I had my surgery at Sheffield Northern General on the NHS. I live in Essex so my daughter and son in law took me to Sheffield and stayed in a hotel while I was in hospital.
I had my surgery on 15th March, a day later than planned due to cancellation on 14th. I was told 2 different reasons, so don’t know which is right. Mr Hunter said no way was I going to be sent home and he got an extra slot in theatre for the next morning. I was told that what Mr Hunter wants, Mr Hunter gets, which was very comforting.
Surgery went well and I then spent 2 days in PCU before stepping down to the ward. I have had a few bumps in the road, but all have been medication related. I got a UTI and reacted to antibiotics. Also put on 3 new meds for short term, to reduce inflammation and fluid. I couldn’t tolerate any of them and I started dipping in and out of AF.
I was discharged and stayed in a hotel for 2 days before we set off for our journey home. The AF continued when I returned home, in fact the more of these drugs that I took the worse I became. My track record is not good with any medication, which is a big part of why I elected to have this surgery to get me off of medication.
Now that I have stopped all three new tablets, things have settled and I am enjoying a very calm heart in NSR.
Despite a few bumps, it was absolutely the right decision for me.
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Mrsvemb
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I won’t sail off because I have had a lot of support here during my AF journey. It was thanks to MummyLuv that I found out about the mini maze and the fabulous Mr Hunter.
I started having AF immediately after I had OHS for a heart valve replacement. I was told AF was quite normal afterwards. I suffered on and off for many years.
My surgery was a minimally invasive surgical ablation to fix AF. It takes about 3 months for the heart to heal. My problems were caused by medication intolerances.
Sorry to hear that you had a bit of a rough ride initially but glad that it's settled down and here's hoping for long term NSR for you! I'm not good with meds either, which is why I'm intending to go to Tokyo later this year for a mini maze, but I have to confess I'm terrified! It's reassuring to hear that you've come through it unscathed and are enjoying NSR.
I was nervous and excited at the same time, but the result is well worth it. Others have been to Tokyo and I have only heard excellent feedback. A lot from the US go there because it is so much cheaper than having it in the US if you don’t have the necessary insurance.
Yes it is major surgery, but no pain from the tiny incisions each side. My bumps in the road were medication related, but nothing new for me.
One thing I would suggest is that you talk to Dr O about Amiodarone because it is frequently prescribed short term to hold NSR whilst the heart heals. With your thyroid problems that could be an issue for you. I don’t have thyroid problems, but I asked Mr Hunter not to prescribe Amiodarone because of my intolerances.
Have a look at Waveylines posts. She had some issues due to taking Amiodarone with hypothyroidism. Despite that, she is enjoying NSR.
I wish you all the best for your surgery in Tokyo, you will be in very good hands. I look forward to hearing how you get on.
Thank you for your kind reply. I'm on the Wolf/Ohtsuka Facebook page and it's very informative. I had asked my GP for a referral to Mr Hunter but having spoken to Mummyluv I learned that he does a 'belt & braces' approach which is more extensive than I need as I (currently anyway) have lone PAF. I've had my initial Zoom appointment with Dr O and he's aware of my hypothyroidism. It hadn't occurred to me that he might want to prescribe Amiodarone so thank you for the heads up! I certainly have no intention of taking that medication.
Thank you again for your encouragement, it's much appreciated.
Yes I am on the Wolf Facebook page too. I didn’t mention it in my post because of the rules on this site. My AF was lone PAF, but episodes were getting longer and longer and far more frequent. I think I was heading towards persistent by the time I had my surgery, though I could still self convert and have never had to have help with that.
I was originally going to have the op by Mr Hunter in London privately, but he isn’t doing private work until 2025. Also looked at Dr O, but I didn’t want to go on my own and being a widow am reliant on my daughter. She won’t fly for more than 3 hours. Hence my trip to Sheffield.
I am sure that you have made the right decision for you. Go for it. You won’t regret it.
so happy to hear things have settled down. Mr Hunter sounds superb and I would have the highest confidence in him based on your story and MummyLuv. You are just about three weeks out and that is when you heart is the most inflamed so should you have any small hiccups just know it’s perfectly normal. As your heart heals you will feel new things every day. A pain here, an ache there. Just keep a positive attitude and you will be back to normal soon. Welcome to afib and med free life!!!
I’m not brave, I was desperate to stop my AF and above all to get off of the medication which I cannot tolerate. Medication will be phased out gradually, I am hoping to lose the anticoagulants at my first review in a couple of weeks. 🤞
It must be so hard when medicine cause problems. Let's hope this solves all. I have read only good reports of it and suspect it will become much more commonly performed in the NHS in the future as more centres train and equip for it.
I am so glad to hear you have had good results with the Mini Maze.. I have been undergoing pre-operative test for the past two weeks and will be scheduled for the Mini Maze today.. I am told I will go to ICU for two days also and then a step down unit.. I am trying to take make plans for someone to take care of my house/Puppy and was interested in how long were you in the hospital.. After three failed ablations and a failed Vein Of Marshall and maxed out on medication.. The Mini Maze is our next step forward.. Again so positive that this procedure is my next step..
That’s fantastic. So do you mean that you will have a date for your mini maze today?
I was in hospital for 5 nights post op. It would have been four nights but I got a UTI and reacted to the antibiotics. Obviously this varies person to person and also where you have it done. Where are you having it done? Are you going to Dr Wolf?
I am Sandi, the admin of the WMM/WOP Facebook page in the US. This just makes me smile to read these reports of so many of my UK friends being able to have the mini maze procedure per Dr Hunter and those venturing to Tokyo for Dr Ohtsuka. I had my WMM 6 years ago and remain forever grateful. Congratulations.
Almost 12 weeks post op and I feel fantastic, thank you.💖No AFib at all since the surgery. No pain.
Just a peaceful heart in NSR the whole time, as far as I can tell ( and I was very symptomatic before, with episodes every other day).
I have taken it very easy, as per Dr O's instructions, but I started to get back to work recently ( teacher).
There are days I feel quite tired, but now I am coming out of the blanking period and starting to build up my stamina again, I expect that to improve a lot.🌺
I am SO glad I did it. The care was fantastic in Japan.
I would have loved to have come home to the North to have my op, but I have been living abroad too long.
Tokyo was unforgettable, so it worked out very well, anyway.🥰
(I am a Brit but living in Canada for the past 13 years.)
All the best to you for a wonderful recovery and continued NSR. 🤞🤞I am sure Mr Hunter did a very secure job on you.🙂
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