to ablate or not to ablate???

[peachtreepiggy]

I have to decide whether to have an ablation and would like some opinions from you guys....Was it worth the risk? Has it helped? Was it traumatic? I am sitting here in the USA at 4 AM with my heart racing after being awoken with afibs. I am 69 and basically a coward...Give me your feedback!

[jeanjeannie50]

If I'm honest I have to say that the first two ablations I had made my AF worse. The 3rd one really helped. In my mind now I'm asking or was it changing my diet to one that was artificial additives free that helped.

Jean

[peachtreepiggy in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Three ablations! Oh, my! How much time in between the three?

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to peachtreepiggy]

June 2011, June 2013, July 2016. So 2 - 3 years between them.

[peachtreepiggy]

So how do you deal with the stress of a fibs in the meantime? Every time I have an episode, I freak out! And my sleep is affected, because I am worrying about my health issues.

[pottypete1]

Try not to be scared. I know it’s easier said than done.

Believe it or not I have had 7 ablations over 10 years and am still here to tell the story.

I was a very difficult case as my notes attested, however in my view it was all worth it and I have been AF free for over 2 years now.

I am very grateful to my current EP who refused to give up on me.

Talk to your EP/Cardiologist and make sure you ask lots of questions.

Pete

[bean_counter27]

I've already made the decision to hold off on ablation until it produces a quality of life improvement for me. My quality of life is pretty good so ablation at this stage won't be lifechanging.

If/when my AF is seriously impacting my life then I expect I will have an ablation. I'm not looking forward to having an ablation - it does concern me - but if I have to choose between an ongoing poor quality of life or endure an ablation with the potential for a "normal" life, I'm certain I will choose ablation.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

[BobD Volunteer]

I had three from 2005 to2008 before my AF was terminated.

[mjames1]

Most here are from the UK. I'm from the US, so hopefully I can provide some local insights.

I had a successful ablation in my 70s , but I wish I did it in my 60s when I could've tolerated the procedure better. You're at the perfect age, so if you're afib burden warrants an ablation, do not wait.

If you have a choice, get it at a top 10 rated cardiac hospital. Your EP should be doing at least 300 ablations a year and have thousands under their belt. If you have to travel a little, it's worth it. And if your insurance allows, speak to several ep's to find one you're comfortable with. With Medicare, I was able to do that both in person and remotely via zoom.

Keep in mind you are always going get more negative ablation experiences on forums like these. That's because most people who have positive experiences leave the forums and go on with their life.

In general, with the right electrophysiologist (ep) you should have around a 95% chance of reducing your afib burden significantly (meaning very few and/or very short episodes ) and a 60-70% chance of eliminating it altogether.

I have had only one short afib episode since my ablation a year ago. I consider it a big success.

Again, if you're going to get it, do not wait at your age. You don't know what your health is gonna be like in your 70s.

Jim

[peachtreepiggy in reply to mjames1]

Thanks, Jim, that is wise advice.....

[Buffafly]

Worth the risk - yes.

Successful for two years then partly successful.

Traumatic - no.

[CliveP]

I believe that the longer you’ve had AF the less likely an ablation is to succeed.

I pushed for an ablation as soon as possible after I developed AF.

For me it was a complete success. I’m now in my 8th year AF free and live a completely normal life without medication.