Ablation soon

[Sharryn45]

Well we soon nearly out of 2015 n I'm near to my ablation which I can't wait for as my life is so uncomfortable n worrying....I want to thank the few people who have sent messages with luck n help..thank you fidgetmum for your support yesterday (Xmas day) that was my last svt attack n was the worst one after three shots I finally came bk to the real world n never wanna go through that again n living off my nerves everyday.....but hopefully soon be over...this has aged me to no end..I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

[Svtcrazy]

You can do it!!!! God's grace, peace, favor, and blessing.

[Judygb]

I had my ablation back in September and am having a follow up in January. So far, I have only had a couple of what I call episodes, and they only lasted a few minutes. I feel like I have been released from prison. Good luck with yours, I don't know if you have had it done before? But it is a painless procedure, I had mine done at LGI and Dr Graham was absolutely marvellous from start to finish. I think the worst part was when they injected to get the heart to race, but again it was just weird not painful.

Again, good luck, and let's let us know how you get on.

Judy xx

[Judygb in reply to Judygb]

Have just caught up with the replies on here. I would just like to say that it seems that most are dealing with AF, my condition is SVT. I assumed that is what you had too, sorry if I got it wrong.

[PeterWh]

Welcome to the mad world of arrhythmia - one that we all would definitely rather not be in but are here so have to make the best of it!!!!!

Sorry about your affliction and you will find that the worries become less as you learn more and understand more as time goes on. One thing is to try and not worry because that in itself can make the symptoms and effects worse as anything that generated adrenaline does. I know that is much easier said than done!!!!! One thing that my EP (at Barts in London) said is to learn to listen to your body and listen to it. If you feel tired or drained stop and rest or take a nap.

Life will not be 100% the same but it still can be very good. The following is not meant to be harsh but helpful, but something that my father used to say was you are at where you are at and you can only move forwards but you can look back to remember and learn only. He even said this not long after he was diagniosed with terminal cancer and too he had less than a year to live but ended up living five years.

I was impressed with that smile when you were all hooked up in the hospital bed so good advice must be to keep smiling and keep your chin up!!!

[Sharryn45]

Smile of relief Peter xxx

[PeterWh in reply to Sharryn45]

You can always post questions and also good to search for past ones. There is a wealth of knowledge and help available on here.

[PeterWh in reply to PeterWh]

And people are only to willing to share experiences, but as you will find as you go on your journey, situations and medicines can effect different people very differently and, importantly, can effect the same person differently on different days or in different situations. No hard and fast (😄) rules!!!!

[Sharryn45 in reply to PeterWh]

So far everyone's been great n remember I'm only on early days of this condition so I'm still learning n reading lol

[PeterWh in reply to Sharryn45]

Well many of us could bombard you with loads of information. I could talk to you for at least half a day, quite possibly a whole day or more with questions thrown in from both ways, but you (or no one else) would be able to to remember much at all because of information overload!!! You probably would also get bored!!! A few tips are:

Write down in bullet point style key things that you think are relevant to you and make sure that you write down where you got that information from and save key website links (change the descriptions to suit you). This includes the Association's own website because they do and will change things around over the course of time.

Set up a ring file and keep everything in it. Ensure that you ask for copies of all ECG's, blood tests, letters, etc. This can be very useful when you see medics (including GP) and also in the event you have to call 999 and / or go to A&E. When I did so both the paramedics and also doctors and consultant in A&E and then cardiac consultant said that this was extremely helpful and straight away they were able to establish what had changed by looking at the ECG that had been taken at Barts two week earlier and the one that they had taken in the middle of the night. Without my file they could not have seen what was the new abnormality was over and above the existing abnormalities (if you get what I mean). I know they went through my file because included in the discharge notes were various facts that were from 8 or 9 months earlier!!!!

Another thing that you will learn is that if you don't manage your situation and notes no one else will particularly because, although it is the National Health Service almost all of the computer systems and records at the various hospitals / GP's / CCGs are all separate. For instance the hospital can not look up what is on your GP's system and vice versa. Your file is therefore key.

Also keep a few different logs. One log for abnormal events, etc. Another log is a medications list but only include dates and doses when medications change or when you have ad hoc medicines, whether taken at hospital or at home.

Also you will need periodic blood tests in the longer term. Watch out because hospital may think GP is having them done and the GP think that the hospital is doing them and the result is they don't get done!!!!

[Sharryn45 in reply to PeterWh]

Very useful Peter thank you xx I do keep ecg papers n wen I call ambulance I give then the details along with allergies of meds,name,address blabla.....i just really need info on ablation process...someone put on this morning that they make u have a attack on the table...freaked me abit tbh....i really dont want to be awake through this but was told i have to be...also theres a 1 in 300 chance of a stroke....i have few friends who are paramedics n they say its rare lol but doesnt stop me freakin lol

[PeterWh in reply to Sharryn45]

Don't worry about that because if it was so dangerous they wouldn't be doing so many!! You will be under sedation and won't remember much at all. I would have been very happy being awake all the time during my ablation so that I could see everything on the monitors. I know many wouldn't want to see what is going on!!

As to stimulating well they didn't need to do that for me as I was in persistent AF so did not experience the stimulation, just the EP's comment when going into one of the veins when he said gosh this one is a hive of activity!!!

The chances of something serious happening on a day to day basis at home are very small. However for you look at it on the basis that you are far better off being out of rthythm on the table in the cath lab with all the medics and equipment around!!!!

Many of the statistics quotes as to things that could happen during procedures are there just so that they cannot be sued if in the unlikely event that anything does happen. Also I believe that many are higher than reality because they were assessed years ago and techniques, equipment, etc, have been developed and improved over those years which lessen the risks. Initially I was on Apixaban as an anticoagulant but then was switched to Warfarin in preparation for my ablation. As I said previously I am at Barts and in my case I took my warfarin as usual the night before and then later on in the evening on the actual day of teh ablation. However from information gained from on here the Anticoagulation policy s generally) does vary from hospital to hospital and from consultant to consultant.

You will see on teh forum that there are many who have had two or three ablations and some quite a few more.

All I can say is that I am awaiting my second ablation now.

Hope this all helps.

Peter

[Judygb in reply to Sharryn45]

That was me, I did not say attack, they have to do this because then they can tell if the ablation has been successful, once they cannot get the heart to race, they know they have completed the ablation. They do offer you a sedative, which I didn't require, I am not a martyr either but am able to put myself at ease. It is really a very simple procedure, and if you can stay calm, that will help. Of course I was nervous to start with, and am sorry that I "freaked" you out, but there is really no need to get stressed out about it.

[Tucson20]

I had an ablation done in June under general anesthetic, it was a piece of cake, had a little bit of pain when I first came round from the anesthetic, but was given painkiller and was fine to go back to the ward, it is the best thing I ever done, as so far no atrial fibrillation, great!

[Sharryn45]

Was it day surgery or overnight stay

[PeterWh in reply to Sharryn45]

For me it was overnight. I think most are overnight.