I’m in Boston, Massachusetts USA and I’m having an ep study and attempted ablation tomorrow morning for svt and frequent ectopics. I’m a bit nervous as the ep has told me the ectopics are on the left side, which is harder to reach so they will be going through an artery instead of a vein. I’ll be awake which is also a bit unnerving, although I’ve been assured that the anesthesiologist will keep me comfortable.
Anyway, I feel about as ready as I’m going to feel, and just hanging on to the idea that by this time tomorrow I’ll be blissfully unaware or perhaps even done!
Thanks to everyone here who has shared their experiences. It’s been of great benefit and I am grateful to you all.
Happy heart day from here in the US♥️
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Goalnsr
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It's normal to feel nervous, but after the ablation most people wonder why they were. My first two ablations were by sedation and I knew little of what was going on. A nurse sat watching me throughout and every time I started becoming aware signalled for more sedation. Send us a message as soon as you can afterwards. X
BRHow, I guess it really doesn’t matter how much we understand something intellectually; when it’s happening to us, it’s a whole other ball of wax!
I can tell you without hesitation, that the ablation was a great experience and I am so glad I did it. Now, I know you might think, “great? Reeaallly?” Yeah. Great. Everyone was so reassuring and pleasant, and the anesthesiologists (I had two present), as well as an EP fellow, my EP who led the procedure and a nurse who basically circled me throughout the procedure, giving me reassuring smiles, whenever I came around. They gave me something by iv about 5 minutes before they brought me in and described as “truth serum.” All I know is is that I felt calm and settled, not drugged or “out of it” and I was placed on the table and instructed to scooch up a little to be in the correct position and then... I came to a bit later and they were in the midst of the mapping portion, which was most of the 5-hour procedure. I had a moment of not knowing where I was, then everyone told me I was doing great and I just sort of looked around and tried to see as much as I could. No pain at all. I mean NONE. I asked some questions and the fellow told me I needed to be quiet and still and they would talk to me later which I found amusing LOL. The older anesthesiologist came up next me and gave me a big smile and I was out again. I continued to float in and out and at one point, I felt my heart beating fast (but not scary fast, not nearly as fast as it has beat in the past), and they told me it was ok, just the adrenaline doing its thing. The next time I came to, they were pulling the catheters out and there was a bit of discomfort as they removed the sheaths from my groin. They wheeled me to recovery where I laid flat for 6 hours and was scolded by a nurse if I even wiggled the tiniest bit! That was the hardest part of the whole ordeal- being still on my back for that long. I really didn’t think it would be hard for me because I’m a back sleeper and I’m in good shape and stretch a lot. But man, staying still was HARD. I had no pain at all.
I cried tears of gratitude and relief when my doctor came by and said they got everything. They put me deep under to reach the ectopics on the left side and used MRI during the procedure because the spots were close to an artery. They approached the left ventricle “retrograde” through the right femoral artery and I will say that 36 hours later, my right groin is a bit sore. My left has two venous punctures, they don’t hurt at all. Over the counter Tylenol is taking care of it.
I still get emotional thinking about it. My chest is pretty quiet, which is just the most surreal feeling, as my ectopics were every other beat. He said my svt turned out to be atypical AVNRT and there’s 95-98% chance it won’t come back. 80% chance the ectopics won’t come back and if they do, they’ll be much less. If I ever need another ablation, I will not hesitate in the least. It’s truly amazing how caring and capable everyone is; and the sedation was so easy to tolerate.
I want you to know that you will be fine and will be taken such good care of and you’ll be so happy and relieved when it’s done and you can begin to heal and look forward to all the activities that otherwise would’ve been affected by your arrhythmias. I couldn’t work out without big spikes (always in my recovery periods, between sets), it came on while sitting at my computer, walking the dog, doing laundry...I started to think about whether I’d be able to travel - what if it hit while flying? If I could go for hikes in the woods by myself- what if it hit? If I could swim in the ocean, have a couple of glasses of wine, dance, etc... all the what-ifs were ruining my life.
Please know that you’ll be FINE. If possible, take an Ativan that morning. I was able to have clear liquids up until 2 hours before my 8 am procedure and I took 1/2 mg Ativan, which really helped keep the dread at bay. I got it from my primary gp.
If I can answer any questions please don’t hesitate to pm me. Or if you just want to vent your thoughts. I totally get it. I do. I’m going to be checking in to see how you’re doing as your date approaches. I can’t wait to hear how good you feel after it’s over. I promise you, it will go well and you’ll be so glad you did it.
