Three Week Update

OK, another week has passed since ablation on 1/27/15.

If you read the first two updates, you know I was having some minor infrequent blips that I attributed to some sort of digestive problem. After seeing the doc and getting the ultrasound, they pronounced my gallbladder to have stones.

Since the gallstone identification, I've eliminated all cheesy/greasy/fried foods and guess what--------the problems have subsided. In the last week, I've only had one occasion where I felt a little irregularity.......and I don't think it was afib.......just some ectopic beats.......actually, it was more like it would skip a beat every six or seven beats....but it was still regular. No worries.......I'm sure that is normal post ablation......and I've read it posted here plenty of times that everyone---with afib or not------has plenty of ectopic beats.

Anyway, the heart is healing and things are improving. I feel great. Again, it is such a emotional burden that has been lifted by not being constantly in fear of afib.........I went to the gym for some light cardio work this morning. The heart responded as it should. Rate increased when resistance increased, slowed when resistance decreased.....then slowed even more upon stopping exercise.

Dr. Natale said I could ease back into exercising after a week......but I've also read the comments attributed to Hans Larson that exercise should be delayed for about 8 weeks. I certainly don't want to overdo anything and screw up the healing in my heart from the ablation. Anyone else have thoughts on the matter? I would really like to exercise a little more aggressively than I have since the ablation.

At this point, I am extremely satisfied with the Natale ablation. Additionally, I am eternally grateful to those of you here who helped me with the decision to proceed. Even if you didn't contact me personally but you have posted about your positive experience, I probably read it and considered it in my decision to move forward. As a consequence, I offer my positive experience to those of you who are considering whether or not to have an ablation. The meds simply didn't do it for me. Ablation is a success at this point. Thanks too to all of you who continue to post your varying anniversary dates of continued success in NSR after your ablations. It is always good to hear good news and encouraging for the future.

My post ablation recovery has been completely without any anti-arrhythmia medication. I take 1/2 of a 25mg Metoprolol ER in the morning......nothing else. It is such a small dose, I'm not really sure if it is actually having an effect-----I'm considering stopping it.......maybe after I run out of this bottle anyway......I took Xarelto for a year prior to ablation. Post ablation, I switched to Eliquis instead. I preferred the shorter half life and feel like it is safer for me since I lead a fairly active life. Twice daily dosing doesn't bother me. I'm hoping to ditch the oral anti-coagulant after the blanking period. I have noticed that cuts seem to bleed a little longer on the Eliquis than I did on the Xarelto. Dr. Natale also told me that Eliquis provides a more stable level of anti-coagulation throughout the day than the Xarelto does. I haven't had any problems with either of them.

Thanks to all of you who replied to last week's update regarding your gallbladder experiences and advice. I think I'll just continue to eat a diet that won't irritate it for now. My primary has set up a consultation with a local surgeon for 3/3/15. I'll go.......but if I don't have any additional problems between now and then, I'm inclined to hang on to my gallbladder.

Best wishes to you all for NSR.

Sincerely,
Ken

Ken, i have had at least 3 very large stones in my gallbladder for a very long time now. They were seen by a scan of some kind, i do not remember what kind now, it has been so long, back in my 50's, and i did not love surgery and hospitals any better then than i do now, and i refused to have them out then and they are still there now as far as i know. These stones were each about the size of a golf ball then and are very likely even bigger now, but they do not hurt me at all. Back then they used to cause some brief episodes of pain whenever i ate, as you said above,"cheesy/greasy/fried foods", but in the years since i have been posting here they have not even caused a single twinge. I still think that unless they bother me i will not bother them, and i have not mentioned them to a doctor in some years since.

Gallstones cause biliary colic by getting washed into the duct leading from the gallbladder to the stomach and getting stuck there with bile building up behind them in that duct. These that i have are larger than the mouth of that duct so the rush of biliary fluid resulting from a fatty meal cannot wash them into that painful position. When they were discovered the internet was not what it is now. I lived in Wahington DC at that time, and i spent rainy days at the Library of Congress, the NIH library, George Washington University's medical library, and the medical library at Howard University and some other medical libraries i cannot even remember now, reading every medical journal article i could find on gallstones and the gallbladder, and i really do think i am still up on that subject. I found out a lot of interesting stuff, especially in journals intended for young doctors. These worthies were occasionally advised not to use the risk of gallbladder cancer as an argument for having the gallbladder taken out, because the incidence of gallbladder cancer subsequent to the discovery of gallstones is in the low tenths of one percent and is nearly the same as the risk of dying on the surgical table due to complications of the anesthetic. Both are very minuscule risks. So if a doctor advises you to have it taken out by a surgeon because you might get gallbladder cancer, thank him/her politely for his/her time, and get out of there right quick, saying you need to think about it some.

