Well here we go!! I have waited exactly 12 months for an ablation at Glenfield Hospital in the UK. I have been called for the assessment on the 20th of November with the procedure booked for the 24th of November.Now here is the problem. I have just been given a note from my GP to request reduced hours at work due to stress and exhaustion trying to care for my 95 year old mum who has cognitive decline and has turned nasty to me. My brother had a stroke from undiagnosed afib and has lost his left periferal vision and subsequently his driving licence. He has also spiralled mentally, so I feel I am looking after both of them.
I was due to go away on the 21st November for a few days as my partner has not long had some of his prostate removed for cancer. We have both been under pressure. He is then due to start 4 weeks of radiotherapy the week after we come back. The bathroom is also being ripped out that week so we cannot stay there, not sure where at the moment as we won't have facilities.
I feel I am in the worst place possible and not the right time for me to have this done. I need a couple of months respite.
Do you think they will send me plummeting back to the bottom of the list? Am I being unreasonable? I have paroxysmal afib with episodes that are very symptomatic but come around every 2 to 3 months with no obvious trigger.
Written by
Karendeena
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
. I'm sure that if you inform your EPs secretary of your situation they will be very understanding, particularly as your partner has to undergo his month long radiotherapy treatment. (My husband starts his month long radiotherapy for prostate cancer next month as well...)
Sending all good wishes and hoping things get sorted out for you.
You certainly have a lot on your plate and I agree with Julia - ring your EP’s secretary or arrhythmia clinic and explain and ask for a postponement of a few months - if you don’t ask you don’t get. You can but try.
Hope you get some much needed support. As you are a carer you should get added support from various agencies - get as much help in as you possibly can!
With so much happening around you, so many demands and so much responsibility you really are snowed under! It’s good you’re looking after you too. And you need that break with your husband and time to care for yourself. I think that if you choose to defer the ablation they will listen, especially if you make sure your circumstances are clearly on record. Let them know just what you have told us - contact your EP secretary as well as the arrhythmia team and email your GP with a copy of your situation and ask them to put in a word. This may sound a bit OTT but if you’re firmly on the map you’ll be better able to liaise with them in the future.
You will need help and support yourself after an ablation - I’ve just had one and it’s no small thing! I hope you can get full support in place for your mum because you’ll need the rehab time just for you, and don’t go deferring the ablation too long - you deserve the right treatment as much as anyone else in your life.
The cardiologist's secretary at Glenfield is a truly lovely and helpful woman, so I would email her explaining our situation. You really do have a lot on your plate. The actual ablation procedure is to reduce symptoms rather than act as a "cure" as such, so how important it is for you to have quickly will depend on your level of symptoms. It's a straightforward procedure for many but can take some a good while to get over (as another post on this forum today, showed).
Let's hope things start to look up. My elderly friend had the same as your partner many years and he's still doing brilliantly, so I think you can have confidence there.
Normally, with a bathroom refit, where there's only one WC, the fitter should aim to get the new one fitted on day one so you need to ask about that.
I had to put my ablation on hold due to circumstances, I was put on a ' medically deferred' list. I was told to contact them when 1ble to proceed ,and was not sent back to square one.I agree, sensible not to at present
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Update on A&E dilemma 2
To ablate or not to ablate 
To ablate or not to ablate?
To ablate or not to ablate
