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Third Ablation, finally a good result
Posted by worntorn
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Third Ablation, finally a good result May 24, 2017 04:14AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 16 |
I had ablations done at Royal Jubilee in 2008 and 2009. The first had no effect on my AFib, the second made things worse.
For years I limped along with AFib occuring every 2 weeks on average and lasting about one day. Over the years I tried pretty much every heart arrhythmia drug. Some worked for awhile. I've had 17 years of AFib now and it has gradually gotten worse and worse. For the last year or so I have been in AFib about 50-60 % of the time
On April 19th I had a 3rd ablation, this time at VGH. The ablation was done by a young EP, Jason Andrade.
During prep, the anesthetist said to me " We are going to get rid of your AFib today"
It seems they nailed it. No drugs ( other than blood thinner) and there hasn't been a single thump or bump, just pure NSR since. This NSR is better than the bits of NSR I was still experiencing prior to this ablation. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because the NSR is continuous.
Dr Andrade explained that a WACA line or fence had been created with one of the earlier ablations, but the line was only about 75 % complete.
He completed the fence.
Before, with only 75% of the pasture fenced, the cows still got out on the road!
Glen
For years I limped along with AFib occuring every 2 weeks on average and lasting about one day. Over the years I tried pretty much every heart arrhythmia drug. Some worked for awhile. I've had 17 years of AFib now and it has gradually gotten worse and worse. For the last year or so I have been in AFib about 50-60 % of the time
On April 19th I had a 3rd ablation, this time at VGH. The ablation was done by a young EP, Jason Andrade.
During prep, the anesthetist said to me " We are going to get rid of your AFib today"
It seems they nailed it. No drugs ( other than blood thinner) and there hasn't been a single thump or bump, just pure NSR since. This NSR is better than the bits of NSR I was still experiencing prior to this ablation. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because the NSR is continuous.
Dr Andrade explained that a WACA line or fence had been created with one of the earlier ablations, but the line was only about 75 % complete.
He completed the fence.
Before, with only 75% of the pasture fenced, the cows still got out on the road!
Glen
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 24, 2017 01:15PM |
Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 18,890 |
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 24, 2017 02:14PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 110 |
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 24, 2017 04:03PM |
Admin Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 2,779 |
Sounds great Glen, you would be surprised how often we see that reconnected basic PVI lesion set and I'm very happy for you that this time may well be the charm!
Best wishes and keep us posted. Also it's a very good idea to continue on with any good healthy habits you may have developed during your search for a solution and include ongoing electrolyte repletion as noted in the Strategy assuming you are one of the vast majority who can benefit somewhat from insuring adequate magnesium stores and eating lots of good potassium rich foods ... and assuming of course you are not one of the relatively rare few who cannot tolerate supplements like magnesium well.
Enjoy your newly reclaimed NSR courtesy of you recent ablation tying up the loose ends, but don't forget too our collective experience that favors those who continue to take good care of their bodies even after a successful ablation, as the core reasons for our heart's tendency to fibrillate has not been directly addressed by the ablation. Paying attention to life style issues can really help, along with your successful ablation, to deliver the quietest possible outcome for you from here on out.
Cheers!
Shannon
Best wishes and keep us posted. Also it's a very good idea to continue on with any good healthy habits you may have developed during your search for a solution and include ongoing electrolyte repletion as noted in the Strategy assuming you are one of the vast majority who can benefit somewhat from insuring adequate magnesium stores and eating lots of good potassium rich foods ... and assuming of course you are not one of the relatively rare few who cannot tolerate supplements like magnesium well.
Enjoy your newly reclaimed NSR courtesy of you recent ablation tying up the loose ends, but don't forget too our collective experience that favors those who continue to take good care of their bodies even after a successful ablation, as the core reasons for our heart's tendency to fibrillate has not been directly addressed by the ablation. Paying attention to life style issues can really help, along with your successful ablation, to deliver the quietest possible outcome for you from here on out.
Cheers!
Shannon
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 25, 2017 05:17AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 16 |
Thanks everyone.
Re the healthy living, I thought I might let that slip a bit by consuming a bit of alcohol now and then. I have completely avoided alcohol for 15 years now as it is a strong AFib trigger for me.
I had a single bottle of beer last night and although NSR remained, the heart did a lot of pounding. It seems alcohol is still off the menu.
Glen
Re the healthy living, I thought I might let that slip a bit by consuming a bit of alcohol now and then. I have completely avoided alcohol for 15 years now as it is a strong AFib trigger for me.
I had a single bottle of beer last night and although NSR remained, the heart did a lot of pounding. It seems alcohol is still off the menu.
Glen
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 25, 2017 05:02PM |
Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 1,102 |
Glen,
You are still in the "blanking period", which is the 3 month period immediately following the ablation procedure. During this time, you can bet there is still residual swelling (edema) in the atrial tissue. In lay terms, it's really irritated. Alcohol compounds that irritation and will almost invariably trigger pounding beats or even PACs. If you want to repeat the beer experiment after the blanking period is over (or even farther down the road) I don't think it would hurt. If you still get irritated by it after 6 months or a year, then I would agree that taking it off the menu for good is best.
You are still in the "blanking period", which is the 3 month period immediately following the ablation procedure. During this time, you can bet there is still residual swelling (edema) in the atrial tissue. In lay terms, it's really irritated. Alcohol compounds that irritation and will almost invariably trigger pounding beats or even PACs. If you want to repeat the beer experiment after the blanking period is over (or even farther down the road) I don't think it would hurt. If you still get irritated by it after 6 months or a year, then I would agree that taking it off the menu for good is best.
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Re: Third Ablation, finally a good result May 27, 2017 03:09AM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 16 |
There is hope for me yet then!
Had a super stressful day on Wednesday , both physically and emotionally. Went for a ride with a friend, he on a modern BMW and me on my 1947 Vincent.
Through no fault of its own, the Vincent stalled multiple times in city rush hour traffic. To avoid being run over I had to heave it up over the curb onto the sidewalk,also busy, and restart. The problem was a dying battery. I finally realized it would keep running just off the alternator if revs were kept above 2500. 2500 revs is about 50 mph in first gear on a Vin, so it was quite the challenge in slow stoplight to stoplight traffic. Then there was the big bridge over the Fraser to cross!
Two months ago I would have gone into AFib at the first hint of trouble. This time around I never even paid notice to the heart until half way over the bridge. I don't think the rate got very high at all. And solid NSR.
What a change.
Glen
Had a super stressful day on Wednesday , both physically and emotionally. Went for a ride with a friend, he on a modern BMW and me on my 1947 Vincent.
Through no fault of its own, the Vincent stalled multiple times in city rush hour traffic. To avoid being run over I had to heave it up over the curb onto the sidewalk,also busy, and restart. The problem was a dying battery. I finally realized it would keep running just off the alternator if revs were kept above 2500. 2500 revs is about 50 mph in first gear on a Vin, so it was quite the challenge in slow stoplight to stoplight traffic. Then there was the big bridge over the Fraser to cross!
Two months ago I would have gone into AFib at the first hint of trouble. This time around I never even paid notice to the heart until half way over the bridge. I don't think the rate got very high at all. And solid NSR.
What a change.
Glen
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