AV Node Ablation Good News

[Chief4646]

After having 9 cardio versions (shock treatment) in the past two years and at the age of 77, I decided to go for quality of life and forego all the drugs that I have taken over the past few years. I tried two ablations and a few drug protocols of which none worked. After all of that and the worry of always looking for where a hospital would be when I traveled the decision to have the AV Node Ablation seemed like the best avenue for some continued years.

The good news is that I had a PM installed in April, 2023 and the AV Node ablation in May, 2023. After some adjustments for the HR my PM is now performing as I wanted. I am off all meds now with the exception of 5 mg of Eliquis twice a day for a blood thinner. I am walking over a mile multiple times a week and my conditioning is improving. To celebrate, I went fly fishing with a friend for 3 days and never worried about looking for a close emergency room. The best news is that I have several trips planned without worries. All good here!

[CDreamer]

Excellent news, quality of life is important. Did you catch anything though?

[Chief4646 in reply to CDreamer]

A few fish but a lot of nature and clean air. Loved it!

[dedeottie]

fantastic news. Onwards and upwards now. X

[4chickens]

great news, and trout for tea, that’s s win win

[Threecats]

Good for you, Chief. Glad you finally found a solution that works for you. Enjoy your fishing and travels!

[reinaway]

Best thing I ever did as well. Great news you find it the answer too.

[Ormegirl]

Wow. You have given me inspiration. They are considering doing the same for me I'm 73. Bit worried as I would be totally dependent on the pacemaker. But it would be good not to have the worry of wondering when my heart would malfunction. Enjoy the fishing. All the best

[Nannysue1]

Same here. A year since the pm insertion and 10 months from the av node ablation. Off of meds apart from apixaban and feel like ive got my life ( and sanity) back.Big decision to make at 68yrs but im now 69yrs and looming towards the "Big 70", so time flies and all that. Glad its worked for you.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Nannysue1]

What is an av ablation ? Is it different from a normal ablation ? Just wondering . Thank you

[Cabinessence in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

The AV stands for AV Node which is the part of the heart that controls the heart beat. Sort of. Afib happens when rogue signals are sent out usually by areas where the left Atrium meets the pulmonary veins, telling the AV node to beat when it shouldn't, thus causing the heart to beat irregularly. The aim of an ablation is to burn away those areas that are sending out these rogue signals, but if it fails to do this and meds can't help either and maybe the symptoms become unbearable for the sufferer or their heart has gone into failure mode etc, then the only option can be to burn away the AV Node as well and just leave a pacemaker to do everything instead. Sort of. It means you're relying on the PM to continue working for the rest if your life. PM's can also be used to help control the heart beat when it's too slow but then it works in conjunction with the AV Node which isn't burnt away in that instance. But a PM can't stop rogue signals from being sent to the AV Node. The short term for the former procedure is pace & ablate. But there's no going back as you've only got one AV Node. So it's a big decision to make.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Cabinessence]

Thank you that was really helpful and knowledgable information

[Rainfern]

Thanks Chief for starting my day with a smile. Such heartening news.

[Ossie7]

that is heart warming to hear Chief . Long May it last and enjoy those trips away 🤪

[Tricia239]

I’m due to have mine on Friday and feeling quite anxious and fighting the butterflies but your positive post has really helped. Thank you. I’m so pleased for you and hope mine will be as successful.

[Chief4646 in reply to Tricia239]

I wish you the best Tricia! Quality of life was why I made the decision and glad that it worked out. I hope the same for you.

[Tricia239 in reply to Chief4646]

Thanks.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Tricia239]

How did it go ?

[Tricia239 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

Hi, sorry for belated reply but I've had a friend staying with me. As far as I know it went well; I had sedation but only very mild and so I was totally aware of the whole procedure but apart from being aware of a bit of prodding around my groin area I really didn't feel anything, which I think is amazing. I expected to feel something when they actually knocked out the AV node but I felt absolutely nothing in my chest area at all. I had to lay flat for a couple of hours afterward until they removed the stitch in my groin and then for another half hour after that and then I was allowed home. I'm still on the same meds as when I went in and at the moment don't know when they propose weaning me off, so until that happens I won't know how successful it has been. The positive thing is that I know I can't go into a full blown AF attack now; the most recent ones I had were really dreadful and I felt so ill and consequently I've been living in fear of going any distance from home or doing anything in case I went into AF, so now I don't have that fear which in itself is worth a lot. My pacemaker has been set at 80 and I have to go to the clinic after 4 weeks for it to be reduced to 70 and then I think 4 weeks after that to be reduced to 60. No one seemed to be able to give me any information about the medication side of things, so I will wait a few more days and then I'll make some enquiries and see what I can find out. As for the groin area it is healing beautifully with virtually no bruising - the same with where the cannula was inserted, the nurse who did that was amazing, I really didn't feel a thing and I'd been fretting about that because previously they have always had a problem finding somewhere to put it (they can only use my left arm due to lymph node clearance on the right). So, all in all, really good with fingers crossed that I'll soon come off the medication and hopefully still be feeling fine. Thank you for asking. Tricia

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Tricia239]

Glad your recovering well, I always thought a pacemaker was for a low heart rate so maybe they will fit one for my husband . Thank you

[mike1961]

Good to hear Chief !

[Ppiman]

Good to read! These decisions can be terribly hard to reach but it seems that you did the right thing.

Steve

[Desanthony]

brilliant news

[JeanetteH]

Good to hear ! I am having mine done next week so looking for positive messages.

[Chief4646 in reply to JeanetteH]

Wishing you the best and positive results like mine.

[JeanetteH in reply to Chief4646]

Yes Im feeling good no longer worrying about triggers for AF

[iris1205]

congratulations! Brave move which paid off! Great news for us all- thank you for sharing!

[Usta]

Congratulations! All the best as you pursue life as you choose.

[Ladysmith64]

Good for you Chief👍Made same decision back in 2016 and am thrilled with the outcome and of course fact that I am still around to wish you well😆

[Snowgirl65]

It's so good to hear positive outcomes. I hope you continue on with this wonderful outcome.

[Westknoxgirl]

That’s great! I’ve had 4 cardioversion and just had my second ablation 4 weeks ago. I went into afib yesterday and was devastated. It’s so depressing, I thought this will be the last procedure I need. Drs have mentioned that I may need a AV Node ablation if this last ablation didn’t work. I’m scared to death about having this procedure. Is it different from a regular ablation? What about recovery time? I take Eliquis, Entresto, Metoprolol and furosemide. Do they take you off all your medications after having this procedure? I’m 70 and I want to live but the medications and all these procedures are driving me crazy I don’t know what to do.

[Chief4646 in reply to Westknoxgirl]

I decided that after two ablations and multiple cardio versions, I just wanted quality of life.

No meds other than Eliquis but your doctor would discuss what is best for you. Wishing you the best in whatever decision you make.

[Lenaropes]

This is absolutely phenomenal. So happy for you. My husband is the one with AFib and I spend my life wondering and planning over the worry of the next episode.

[stargazer52]

Brilliant news

[tgsumner]

Curious as to the type pacemaker you have? Is it a dual chamber? Leads to both ventricles? I have a single chamber to the right ventricle only. I have a AV node ablation scheduled in a week and am concerned with my quality of life.

[Chief4646 in reply to tgsumner]

Dual! You may need an alteration with the PM to accommodate being totally dependent on it. Good luck and may you get the most out of life.