Two weeks until Bordeaux - I have a couple ablation related questions

Hey Everyone,

So, two weeks from today I am booked at Bordeaux. I'm getting pretty excited about it but also more than a little nervous if truth be told.
I still have some things to do here before I leave, like getting bloodwork and getting a TEE.

The TEE itself freaks me out almost as much as the procedure though I understand a sore throat is one of the biggest side effects?

As far as Bordeaux itself, thanks to Adrian, Lou, Ron and everyone else for all your advice. I think I'm prepared physically if not quite mentally

Just to recap, for any that are interested:

Currently 43 years old. I had my first attack 5 1/2 years ago in August 2009. One more attack that year and then two attacks in 2010 that were cardioverted. From there I had a handful of attacks every year that were converted with Pip. In January 2013 I had some dental work go wrong that eventually resolved but not before throwing my heart into almost daily palpitations at afib every couple of weeks. I booked an ablation at that time for June but then things settled down and I ended up canceling. Then in sept 2013 things got bad again with frequent unbearable palps and occasional Afib. In November 2013 I started taking daily dose Propafenone and was like a switch flipped off. I'm not proud to say I went back to my old habits and for 6 glorious months it was like afib didn't exist. Summer of 2014 was good to except that I began to notice that if I missed a dose or was late, I begin to develop palpitations in the evening. Finally I had an afib in July.
Since that time things were ok on the daily dose but I did have a few short afibs here and there that converted rather quickly.
In March 2015 I started getting burning sensations in my feet that my doctor suspected might be related to the medication. I grudgingly stopped it and over the last six weeks the burning sensations have gone away. Around that time as well, I came to the realization that the medication was becoming less effective and eventually afib would come back One way or the other. I scheduled an ablation.

To give you an idea of how things are now without the medication, in the last 28 days I have had short afibs for 15 days. Most lasted a few minutes but a couple lasted almost an hour and one, last Saturday, lasted several hours and required me to use a PIP. Today I did not have an episode but it had terrible palpitations all day long that were somewhat debilitating and gave me a headache.

I was wondering what people's experiences were in terms of recovery? I realize that I'm younger than a lot of people here who have had ablations but I also realize that I'm not as athletic as many of those people who are 10 or 20 years my senior. The week of the procedure I will obviously be in the hospital in Bordeaux and then the plan is to relax for the weekend and return on Monday. At that point, assuming things are good we plan on spending a week in Paris before flying home. This would involve a fair bit of walking but I plan to avoid anything more athletic than that. For the weeks after that, I would like to be able to get on my mountain bike and do some easy riding with my nine-year-old son. i'm wondering how realistic that is.

My biggest goal for this time period is to try and lose a little weight by eating more healthy and getting back to proper supplementation.
Can anyone else provide any good general advice regarding ablation recovery? I know that I have read a time of this sort of thing before on this board but there is always something that I might not have considered.

Thanks in advance for information and thanks to everyone involved with this board for helping me find the courage to make this choice for myself and my family

Monty

Hi Monty - the strolling around is not an issue, in fact it is good for you. The food was a problem for me - constantly eating in restaurants contributed to indigestion and relapse. I don't know how to solve this in Paris, but be careful. Same with the mountain biking if it is too vigorous. I know you will hear stories about people who got right back into it and had no problem. My question is, why take a huge risk when the downside is costly. What ever you do, just be gentle and try to avoid the indigestion. If I recall you do have some issues with this. As nasty as Nexium is, if they prescribe it I would suggest staying on it religiously until you get home and then wean yourself off it as soon as possible, but try everything you can to keep your gut calm while you are travelling. I would also suggest some digestive enzymes to help with the digestion.
All the best. I hope you can get an ipad connection and keep us informed of your experience.
Ron

Hello Montos- your history sounds similar to mine except I am 10 years older and did not discover PIP until the last year. The TEE was quite awful for me- the doc sprayed my throat with a foul anesthetic that choked me, then he had the poor manners not to give me fentanyl so I remember it clearly! A sore throat was the only other side effect. I have visited Bordeaux but not the clinic and its a wonderful place. I love France and the Bordeaux clinic would have been a leading choice for my ablation if my health insurance had not covered most of the cost at Texas Cardiac Arrhthymia. I am now 3 days post ablation with Dr. Natale and getting stronger, although honestly I could not have strolled the streets of my beloved Paris today due to fatigue. We walked the airports of Austin and Atlanta instead, and I did require a wheelchair in Atlanta as our connecting flights were at separate terminals and the distance would have been difficult. My baseline fitness level pre-ablation was not great, but I was doing a brisk 2 mile walk or 5 mile bike 3-4 days a week without fatigue. Strolling Paris one week out should be doable within limits- perhaps only one arrondissement or wing of the Louvre per day. Bon chance!
Paul