PeggyM

Peggy

Thank you for that post, very interesting indeed. After some chiropractic x-rays last year, and then a CT-scan, I was found to have porcelain gallbladder - completely calcified but giving me no symptoms or problems. Porcelain gallbladder is rare and almost always discovered by accident.

I did many hours of research (thank goodness for the Internet) then had a long discussion with a surgeon, who told me that I should have the gallbladder removed in case it became cancerous.

Studies from 30-40 years ago thought there might be a link between porcelain gallbladder and cancer but more recent studies showed that the risk of cancer might be very small, and the risk of complications higher. I think the risk is not really known because not enough studies have been done.

I decided against surgery and fled from the hospital, vowing to stay away from doctors (and x-rays) in future! You and I agree on many things, and here is yet another!

Gill

Look into 800 hz .
Dig a little deeper. May help with some AF spells.
AF and some Anxiety attacks, some of you experience.

800 hz Relief from Anxiety, Lack of appetite, arthritis, Bacillus infection, Colic Stomach and Colon pain, Colitis, Constipation, Cold (and flu), Depression, Fever, Gallstones, gallbladder pain, Hair loss, Hemorrage, Hemorrhoids, Hepatitis (general), Herpes zoster, Ileocolitis, Colon inflammation, Influenza, Intestinal problems (general), Kidney tonic (general), Knee pain and general, Laxative mild, Lumbago, Lupus general, Lyme disease, Malabsorption syndrome, Parasites (general), Peritonitis, Pharyngitis, Psoriasis, Retrovirus variants, Ringworm, Sexual diseases, Sexual Dysfunction., Skin hemorrhages, Spondylitis, Throat tickle chronic, Thrombosis, Toxins elimination, Tuberculosis viral, Ulcers general, Vaginosis, Weakness.
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Ken. Thank you for your post. It is good to hear that your recovery is proceeding well and quickly. I am scheduled for a first ablation with Dr. Natale in just a few days, on Feb. 26th in Austin. This will be my third and I hope final ablation. I have a somewhat difficult case and am in need of the best there is...Dr. Natale, imho. I am one to take responsibility for my own health as well. I am aggressively reducing my risk factors of a reoccurrence of afib by losing a lot of weight, 75 lbs. so far, exercising more., managing my electrolytes, taking heart and general health suppliments, eating greens, greens, greens, keeping my b.p. well controlled and any and all methods of increasing my chances of living in blissful nsr for a long, long time.

I too had a gall bladder attack and was immediately advised to "take it out". I resisted that suggestion and did my in depth research, finally deciding to wait, improve my diet, and take apple juice and apple cider vinegar "zingers" regularly. That was about 6 months ago and I have not had any gall bladder pain since. I want to keep all my "parts" if at all possible!

While presently on Xeralto, I too intend to switch to Eliquis just after my ablation, as it is preferred by Dr. Natale and seems a safer choice. My mind will be more at ease when the reversal drug is approved soon.

All the best to you, Ken, in your excellent recovery.

John Berger

John,

Don't worry about your 2/26 date with Dr. Natale. Look forward to it! I've said many times that my experience with him, his staff, and St. David's Medical Center was fantastic. You will be in great hands. If anyone can help you, Dr. Natale can.

I hope your recovery post ablation is equal to or better than mine.

Thanks for replying about your gallbladder experience. I've been using the apple juice and ACV but have primarily avoided greasy/cheesy/fatty foods.......and I've not had any further issues. I know that I will test it with a greasy hamburger soon.....just in the name of science, of course (LOL), but barring any additional problems, I'll hang on to my gallbladder for a little while longer.

I have an appointment with the surgeon for a consult on 3/3.

Peggy & Gill,

Thanks for your comments about your experiences!

Todd,

Can you elaborate on how you actually use the 800 hz frequency?

Best wishes to all.

