Dr. Natale - TCA - St. David's

Hi Everybody

It Has Been Awhile.

Trip One. Headed to Austin in August. PF PVI was planned along with the extraction of my 35 month old implanted heart loop monitor. Woke up in Recovery after PVI PLUS unexpected surprises including LAA Isolation, Posterior Wall, Ceiling, another wall, a little on the Right. Lots of activity near the LAA thus the Isolation.

Trip Two last week. I became a Member of the Watchman Club. More PF Ablation was done + a little RF. Unexpected surprise this visit included waking up in Recovery with a very uncomfortable bandage on my neck. It made my neck scrunch down to my shoulder and you really can't move your head very much, such a relief when they removed that later in the evening. Dr. Natale wanted to map my heart due to the rhythm presentation in the cath lab/operating room with PAC's. I was texting my sister last night and sent her a pic of my lovely neck bruises so while chatting she commented on my "pretty blonde curls" to which I told her I had my color touched up the week before we left that ya gotta have something, no clothes, no pajamas, no makeup and decent hair was all I had left. LOL

Eliquis dose cut in 1/2 the day of release for my evening dose.

Trip Three. Return in 6-7 weeks for the TEE.

I really had no idea I was at this level / condition with the Afib. I had progressed from once every 3 months or so to about once a month, almost like-clockwork schedule. Weird. Color Me Surprised. You really don't know what you don't know sometimes, especially when on an Afib Journey, or at least that being my case or so it seems.

I am thankful I was able to do a Self-Referral to see Dr. Natale in Austin.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2025 12:24PM by Qwackertoo.

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your story. I woke up with that bandage on my neck after both my ablation and my Watchman--jugular vein I believe. At least they take if off in the hospital.

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Qwackertoo
I really had no idea I was at this level / condition with the Afib. I had progressed from once every 3 months or so to about once a month, almost like-clockwork schedule. Weird. Color Me Surprised. You really don't know what you don't know sometimes, especially when on an Afib Journey, or at least that being my case or so it seems.

I am always surprised when I hear that EPs tell their patients that a once-a-month episode is not a sign of a "big deal" Afib-wise. I was taught that every episode paves the way for the next and if you allow this pattern to go on, there will be damage. I am so glad that you self-referred to Natale and had all this impressive work done. I bet you were only on the table for a couple of hours? That's about half the time it would take a less-experieced EP to accomplish what he did.

Hope you are resting up and healing nicely.

I went from an episode every year or so to an episode every few days prior to my first ablation. Obviously there was progression of a sort. To me, an episode once a month means you're mature and advanced in the paroxysmal stage, but not necessarily half or most of the way through it.....for you, maybe not for me. We're all different that way. It gives me confidence knowing that Dr. Natale is light on his feet and can command his own cath lab and its results even as he learns that he's dealing with a much more complex case than you and he had thought. Kudos to both of you.

May you go on to a very lengthy spell now free of AF, and I'm hopeful that your TEE will show the Watchman doing a fine job. With luck.

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Daisy
Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your story. I woke up with that bandage on my neck after both my ablation and my Watchman--jugular vein I believe. At least they take if off in the hospital.


I really had no idea I was at this level / condition with the Afib. I had progressed from once every 3 months or so to about once a month, almost like-clockwork schedule. Weird. Color Me Surprised. You really don't know what you don't know sometimes, especially when on an Afib Journey, or at least that being my case or so it seems.


I am always surprised when I hear that EPs tell their patients that a once-a-month episode is not a sign of a "big deal" Afib-wise. I was taught that every episode paves the way for the next and if you allow this pattern to go on, there will be damage. I am so glad that you self-referred to Natale and had all this impressive work done. I bet you were only on the table for a couple of hours? That's about half the time it would take a less-experieced EP to accomplish what he did.

Hope you are resting up and healing nicely.

Thanks Daisy~!!!

I'm still reeling a bit from the first visit in August by the extensiveness of it all because I had the Heart Loop Monitor Reports, 35 of them. I even re-read and created charts from them before we departed to Austin on dates, length of episodes, rates, burden (very low) and any and all special notes in the reports along with my extra notes of anything immediately preceding or happening prior to events like added stress & anxiety, any additional prescriptions taken whether steriod pack or antibioticss, other procedures and prep like colonoscopy or any other issues.

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gloaming
I went from an episode every year or so to an episode every few days prior to my first ablation. Obviously there was progression of a sort. To me, an episode once a month means you're mature and advanced in the paroxysmal stage, but not necessarily half or most of the way through it.....for you, maybe not for me. We're all different that way. It gives me confidence knowing that Dr. Natale is light on his feet and can command his own cath lab and its results even as he learns that he's dealing with a much more complex case than you and he had thought. Kudos to both of you.

May you go on to a very lengthy spell now free of AF, and I'm hopeful that your TEE will show the Watchman doing a fine job. With luck.

Thanks gloaming.

I keep telling myself that going to Dr. Natale was my very best decision thru this entire Afib journey. I hope to do my part in having a successful very lengthy spell with a second Sleep Study in person tomorrow night after an at home sleep study during Covid with a practice that suddenly closed their doors since then. I do feel like CPAP is in my future . . .perhaps.