Back from Austin

First, a shout out to Shannon! Thanks to him, I was able to have Dr. Natale do my procedure. Shannon really put his time in with me to make sure I got this done right, Thanks from the bottom of my sinus-rhythm heart! And yes, it is beating in NSR--11 days and counting without a-fib. I've had a few PVCs, but nothing more. Thank you, Shannon.

The only thing I wasn't prepared for--and my situation was worse than normal--was the pain after the procedure. I had a pretty bad case of pericarditis. No pain meds would work for me, so they ended up giving me steroids. By the third day I was feeling much better. Dr. said my procedure was fairly simple, and even during the first few hours with all the inflammation and pain, I was having no A-fib. He even allowed me to get off the Sotalol!

Now I want to make sure this lasts as long as possible. For those of you who have had an ablation, let me know your thoughts on long-term outcomes, and keeping things humming along into the future. If you haven't had it done I strongly recommend it.

Thanks,

Gary S.

Hi, Gary,

Congrats on the awesome news and thanks for sharing the update! I'm so happy for you!

Is it normal to have pain after the procedure, or was that just related to your particular situation?

Hooray for you and NSR!!!!!
Sue

edited because my Kindle is misbehaving about posting this reply



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2018 12:33AM by SueChef.

Quote
SueChef
Is it normal to have pain after the procedure, or was that just related to your particular situation?

Some mild chest discomfort for a day or two isn't unusual, but Gary's pericarditis is very uncommon.

Hi Gary - Great that Shannon worked his magic for you.
Sometimes if there are a lot of burns, you'll have some pain.
I didn't have any but each case is different, obviously.

Enjoy your NSR and keep us posted as you recovery.

Best to you,
Jackie

Oh--it appears I spoke to soon. After 12 days of feeling smooth and steady I went into a-fib last evening. Worst part--this is by far the longest episode I have ever had. It's going on 24 hours now, and the longest before the ablation was about 10 hours. Really discouraged about what this could mean. Still waiting to hear from the folks at St. Davids about what to do.

I know it sucks but don't take it as meaningful as to "what it could mean." Your heart is irritated and the ablation lesions haven't established themselves yet. That's why episodes like this during the blanking period aren't significant. I know plenty of people who experienced afib episodes in the first few weeks following ablation who nevertheless ended up with successful results. Just make sure your nurse contact at TCAI knows you're in afib and responds to you.

Gary, are you sure it's AF or something else? I had long, long bouts of bigeminy and trigeminy (10+ days) during the blanking period, including one that started almost exactly 3 months out from the date of the ablation. The bigeminy and trigeminy resolved by itself and it's been nothing but NSR for over 8 months now. Yesterday was the anniversary of my ablation with Dr. Natale.

And, even if it is AF, and even if it persists, they will absolutely take care of you. I know it's frustrating right now, but wouldn't worry at all, nor would I hesitate to return to see them again if necessary.

Thanks, Carey and JKAF.

It's interesting that you ask whether I am having actual a-fib. On one hand, I am totally convinced I have experienced significant a-Fib over the last several hours. On the other hand, there has been another, more subtle arrhythmia that I could not identify. It is not as chaotic as a-fib, but neither is it a regular, set rhythm.

I actually had an EKG done today, but I have not gotten any analysis of it. My local doctor's office sent it to Austin. Still waiting for some feedback from them.

Gary

Gary,

Yeah, definitely find out what it is, because (in my case), bigeminy/trigeminy had some of the same physical feeling of AF--specifically, the feeling of pressure in the chest, difficulty in catching my breath, and significantly reduced exercise capacity. Unlike AF, though, it felt more like a slow heartbeat (bigeminy) or double beat (trigeminy.) In addition, when coming out of bigeminy/trigeminy I'd get chaotic PACs that could sometimes feel like AF. However, none were actual AF, since there was an underlying rhythm.

A Kardia (formerly Alivecor) device is helpful for determining what you have, if you're interested (but it can also be a bit frustrating to use.)

I hope you're back in NSR soon!

All the best,
Jason

Jason,

It turns out I have been in a-flutter and a-fib according to my EKGs. Going in tomorrow to cardiovert.

Gary

Gary,

Sorry to hear that. If it doesn't resolve, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Dr. Natale. They'll absolutely take care of you.

All the best,
Jason

Just a quick update.
Had the cardiovesrion last week. One zap and they put me back in rhythm. I am in day five of NSR. Sill having some pressure and slightly winded on the stairs, but I suppose that is normal.

Gary - That can happen. On my second Natale ablation (in Austin) which was 11 years after the first and was the LAA isolation procedure, I flew home from Austin on Saturday and connected in Nashville back to Cleveland. Just after landing in Nashville, I went into Aflutter. On Sunday, I called and left word for my local EP contact, who arranged for me to have ECV early Monday morning... and all was well after that.

Just don't try to do too much too soon.

Be well,
Jackie

Thanks, Jackie.