I had my three month check up this week and my consultant is very pleased with how I am now doing I came off of the flecanide six weeks ago and he now says I can go down to 2.5 bisoprolol which he has said he will probably keep me on that and I can come off of my Apixaban in December. Not sure I am happy with coming off of the Apixaban but he is the consultant so he knows best and I next see him in March when he says If all is well I will be discharged so fingers crossed it stays that way.
Not sure how long it will last but he has told me to go and do the things that I had stopped doing which for me is walking we love to go to the Lake District, a question for you all how long have all of your ablations lasted before it comes back ? My husband says I am being too negative about it but I know it wasn’t a cure having the ablations it has given me more time to enjoy my life but I stilll keep thinking how long it will last.
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Bell50
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Mine was sorted by my third ablation in 2008 but I still take anticoagulation as there is no evidence that ablation reduces stroke risk.
I’m with your husband with this (us men have to stick together😉).
In my humble opinion, there really is absolutely no point in seeking information from anyone about how long their ablation lasted, why, because what others experiences are will be totally irrelevant to your situation reason being is that we are all totally different.
With regard to anticoagulants, obviously follow the advice of your EP because they carry risks which, given your age, may outweigh the benefits. It’s interesting that he wants you to remain on a lower dose of Bisoprolol, if this is due to highish blood pressure, then this could increase your stroke risk as you get older so I suggest you keep an eye on your CHADs score. However, in the meantime make the most of your “new” situation, stop having negative thoughts and without over doing it, return to the things you obviously love to do….great news!
in reply to
The other thing to bear in mind is that the majority of folk who have a successful ablation tend to drift away from the forum and enjoy their life without AF.
I would question coming off anticoagulation,ask what your ChadsVac score is. There was a major study done by Birmingham University which concluded that ablation does not reduce stroke risk,even successful ones.They don't " always know best!"
I have read on here that some consultants tell their patients that normal activity dan be resumed after a week!
My chad score is only 1 so my EP said as long as I am ok from now till Christmas I will be able to come off of the Apixaban but I think I have got to go back on them when I am 64
I had my second ablation done at glenfield hospital my EP was DR Somani and he was very good I had my first with him too but had that done at the private hospital in Nottingham but because I had issues after having it done the first time he wanted me to have the second one done at glenfield so I was a private patient but done at an nhs hospital and both times I was given GA as he said it is the way that he likes to do it which was fine by me as I wouldn’t have wanted to be awake any way.
" Not sure I am happy with coming off of the Apixaban"
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Hopefully, you have not be scared by some of the posts here that suggest thinners like Apixaban should be taken by almost everyone who has afib, regardless of their risk factors and individual circumstances, as if bleed risk is not a factor. This thinner decision is best left up to a trusted doctor who knows your individual medical history and can put everything in context. That said, as an avocate of shared medical decision making, always good to question anything with your doctor you do not feel comfortable with.
As to continuing on with the bisoprolol indefinitely, you might question that decision as bisoprolol is a weak anti-arrhthmic and essentially a rate control drug, which has questionable usage if you're actually not in afib.
I do not recall anyone suggesting, or as you put it, scaring them that anticoagulants should be taken by almost any one who has AF although many who are borderline decide they would rather take medication if prescribed. On the contrary, as is the case with this post, regular contributors tend to refer to using the CHADs score to help assess their particular risks so they can discuss what’s best for them. I certainly agree when you say that it should be a shared decision but some here try to make sure all patients understand the risks should they decide to ignore the advice of their doctor. This is particularly important here in the UK because this is the advice offered by virtually all NHS AF specialists. I appreciate the situation may be different in other countries.
With regard to your comments about Bisoprolol, in my case, 6 months after my first ablation, my EP talked about me coming off Diltiazem but he said it did help to control high blood pressure and I think the same might apply to Bisoprolol. After we discussed this, we agreed that it might be beneficial for me to continue taking them and on the basis of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, I still do.
The thinner decision should be a shared risk versus reward decision between trusted doctor and patient. And yet, there have been a number "if it were me" posts and the like where thinners are not indicated by CHADS, or where other factors may give pause to thinners, including bringing up anecdotal stories of strokes, etc. If someone brought up anecdotal about brain bleeds from thinners, I think you might be the first to use the word "scare" as you have in the past. I will not comment further on this topic as it never goes well with admin working overtime deleting posts.
Hi Bell, this is such good news!! Great to hear you’ve had a successful ablation.
Life is one long risk during which time any one of us may be struck with adversity, so I hope you can manage to fill your thoughts with Lake District planning and get out there for some graded walking training! If you’ve read “The Afib Cure” by EP cardiologist John Day then you’ll know just how important exercise is, and in particular the importance of walking. Medical procedures can knock our confidence, so don’t be afraid to get help if your negative thoughts won’t budge, and simple self support like breathing exercises and meditation can be very useful. Get those Lake District maps out, dream on and have fun!
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