New person with an ablation a week ago

Thank you so much for this forum. It really has helped me through the encouragement of others. In March I went through a stressful time and started to go into afib every few days. It seemed to calm down for a time without medication because the stressful event had ended. Then, in June, it started up again and increased in July. I started to keep a diary of the episodes. The doctor had given me flecainide, the pill in a pocket method. I really didn't think it was working and instead, making me worst when I tried to take it twice a day.

One night I ended up in the hospital and the doctor put me on Multaq. I will never take it again. The medicine made my afib worse by making the episodes more frequent and lasting longer. Thus, I decided to research and ended up on this website. I gradually weened myself off the multaq and started to take magnesium, potassium and taurine. I was taking 600-800 mg of magnesium glycinate, 4 g of taurine and approx 1000 mg of potassium. At first it seem to help with the episodes being less frequent and not lasting as long compared to the multaq. I would get episodes 3-4 times a week lasting from 30 min. to 2-3 hrs. While on the Multaq, my longest episode was 15 hours. But, then in September I was getting episodes every day and I was beginning to get scared, so I chose the ablation route.

I chose a doctor at the University of Pa who has done thousands of ablations in his career. I didn't know about Dr. Natalie at the time. So far, I have been good except I feel my blood is too thin. The medical team tried to put some type of line (I forget what it is called) in my left wrist, but were unable to do so due to my small veins. They tried 5 times and now the lower left arm is very badly bruised. It is starting to get better. I have to be careful with it or a new bruise will appear.

I went to a natural doctor yesterday who believes I am definitely deficient in magnesium. So, I am still taking magnesium - 500 mg. My heart doctor doesn't understand why I want to take it. As far as medications, I am on metropolol, flecainide, 81 mg of aspirin for a month, and Xarelto. My goal is to get off these medications at the end of two months when I go back to see the heart doctor.

By the way, I have been watching "The Truth About Cancer, a Global Quest" and it is really good! In one of the videos, it was suggested that magnesium deficiency could be carcinogenic. This is a super series!

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to make this forum happened. It is so much appreciated!

Marcia

Marcia,

I'm not an ablatee, but I would suggest you continue with the mag, even after you stop all else.

George

Hello Marcia and welcome. Pleased you have found our forum helpful. There have been many people over the years who have had successful ablations at the Univ of Pa. I'm glad you are doing well with yours.

The magnesium issue is one of the most overlooked elements in nutritional deficiencies and as you mention, it's not just heart-related. If you can get your "natural" doctor to order in an Exatest for you, that will give you the most accurate measure of all your electrolytes critical to heart electrical stability will give you a guide for supplementing. Remember that as long as you are using Rx drugs, then that helps deplete magnesium stores quickly so it's important to know your intracellular levels so you can improve and maintain them.

Glad you enjoyed The Truth About Cancer series... there's much more there than cancer. Lots to be learned thanks to Ty Bollinger's superb documentation.

I, too, have small veins and I find it most annoying (not to mention painful) when some try to use the hand as the best choice ... especially when they lack the skill to do the insertion on the first try... On my last ablation, I had two tech's try and finally, the third got it with one try. You should have seen my hand! And being on the Eliquis just made it that much worse, unfortunately. Fortunately, the topical application of Arnica Gel helped break up the blood/bruising just beneath the surface which covered the back of my hand and wrist area.

Enjoy your peaceful heart and yes, as George comments, always keep up with your magnesium supplements.

Best to you,
Jackie

Thank you so much for the comments George and Jackie. Yes, I plan to supplement with the magnesium. For those interested, Dr. David Lin at the University of Penn did the ablation who was recommended by my cardiologist. I tried to get my cardiologist to order the Exatest but I don't think he was comfortable in doing it. I will ask my " natural" doctor the next time I see him. Thanks for taking the time to post!

Hi Marcia,

Good to hear and you were in good hands with Dr Lin who is in the upper tier of ablationists I know of, and Dr Calans and Marchlinkski at Penn are long time mentors there, though Dr Marchlinski is not doing as much ablation these days and focuses more on education and research and Dr Calans does a good deal of VT ablation too. Both Dr Calans and Marchlinski are a very smart and excellent overall EPs/physicians as well.

For those in the area interested in an ablation, also strongly consider Dr. Pasquale Santangeli who is also very bright and dedicated EP and a close colleague of Dr Natale and is featured in many studies and research done out of St Davids large AFIB research center as well, and Dr. Ferim Garcia both of whom are outstanding ablationists as well. Dr. Garcia is a very busy front line ablationist at Univ Penn and at the top of his game too.

Shannon