Hi Monty,

Excellent advice from Ron. I have had minor gut issues off and on for years, and I recall the first few days after my ablation in Bordeaux I felt really bloated. My sister in law and her husband were holidaying in Spain at the time, so they drove up to Bordeaux for a few days. She gave me some extra strength zantac which really helped eliminate the bloated feeling. Just take it easy with everything for a few weeks after the ablation. There are so many yummy places to eat in Bordeaux so try and be gentle on your tummy. The hospital will have you up and about really quickly. If I recall there is a soccer field behind the hospital, which is about ten minutes walk. There were a couple of games going on at the time I was there. There isn't much to do during the week, but make sure you go for some good walks. I would stay in Bordeaux for the weekend before returning to the hospital on Monday. It is a wonderful city to walk in, and is really pedestrian friendly. There are two tram lines, one of which takes you to the main train station. The other goes towards the hospital. We took a shuttle from the airport into Bordeaux, which was very reasonable. With regards to the tee, I was knocked right out for mine, and had no problems at all with it. Don't be alarmed if you have some ups and downs during the first few weeks. Just take it easy with everything and I'm sure you will be just fine. Before I retired I was an electrician in the construction industry, so I had a very physical job. I stayed off work for four weeks after the ablation, and just did a lot off walking.
Keep us posted, best wishes and positive thoughts coming your way.

Lou

Hi Monty - Regarding your apprehension over the TEE.... I've had at least six of them and not found any to be a traumatic experience with no after-effects of pain or throat discomfort. I was either lightly sedated or fully sedated for all at various heart centers and they all seemed to use similar protocols. I certainly hope the expertise at Bordeaux is similar for you and I wish you the best of experiences with your upcoming procedure. I'll be looking forward to your report. Just don't try to do too much too soon - especially exercise.

Dr. John Mandrola wrote this report last year - Ten things to Expect After Ablation
[www.drjohnm.org]


My personal experience after three (Natale) ablations is that I had very little, if any, chest pain and only mild discomfort the first day afterwards (for each) which was most welcome. No throat pain. No need for pain meds. Groin insertion points tender but not truly painful. I was surprised to be so mobile so quickly once the period of lying flat for 6 hours was over. Since I was 67 for the first and then 11 years later had the second last summer, I was still amazed that I could feel so "normal" after having all that done even at my age. This last procedure just 8 weeks ago has left me more fatigued and lacking stamina than the others but I chalk that up to age and a slower recovery response time. This last procedure was short and even with the water-cooled catheter tips, I had little trouble with water retention and required only one dose of the lassix.

For me, the big advantage of the last two procedures versus the first was being on the new anticoag, Eliquis, versus the former warfarin because that caused annoying groin hematomas extending down the fascia of my thighs. Now, with Eliquis, barely any residual bruising.

I've had several other surgeries that were far worse in all aspects.

My best thoughts and good wishes to you, Monty.

Jackie

Hello Monty
I had TEE done two days ago and although under light sedation, was aware of the whole procedure. It was uncomfortable but nothing awful. So don't be too concerned. I wish you everything of the very best for your forthcoming ablation. You are in the very best hands.
I wonder if you'd mind me asking how much an ablation is costing you in Bordeaux?
Spekkles

Hi Spekkles,

Thanks for the reassurance about the TEE. I still can't say that I'm looking forward to it.
Anyway, The procedure cost about €15,000 which worked out to $23,000CAD. This, of course, does not include airfare or other expenses. Maybe I should have tried it here first but I just don't have confidence in my EP, even though he's a very nice guy. I'm really hoping for the elusive one-and-done and I felt Bordeaux was my best chance at that.

Monty

Thanks for that Monty. You have to feel happy with the person doing your ablation!!
Wish you all the very best!!
Spekkles