Chronic A-Fib / Ablation

I've got a question for the board. Can a person with chronic A-Fib have success with an ablation. I live near Cleveland and have heard so many good things on this BB about CCF, that I'm ready to talk to my Cardiologist about the ablation. There just seems to be so few that have chronic a-fib. Right now I'm on 180mg of Betapace 2X per day, and Warafin, this is keeping my HR in the 78-98 range. Thank you.

I was in chronic afib for about 2 months before my ablation at Clinic.

EVen 4 attempts in a row with cardioverting plus Moricizine, Atenlol would not keep me in sinus.

I am off all antiarrytmias for 1 month now. Pulse seems elevated about 20 units. Think I'm in sinus most of time, but need more tests.

njb

How can people not know they are in afib. I dont get that. How can there be no symptoms...I have this on the BB and it puzzles me. You hear that wtih some one having a random EKG...they discover they are in afib. If there are any docs out there...it would be interesting to hear the answer. I would think if you are in afib all the time you have nothing to loose to at least explore the option of ablation. I could stand two hours of it.

Mine happened September of 2002, And the way I found out was I became short of breath when I was walking. The only feeling I get now is the rapid heart rate and I only know that if I put on the wrist monitor. In January of 2003 I went in for a cardioversion and was converted but it only lasted 2 weeks, right back into a-fib and I didn't know it. It is hard for me to understand all the talk about being in a-fib and then out. I have heard that the longer you stay in chronic A-Fib the less likely an ablation will work. Its the meds that brother me, not the a-fib.

Bee,
I felt palpitations and fatigue when I was working in a garden center the summer of 1998. But it would pass. Told doctor. Did Holter. He said I need to have a cathertor stuck up through my groin and into my heart. I said I would rather die than have that done. I asked if I could just take Cardizem on demand. He said yes. He said it wasn't life threatening, but could lead to stroke. I said bye.

In April of 1999, I went to new primary care doc for foot problem and palpitations. I was a little short of breath that a.m. and felt tired, but had sort of gotten used to that feeling. I was hoping that the problem with my arrythnmia would just go away if I stopped worrying about it and destressed.

Primary doc said my rate was up to 150 and demanded I go to emergency room right away--"just overnight". I had a 10 year old child and really did not want to go, but made arrangements and went. They kept me at hospital for 8 days. Couldn't stop the afib/flutter or whatever and couldn't get me INR level up. I was 46. Now I'm 51.

Some people just don't have obvious symptoms. But I was told if it wasn't treated I could get a stroke or heart failure .

Comprende?

njb

Elwood.....

I have been in chronic... and persistent ... AFib/AFlutter for over a year. I can have 'symptoms' for 2 weeks at a time without being in NSR. It is certainly not fun, m'friend.

I am only on aspirin 325 mg (no coumadin..) and Cardizem CD 360 once a day... and recently Corzaar 50 mg once a day for elevated BP.... and continue to work full time, bike several times a week and work out with weights as well. I'm 57 and have been diagnosed with AFib for about 2 years, but I think it has been happening for several years before diagnosis.

From what I understand from this BB and some research I have done Online, being in persistent or chronic AFib has no less successful end than those that have 'sessions' infrequently. This is good, eh.

I'm still waiting to see the longer term success rate from ablations. Also, I'm wondering if doing all the pulmonary veins is a good thing or not. Also, I'm a bit scared to have this procedure done at this time. My heart is in good condition and I do not have any other medical conditions of concern either, so.... I'm biding my time. Perhaps in another year or so.

BTW, I have never been cardioconverted....cardioverted? .... altho I have been in AFib for up to 2 weeks or so. I don't care for dealing with that technique. And it does not seem to "stick". Steve

Elwood,

The answer is yes. A person with chronic AFIB can have success with ablation.

Newman

Bee - apparently you can be unaware. I always knew. No mistaking the thumping and jumping of the heart.

However, at the fitness center while I was walking on the treadmill and comparing health notes with a fellow walker, he told me he was on meds for afib that he didn't know he had - couldn't feel - and was admitted to the hospital to be placed on drugs. He's fine and has no breakthrough.

He's in his late 60's. Not that age is a criteria, but perhaps his heart is weaker or his rate is slow so the afib was not so pronounced. I, too, marvel at people who don't know they are in it.

Jackie

Jackie,

My well-respected EP tells me that the healthier your heart is the more one is affected by AF.

Don

In response to your question about the possibility of stopping chronic Afib with ablation, I did talk to Michelle Williams at the Cleveland Clinic. She is an assistant to Dr. Natale. She told me at that time (more than a year ago) that about half of the people they have in for PVI ablations are in permanent Afib. So that is encouraging to all of us in this situation.

Also, it does amaze me that some people in Afib don't feel it. My GP has told me this also, that this is his experience with most of his patients, and it makes it hard for him to believe me when I tell him how horrible I feel. Some of my symptoms; shortness of breath, general exhaustion, increased nervousness, increased lack of tolerance to stress, increased light headedness (especially after bending down), difficulty focusing and concentrating, a much decreased ability to be physically active, physically being able to feel the irregularity of my heartbeat (especially when lying quietly with no distractions - my heart often feels like a small caged bird trying to break free), as well as the depression involved in dealing with all of the above for a long period of time. Does anybody else feel like this?

Doug, i think it must be right that a lot of the afib patients doctors see don't have the kind of symptoms that make afib so scary and so debilitating to us. Whenever i do go to the hospital, there is always a dialog with the first person i talk to that goes like this:
them: why are you here?
me: I'm having an atrial fibrillation attack.
them: how do you know that?
me: because my heart is beating in this weird non-rhythm and i feel like i'm not getting air and...
them: never mind that, how do you know your heart is beating funny?
me: i can feel and hear it.
them: i can't feel my heart beating, what do you mean you can feel it? What sensations are you having?
and it goes on like that. I don't think they are trying to be difficult [well, not all of them anyway] but they really don't understand what i am talking about, it is not what they usually encounter. As for how come they don't feel their own hearts beating, i can't answer. So far i have managed not to reply, 'well maybe you are dead. I don't think i am yet. Can i please see a doctor?'
Peggy

Peggy - I love it. Thanks for the belly laugh! njb