was done when I was under the GA. Sore throat for a couple of days afterwards but that was it. You’ll be fine.
I've had that done. They use a sedative which kicks in early on so just as it starts getting a bit yukky (when they put the mouth guard in, in my case) . This means you don't remember any of it until you 'come round' (though in reality you are awake, just have amnesia). It takes just a few minutes so don't be scared ❤️
It's fed into the top of the airways, not the lungs and it's a really good thing to have! It can give you a temporary sore throat, I have been told, but nothing more.
Well, you are brave indeed! I watched on the screen when I had a colonoscopy, that was fine, I just have a thing about my throat and I just know that I would gag and fight!! 😬 Thank you so much for replying.
I had an ablation at Barts 6 years ago and was very anxious about having a toe but was told I didn’t need it as long as I had been on anticoagulants for a month, so I didn’t have it. I think it can depend on which consultant you have.
Best wishes for your ablation when you have it done.
I had a thyroidectomy and I reckon I had a lot of tubes down my throat.
Smoothies after. And it was on the day of discharge my friends taking me home and me recognised my surgeon in the cafe. He came over and said the smoothie was the best fod for a sore throat.
Take care. Apparently they GA before putting it down so no gagging.
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Your 'switching DOAC' experiences please! 
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