Ablation with Dr. Pinski Wednesday 2/25

Hi,
I have been a user of the BB and the Newsletter for may years but have seldom written a message. I thought I would attempt to give back a little of the information and knowledge I have gathered from all of you who have been so kind to share experiences (especially Jackie). I will not bore you with detailed series of events that lead me to make a decision for ablation after being in paroxysmal afib since age 60,( ten years) which was controlled fairly well with Flec.
During that 10 year period I did have the opportunity to visit a number of EP's that are well known to all of you, but since I live in South Florida it was natural to see Dr.Pinski.( I had seen him twice previously)
I was scheduled for the procedure at noon, with a CT heart scan at 8:15 AM. the day of. I was wheeled into the cath lab at 3 PM. Nurse Donna said that is because Dr. Pinski is meticulous and the first procedure took longer than expected and he will not stop until he is satisfied.. The new CT scan is so accurate than when it is used the same day as the procedure, a TEE was not necessary
My ablation lasted 5 hours using both groin areas. After the PV were isolated I was still in afib. ( I had been in permanent afib since Jan.3, 2015) . So Dr. Pinski looked for and found 2 other areas that he ablated. I came home this afternoon and I have been in NSR since the procedure. We all know there are no guarantees but what gives me additional hope is that I was not put on Tiksoyn or Flec etc. just 100mg of Toprol and 10 mg of Eliqius.
So I cannot say enough nice things about the professionalism of the doctors and staff at the CC in Weston, FL.
I have some minor shortness of breath and my heart rate is in mid 80's, but other than that feel great! Be well! Jim

Happy to hear your good report, Jim. I also had Afib for 10 years and was on Flec for the last 5. I had paroxymal Afib, but it did come every single day, usually twice/day, before I finally started the Flec. I likely would have become persistent at the least. Then I had my LAA isolation ablation in Sept. of 2013. Still in NSR...yay!

Dr. Pinski is one of the good ones, so you are likely well on your way to many years of blissful NSR. Enjoy and best of health overall!



~ Barb

Great News Jim. I've heard good things about DR Pinski, and if I lived down in Sunny Florida, he would have been my choice.. Take it easy for a while, and as Jackie would say, "Keep up with your electrolytes"

John

Great news, Jim. Keep up the NSR!
Ken

Jim,

I referred my cousin to Dr. P in 2007. He'd gone to a local EP who wanted to do a flutter ablation first & see if it fixed his afib. I insisted my cousin get a second opinion from Dr. P. Dr. P. said no way - needed to do both an afib & atrial flutter ablation. Cousin had Dr. P do it and has been in NSR since. Cousin had many nice things to say about Dr. P (for those who don't know, Dr. P trained under Dr. Natale).

Glad you had a positive experience!

Continued NSR to you!!

George

Thanks for sharing, J. Particularly signifcant to me as I'm about 90 minutes away in SWFL. A few others on the board have spoken highly of Dr. P as well.

Also, wasn't aware that CTs can now make the TEE -- certainly not an enjoyable procedure -- unnecessary.

Best wishes for a successful recovery!

/L

To Larry G,
I live in SWFL as well...Naples. Easy ride over to CC on 75. Took me about 1:40 of reasonable driving. If I can offer any help , do not hesitate to contact me. Jim

Thanks for the report Jim, and I'm glad to hear Dr Pinkski has recovered from his arm injury of last year enough to resume doing ablations. Dr Natale thinks highly of him as well as one of his former protégés from the Cleveland Clinic days.

Keep us posted on your progress and take it easy as you get back in the swing. Very good too you got in early after slipping into persistent AFIB.

Cheers!
Shannon

Hi Jim - thanks for posting your good news. Glad you are doing well and feeling great. I can appreciate how much better you feel. Some years back, Marian of Miami and Bob G were posting very positive reports about their successful ablations with Dr. Pinski so I'm pleased that you also have had a good experience as well many years later.

Treat your heart kindly during the recovery period... and yes... keep up with your electrolytes!

Best to you,
Jackie

Jim, glad to hear that all went well....and its good to know there is a good EP in South Florida....hope to spend my winters there when I retire.

I have lived in Florida for 13 yrs and Dr. Pinski has been on my radar for that period of time..
I have been over parts of the USA during my past 2 ablations.... Johns Hopkins and
Oklahoma to see Dr. Sonny Jackman. 1 month ago I decided to make a trip to interview
(3 ½ from The Villages, Fla.) Dr Pinski.... Well needless to say it went terrific and he
even had my pacemaker read and changed my medication at that visit. Back in good
hands with a recognized EP... I am sure you will be just fine on your followup visits
with Dr. Pinski.