I hope by the time you read this post it's all behind you! Please do keep us posted as to how it all went! I'm in need of an ablation myself for svt but I am so so nervous about it (and about it failing) that I just can't seem to gather the strenghth to go forward. Wishing you a speedy recovery & an svt-free future!
Svtmo, I can completely relate to your feelings. I actually was going to cancel my procedure and give it a few more months on meds and that very day, I had my most aggressive episode and had the scariest ambulance ride and emergency room experience of my life. That was my wake-up call that I had to take the situation by the reins and go forward with the procedure.
If it helps, get a second, third or fourth opinion. I asked so many questions of my EP, it became a bit of a joke...I’m a lawyer and he would say, “when you go before a judge, do they ever stop you from asking too many questions?” But he was just gently ribbing me; this is what they do every day, but for me, it was all new and scary and you only have one heart, so they get it. And if my doctor ever made me feel like I was being unreasonable, I’d have found a new doctor.
I am so so glad I did it. Am I tired? Yes. Am I a little sore? Yes. Am I having some thoughts of “what if it comes back or what if 20 years from now they say that this procedure was not the right thing to do?” Yes. But I did my due diligence and I feel very certain that the procedure will improve both my quality of life and my heart function. I can work out and keep my heart healthy instead of having to back off every time svt hits. I was having daily episodes so it was very limiting. And the latest literature points to ablation now being the first recommended course of treatment for svt, rather than a last resort, because arrhythmias can become harder to ablate the longer they persist.
If I can answer any questions or if you want to chat, please feel free to pm me. Whatever you decide, remember that svt is not life threatening. It’s scary when it hits and it’s life-limiting. I guess each of us must decide for ourselves when it gets to be intolerable. If you feel you can live with it and would rather avoid surgery, then that is entirely ok. Everyone’s path is different. But if you’re avoiding surgery because of fear, please know that you can get through it. I was extremely anxious for months before my ablation, so much so that I needed Ativan to sleep at night because of nocturnal panic attacks. I am an absolute phobic about medical stuff. So if I can come through it and speak so positively about it, then anyone can do it!
Hope everything goes well. I had an ablation for svt almost a year ago now. I was put under general for mine. But so far, so good Make sure you take it easy for recovery. My doc told me after 3 days I could go back to regular life and I definitely wasn't ready after a few days, so listen to your body!
Please would you put a new post on the forum re your ablation. What you have written here regarding your experience is so inspiring and would help others anxiously awaiting the procedure. Many thanks.
Wow Goalnsr! I am so glad to hear from you, that you're doing well and had a pleasant experience. This is the first time I feel a bit better thinking about scheduling an ablation.
My svt is not that bad or frequent at this point, just a couple of episodes a year and most of the time I can revert back to sinus rythym by doing some vagal maneuvers. Otherwise it's a call to the medics and a dose of adenosine (I usually don't go to the ER).
However it gets really bad & really scary during pregnancy and we would very much like to have at least one more baby.
In addition, as I understand from the various drs I've consulted with, svt tends to get worse as time passes and it is easier to ablate earlier on. As such, ablation seems to be the best option for me now. I'm looking forward to the time when I can go to sleep without worrying if tomorrow will be a quiet day and where I'll be if it hits
And so- thank you so much for your detailed post! It has really helped ease my anxiety somewhat! I hope you recover quickly & put all this behind you
Svtmo, I’m so glad my post helped. I too could not live with the uncertainty of when it would hit and I’m very active and did not want to be med dependent for the rest of my life. I connected with a woman who lived with her svt for 20 years but then had so many episodes during her pregnancy, it was the push she needed to have the ablation. She feels fantastic now and is a Pilates instructor and chasing her baby around and basically enjoying having her life back.
Each person makes their own way through this. If your episodes are infrequent and manageable, you may decide that’s ok and live with it. I too was told that it would likely progress and would respond more favorably to ablation early on, rather than waiting. But that is a very personal decision and I’d never want to push someone one way or the other. I just want people to know that the procedure is very safe and easy to get through, with no significant long term risks or complications. In the hands of an experienced and capable EP, there is nothing to fear.
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Make sure you take it easy for recovery. My doc told me after 3 days I could go back to regular life and I definitely wasn't ready after a few days, so listen to your body!
AVNRT ablation 
First svt ablation 
VT Ablation 
Ablation update.
EP Study didn’t trigger arrhythmia 
