So after many, many months of waiting as of 5 minutes ago, I have been given a date for my 1st ablation. December 4th. Eek. Mildly bricking it now.
I've accepted the date but it's also happening at possibly the worst time in that we are in the process of buying a new house and moving from West Sussex to Devon. At the moment we are in the legal process stage and whilst we don't have an exchange or completion date, we expect that it will happen in January, hopefully mid Jan or late Jan.
I guess I can only hope that I will have recovered sufficiently by then to manage. On the plus side, I'm young, 52. On the negative side I am very over weight despite trying to lose weight.
I know I need the ablation and want it, but the fact that even my cardiologist doesn't believe it will work and that I'll need at least 3, doesn't exactly make me feel like having it done now when there is so much else that I need to do for the move. I wont cancel it but just hope I don't have a slow recovery.
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Peakoverload
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Well I haven't had ablation but I have just moved house! In your position I'd do the same, go for it while you've got the chance with the NHS, moving can get delayed anyway. They will look after you. If it's Brighton, they looked after me just fine, and you don't want to be living with AF if you can help it. Hope all goes well
Difficult choice as there are so many unknown, unknowns. Knowing what I know now, having had 2 ablations, I would wait until after the move because I took such a long time to recover and no way could I have coped with moving during recovery time. You of course may have a good recovery - but it is an unknown.
I have several reasons for saying the above, moving is 1 of 3 most stressful things you do in your lifetime and the LAST thing you want in the recovery time, especially if there is doubt whether or not it will be successful.
If I needed 2-3 ablations I would want the same EP to perform them SO - are you intending to travel back to W Sussex? Or see what is available in Devon? You may want to do some research on that. I accept you may need to go back on what could be a long waiting list if in Devon.
The longer you leave it, the longer you have to lose the weight which may be a factor in outcomes.
You need to consider and think through consequences. Having just moved, after selling our house the day it was put on the market the legal process took 6 months, despite both ourselves and buyers wanting a quick completion, lawyers!
I am playing Devil’s advocate to some extent but would talk it through with your EP if you can.
in my opinion, you will have definitely recovered by January - that’s plenty of time so don’t be worrying. I’ve had 4 ablations all of varying time lengths, 2 under GA and 2 sedated. You will be absolutely fine!
Try to keep your weight stable until after the ablation. Putting yourself under pressure to lose weight won't help. I have a suggestion for the weight loss, as per my EP in Dublin, who on my last visit was doing it himself and his wife lost a considerable amount of weight with it. I've nearly four stone lost with it and am fitter than I've been in donkeys years. The program is called Bodyslims. If you Google it you'll find it. Their next ten week session starts in January, after that April and then September. They are 250 euro. Also find HalfofCarla on Instagram or YouTube, she lost her weight on this program. What I've found with it, is for the first time since I was very young, is, I can go on hols and put up a few lbs (7 to be precise) but I now have the tools to lose it when I came home. I've been four or five pounds from where I finished in July since, a few below and above. It's life changing. I've had an ablation. Best thing I ever did. I still wouldn't be pushing it in Jan. Listen to your body.
Thanks all for the replies. I feel like I don't really have a choice but to go through with it. In truth I have absolutely zero faith in my cardiologist/EP or in the NHS within my local area (For the record I think the NHS is MAGNIFICENT its just that my local GP and hospital have provided me with awful care over the past 20 years). Its not helped by the fact that my cardiologist works 1 day a week at my local hospital and the rest of the week in East Sussex (I'm in West Sussex). As a result his waiting list is ridiculously long and Covid just made it even worse.
I've no idea what the waiting times are or whether the cardiologists in Devon are any better but I can't believe they would be any worse. If I could choose, it would be to wait until I've moved and get everything done in Devon. However, as this would probably mean waiting another year and that I've been in constant AF already for a year, waiting isn't really an option.
On the rare occasion that I've actually managed to speak to my cardiologist he told me that the success rate of an ablation greatly reduces the longer you are in AF for. When I told him I had been waiting for my ablation for a year he said that he thought it most likely that it will take 3-4 ablations before it works and even then he didn't sound that hopeful.
As I see it, I have to at least get the first ablation done now and I can't and won't delay the house move. So regardless of how I feel afterwards or for how long, I'll just have to work around it.
He's so gloomy because I've been in constant AF for so long and I have been on the waiting list for an ablation for so long. If I remember correctly his exact words were "The success rate of a single ablation is 60-70% if performed within 12 months of being in AF. If you've been in AF for longer than 12 months, the success rate is 60-70% after multiple ablations" At the time he told me this I had been in constant AF for around 14 months ago but believed that I had been in and out of AF for around 3 years but undiagnosed as I first developed symptoms just before Covid). That was 6 months ago so I've now been in constant AF for about 20 months.
So was I, don't be too.despondent. I was finally at the top of the.18 month waiting list for mine ...2020. Yup Covid. Then another 2 years, due to it,finally done June 2022 and great since.
Few break through, still on meds but working now touch wood.
Some mention of a possible RF touch up at last clinic in September but waiting to to,review April.
Thank you for this. This was a boost I needed. Been feeling very defeated by it all recently. I know there are no guarantees and everyone is different etc but when everything you're hearing is negative it's hard to remain optimistic. So thank you again. Very much appreciated and needed!
I would look into Hybrid Convergent Ablation. Check if there are any hospitals who perform them in either area. I'd then suggest getting a private appointment, for speed, with the consultant who performs them. This will probably cost about £250 but they'll be able to give you an idea of how successful the Hybrid will be.
It's more invasive, but, in general, the success rate is a lot higher.
They should then be able to put you on their NHS list........... not queue jumping so you may still have a wait.
I had a normal ablation which lasted 6 weeks and was told 70% success rate. I was then offered a Hybrid. When I spoke to the surgeon about the Hybrid, he said the 70% for a standard was overly optimistic and he would have put it more at 20%. Had I realised that, I personally wouldn't have bothered with the classic ablation.
The Hybrid was something I decided to go ahead with but they discovered I needed mitral valve surgery, so the Hybrid was off the table.
Check out the posts from MummyLuv and 4chickens , who have both both had a similar operation ti the Hybrid, one privately and one NHS.
I don't understand those statistics to be honest. I had my ablation (standard as you say) and was quoted 80 to 85% success at first attempt, but my AF was paroxysmal. I had my ablation in March this year and so far no episodes that I am aware of
My statistics or the statistics around ablations in general?I was long term persistent AF and they knew there was some moderate MVR so the surgeon was saying that the EP was being overly optimistic saying 70% under those conditions and he would have said 20%, in my case would have been nearer the mark.
Thanks for the tag Ducky. Peakoverload if you are moving to Devon there is a surgeon in Plymouth does surgical ablation which will likely be more effective for you. His name is Malcolm Dalrymple Hay.
I had my ablation in March this year and recovered quite quickly. The day after I came home I had a short walk to Tesco and had coffee. I did this every day and then went for lunch at a garden centre at the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I had a few annoying symptoms of indigestion and aura migraines but they settled after a few weeks. No one was more anxious than me, you will be fine.
In another note, why did your cardiologist say you would need 3? How can he determine this? Is he an EP?
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Finally got a date for my ablation.
Constant AF and not good ablation candidate
Its a date 😏
ablation or not to have ablation
The time has come .........
