Today is 3 months post Ablation!

Dr. Natale did my Cather ablation on Feb. 27, 2014. Today is my 3rd month. No issues, No heart skipping or adding beats and NO AFIB episodes. I am doing well.

I was taken off Multaq April 24.

I am still on Xarelto(4-5 months after ablation was the goal set).

I also still take Metoprolol ER for blood pressure. I take 25 mg in the morning and 12.5 mg at bedtime. I realize it is "suppose" to be a 24 hour pill but not for this boy. Is it okay to stay on Metoprolol ER for blood pressure contol or should I get on some other type of blood pressure medication? What is the usual protocol here?

NOW to conquer this Uretha issue; I need to find me a Urologist whom can help me with my Interstitial Cystitis or whatever I have that causes my issues of Urethra burning at the tip of my penis.
It does not burn when I urinate; I feel I have nerve damage at the Penis Tip. This causes my Anxiety to be bad at times .

I need a Male Urologist specialist. Plano Texas, Frisco Texas or greater Dallas area would be good for me; I have a daughter who lives in Frisco, Texas. I have been dealing with this issue for almost 2 years and have been to 5 different Urologist. Finally one in Shreveport, Louisiana has helped me but he has ran out of options......

Hi Snackman,

Sooo glad to hear you are doing so well after your surgery! Unfortunately, I am not. Though I haven't had any afib, I am having constant irregular and pounding heartbeats.

Many blessings to you and I'll pray for your continued good results.

Nancy M

Nancy,
Aren't irregular and pounding heartbeats the same as Afib? How long have you had the ablation?
I didn't have ablation yet, but I will have a consultation in June with Dr. Natale. And I'm trying to learn from you folks who had the ablation(s) what it is like to deal with after the procedure. Can you elaborate on what it is like for you? Thanks.

Duke

So sorry to hear you are having extra beats, Nancy. I ,too, am post ablation ( 9 months) and had to go on flecanide to deal with my extra beats. Looking for a way to get off the meds , possibly ablation again, or supplements...Duke, it seems a lot of folks have PVC's or PAC's after ablation , tho it is not clear why. The two docs I spoke with say it is very rare..one not sure why, the other says due to scar tissue due to an overly aggressive ablation by the other guy!!
I had considered that my extra beats were due to a lack of vagal stimulation post ablation, and that they might resolve once I reinervated ...I was discouraged by Dr Steinberg who says they are unlikely to go away if present after nine months..

Does anyone else have thoughts about this? Has anyone experienced the exta beats spontaneously resolving as the heart rate moved back toward baseline, or am I stuck either with flecanide or ablation..?

I was getting a fair amount of extra beats and pacs/pvc's the first 11 months, on and off every 2 weeks or weekly; been under lots of stress. Don't want to jinx it but the last 6 weeks all is very calm. It actually might take the the heart a whole year to calm down after an extensive ablation. I'm still on 25 mg Tropol, my choice as my HR has been in the 80's and to help keep my blood pressure in check. Recently it has been in the 70's if I'm not stressed so maybe a correlation exists between a high HR and ectopics.......

McHale



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2014 02:27AM by McHale.

thanks Mchale
I thought that that made sense and mentioned it to Dr Steinberg who did not think so,,,,I presumed that as the vagal innervation resumed , that extra beats might slow down..my rate is slowing slightly ...I am around 60 or 65 on metoprolol er 12.5 2 x daily...a low dose and the rate has come down on the same dose from the high 70's a month or two ago..I am still on flecanide, tho, since i hate the extras so much that I am afraid to stop it...I will however start to taper my flec once I come back from an overseas trip this summer and see where things fall..Good luck and stay regular!

afarpr14,
Pardon my grammar and typos I corrected; damn shouldn't post when the ambien is hitting my brain!
I met Steinberg too for a consultation, very thorough in looking over my medical records and actually gave me a physical with a stethoscope.However too robotic and didn't care to interact with me while I was talking to him for the 20 mins he was looking over my records. Told me straight up blood thinners for life because of my TIA and anybody that tells me different is being reckless. Dr Reddy and Natale were more open minded in stopping the Xarelto after careful monitoring up to a year. I'm still on Xarelto not in a hurry to get off but don't worry if I miss a dose or two now. Will decide in the next few months whether to stop when I meet up with the Maestro!

McHale