I had my ablation last Tuesday, 14 October, at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Natale was my EP. I will give a detailed report on my experience as soon as I find the time. I am currently preoccupied with singing, laughing, joking, rollicking, blubbering, giggling, throwing away drugs, and preparing my shopping list for wines.

Ya need to get on the waiting list. It's a piece of cake.

Newman

Hey Newman,

GREAT NEWS FELLA!! Betcha feel like a 'new man'........ GEDDIT?? Couldn't resist.

Mike F.

Newman - Wonderful news.... Congratulations! Jackie

Newman,

Glad to hear everything is going well so far. Good luck.

Bill B

that's terrific. I am curious. what was your ultimate conclusion as to the risk of stenosis (as opposed to the straight statistic that I am sure Natale
gave you)

Newman,

Congratulations! That is fantastic news. Maybe we'll reach the 95% success level sooner than I thought :~)

Hans

Newman,
GREAT! Please keep us posted. I would like to hear your answer about the stenosis......
Also, what kind of feelings did you have the day after, what can we expect?

Thanks,
Joe

Newman,

It's great to hear that you're doing so well. I wish you years of continued success. I know you don't want to hear this, but you still need to take care of yourself.

Richard

Mike, that was pretty darn funny.

Newman,best of luck in your wine-hunting techniques.I understand that Thunderbird makes a very good Merlot for your first bottle-post ablation...Just kidding about the Thunderbird..But anyway,great luck to a fellow ablationee(is that a word?)..The truth is that the procedure was one of the easiest parts of the recovery process.Not bad at all.

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

I just posted probably more than you want to know about my ablation. It is titled: "Details of my CCF ablation". It was posted 10-19-03 at 01:44.

Susan:

In answer to your question about my conclusions regarding stenosis risks, here is what I know and here is what I conclude:

The Cleveland Clinic states that stenosis risk and stroke risk together are about 2% if I remember correctly. Now that they use the ICE (Intra Cardiac Echocardiogram), which is like a TV camera in the heart, I believe the stenosis problem has been solved. Without mentioning names, I was told by someone who should know that stenosis and strokes have not been a problem. They said that since the risk is not zero, they have to put a number on the risk, and they prefer to have the number be higher than the actual complication rates as a legal protection should a lawsuit arise. Some of the above was stated specifically, and some was implied. I believe the risks of stroke and stenosis are very small. That is my conclusion.

J Pisano:

How did I feel the next day after the ablation? Physically the same as the day before the ablation. Mentally much better. The ablation was from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Tuesday. Six hours after the ablation was completed (11:00 P.M.) I was back to normal, I felt normal, and I was really hungry and anxious to check out and head for Florida. The bureaucracy kept me there for 16 hours more past the time that I had returned to normal.

Richard:

Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom. I do take good care of myself. At age 20 I weighed 155 pounds. Today at age 63 I weigh 160 pounds. I haven't smoked for over 30 years. Diet is excellent. I expect to soon be once again drinking a glass of wine with dinner as many doctors recommend. I spend much time in Costa Rica where I own a second home. With my full head of hair, perpetual good looks, and sweet disposition, the young Ticas (Costa Rican women) find me attractive. Yes, I do take good care of myself!

Gracias por su mensaje y salud, mi amigo,

Newman

Jackie,

I know your ablation date is rapidly approaching. The entire "event" is easy and for me was kind of fun. It is much easier than almost anyone imagines.

You will get a second opinion soon. Jim W. was scheduled for his ablation three days after mine. He was reporting last Friday at 6:00 A.M. We talked on the phone Thursday and he was looking forward to it. He should have been released from the hospital yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. I expect to read his report on this bulletin board within the next few days.

If I can answer any questions for you, I would be happy to do so.

What is your date? It seems like I remember early November.

Good luck,

Newman