Sincerely,
Ken

Ken,

As far as exercise is concerned, I would take it really slowly. I took about a month before I did any exercise outside of walking, then progressed really slowly, up to where I am now, six months in , and I feel like I'm back to where I was pre-ablation. I know everyone is different, but I think it's better to error on the side of caution. I was a chronic over exerciser, and this may have contributed to my afib (as well as a crummy eater, so I'm really not sure) , but anyway, Personally, I found that I didn't feel well if I tried too much too soon. So I didn't . And I feel great exercising now. ( Avoiding the chronic cardio though). Like Jackie and Hans say, keep up with your electrolytes , especially when you get back to full exercise. Hope all continues to go well.

John

Thanks John, for the advice on exercising. I'll certainly take it into consideration. I did some very light biking (15 min) followed by very light walking on the treadmill (30 min) afterwards. Heart remained stable throughout.....but I really wasn't stressing it too much.

I'll take it easy for another week and then begin to ease into it.

Thanks for the well wishes. I feel like it has been a great success. I just want to get past this blanking period and back into normal routine to test the heart with some more strenuous exercise.....pre-ablation, exercise almost always initiated afib for me after I was diagnosed with afib in January 2014. Who knows how long I had it before I knew what I was looking for......

I'm curious.....you said you are avoiding the cardio....why?

Thanks.
Ken

From another Ken. I felt like getting back into exercise within a few days of my ablation. Felt great, but my Dr. said to wait a month, which I reluctantly did. No problems, just built back up gradually. Exercise never initiated A-fib for me. The only issue I found was that aerobically, I could get into oxygen debt much faster post ablation. This gradually disappeared after a year. Heart healing and recovery.

I am now 6 years a-fib free. Those that are pretty fit before an ablation, usually bounce back pretty fast.

Ken (kls)... keep in mind that aerobic exercise naturally results in free-radical production - (ROS or reactive oxygen species) which is a natural response that typically the body can manage quite well.. but when the heart tissues are in a state of recovery from ablation burns and are still inflamed, it doesn't make sense to push by generating more ROS from exertional or strenuous exercise, especially anything aerobic that rapidly generates or promotes the free radical production.


It's not smart to test your inflammatory coping mechanism while your heart is still inflamed and healing from the ablation procedure. Light exercise is better than doing nothing at all to keep up muscle tone, but common sense indicates it's not a good move to try to prove too early that your heart is 'as good as new' and push the envelope aerobically.

Antioxidants help damp down the effects of free radical production... FYI.

Be patient.

Best to you,
Jackie

Ken & Jackie,

Sounds like great advice from two very smart people.....I'll sit on the sidelines a little longer.....and then ease into it with the light stuff. Thanks for chiming in.....

Ken

I very strongly second Jackie and Ken's advice Ken S. Please be in no rush to 'test things' with pushing exercise to the limit. Im all for getting back to doing moderate exercise gradually increasing after the first 4 to 6 weeks post ablation, but I would not try to go Iron Man style hard core for at least 6 months, and in fact would recommend dropping hard core from your vocabulary and finding a good balance you are comfortable with that might be much less likely to stress an AFIB prone heart to the max.

The ablation is great, but Dr Natale just delayed, he did not isolate yet your LAA. Its entirely possible at some point that will be required to fuly isolation to insure really long term quiet and by trying to put the pedal to the metal too soon, or at all for that matter, you may well be increasing the odds of needing that last step sooner rather than later or possibly never.

Some I know like Denver Fox have done well with hard core exercise and that is great, but most folks tend to do better with a robust but not too intensive of an exercise program to better support the heart, maximizing the many benefits of exercise while minimizing the pro-inflammatory risks of overdoing it too often. Especially when some degree of your proneness to fibrillate may have been, at least in part, encouraged by similar intensive exercise in the past.

Moderate but consistent exercise seems the better part of valor for most afibbers, even after a successful ablation, and at the very least give it 6 months for all microscopic healing from the ablation to have settled in. You will be able to maintain an excellent level of fitness from a more moderate program too Ken and if you wish to go beyond that it will be easy to achieve after 6 months of moderation as well.

Shannon

Ken:

I just want to say congrats on your successful ablation. I'm very happy for you and I wish you many years of NSR! I'm also enjoying your frequent updates. You give us inspiration. Keep it up!

Travis