Ablation

Hi Everyone

Looking for some wise words. At long last and after a lifetime of AF and the fear and disruption it causes to ones life, I have opted to have an ablation. I retired from work in Feb 2020 and I turned 80 in October

Over the years I've had conflicting advice from different specialists as to why I shouldn't have it, including death,worse off, gender, age etc. My Cardio at the time used to tell me to take a pill or have a glass of wine and go to bed! I changed my specialists around 2 years ago and and very happy with both my Cardio and EP.
I'm reasonably fit for my age, go to gym, walk and swim etc. but in all honesty I am freaking out at the thought of having a procedure.

Medication makes me ill or turns me into a Zombie.
Episodes are between 3 and 7 per month, HR up to 180+ and lately I find when I'm having an episode my heart rate jumps from high to low in seconds (viewed on monitor in hospital) up and down in bursts. I also I believe a go into a flutter during an episode of Af.
It would be great to not have to worry about AF episodes and just enjoy life but the list in my head of what could go wrong gets longer and longer
How do I overcome this fear, I know I am overthinking this, but I feel I wont turn up on the day. Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2021 01:13AM by JoyWin.

I'm no specialist at all, I'm just an afibber since late 2015. Drugs have just unwanted effects, in my case. I've had four ablations and I'm now 63.
Here's what I think from my own experience...

There's always a balance between risks (staying in afib, taking drugs, having an ablation), and quality of life. My own choices are led by this balance.
Ablation in the hands of a top grade EP has low risks. Those risks can be somewhat higher when the patient is not otherwise healthy, has comorbidities...
Both your trusty EP and cardiologist can tell you better than anyone, for they know who you are and your health state.
For myself, I wouldn't fear a fifth procedure if my afib burden gets higher than now ( AVG 1episode/week, 1-2hr length, self reverting without meds). Despite being healthy, I'm a very difficult case. Repeated ablations couldn't "cure" my afib, but they did succeed lowering my afib burden and freeing me from highly debilitating meds.
Always a quality of life vs risks equation.
Good luck !

I'm certainly no specialist, either, just an 83 y/o who had his second abalation 2 weeks ago, (first one was in 2007). I came through both of them fine and if I can live another 14 years before my next one I'll be even happier and would do it again. When I had my first one it was unusual to perform them on anyone over 80. Now its routine for our age group if we're in otherwise good health.

At your age you could develop other health issues that might eliminate the possibility of doing an ablation on you. You have to consider your lifestyle if you conitnue as you are doing. It doesn't sound particularly satisfying. Afib issues seldom if ever get better the longer we have them, (GeorgeN being an exception).

Ultimately its future length and quality of life decisions on the table for you. Ablation technology and statistics from procedures are readily available. Everything you do is a risk and I suspect your lifestyle will improve enough by making the ablation risk to make that decision.

The Internet can be both helpful and misleading in this area because many of the frequent posters have abnormal issues and are either looking for ideas or trying to help others with abnormal issues.

The majority of us become mostly lurkers on this and other websites after a successful ablation so please don't make decisions or reach conclusions about the procedure just from the number or percentages of what-if's you see on line.

I had my second ablation a year ago at age 74. Day surgery, in at 6:30 am and out by 5:00 pm. Felt 100% normal the next day. I am strong, fit and healthy. However, not every one has it so easy. My afib was not debilitating, more of an inconvenience. More than 200 episodes before my first ablation 14 years ago.

Quote
ggheld
I'm certainly no specialist, either, just an 83 y/o who had his second abalation 2 weeks ago.

I’m wishing you have a long lifetime of success with your second ablation. I’m happy you are doing well!

Leading up to my ablation, I was about the same frequency of episodes as you, about twice a week. Very stressful, so I was very eager to have the procedure. Been about 14 months and have not a had a single afib episode since the procedure. What I did have for a long time was lots of ectopic extra beats. And I mean a lot. My heart took let's say 9 months to really settle down. I get them very rarely now but they were stressful too in high volumes. I thought I'd traded one bad situation for another. People told me they would calm down and they did. Just takes time.

I'd do it again in a second. I'm 50 years old for the record, and couldn't stand the feeling of being in afib. And the frequency was increasing. That was a real concern. There is a point where the success of the procedure becomes lower due to re-mapping, but you are still well short of that I think.

Anyway, get an experienced operator and have faith. It overwhelmingly works out for the best.

Joy only around 2% of ablations have anything "go wrong" as you say and a small % of the 2% itself are serious complications.
Everyone has some fear esp. when being wheeled into the EP room minutes away from going under but the before and after Quality of life makes pretty much everyone who goes through a suc. ablation wonder......WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO HAVE THIS DONE......you made the right dec. and in all likelyhood you will have nothing but JOY afterwards like i did after getting about a dozen ARR. a month for 4 years.....now i am in nothing but heaven/JOY myself.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2021 03:21PM by vanlith.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I really am very symptomatic with my episodes, and after 20 odd years since an actual diagnosis and probably a life time of AF ( I used to pass out in my youth after a very fast thumping in my chest' but was told it was 'nerves' and given medication, which obviously never worked... the good old days)
Since I've had the Kardia device, around 3 years, I have recorded around 300 episodes, so yes I should have it done.
I am endeavouring to not get too stressed thinking about it right now and just trying to be positive. I know my EP is top notch, and I fear if I cancel again he will probably disown me.
Three weeks to go...here's hoping
ps: What would we do without this amazing forum, saved my bacon time and time again (and I'm a vegetarian )

JoyWin,

Me eat meat! Me no afraid of ablation.



Just to lighten up your day.

I'm working to become a vegetarian, too, and will consider myself a success as soon as someone develops bacon seeds.

Just go and get it over with, Joy.

Good luck Joy! I wasn’t nervous after seeing the excellent team setting up. I wish you a long lifetime of nsr bliss.

I have studied Afib for a family member for 6+ years. A very puzzling condition ! It came on after cataract surgery and other bouts of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation have followed multiple times per year. We strongly suspect one trigger...ingesting MSG/Celery Powder which is labeled under many other 'tricky' names. Nasty stuff should be banned.

He has both a Functional Integrative MD and an allopathic MD working on his case. Now a 2nd ablation being considered that led me to this page today. Worse, he is now scheduled for yet another cardio version later this week . This can not be a healthy way to treat this but he feels so bad and he has become more and more impatient over the years. He is 83 yo, in great condition, buff, tanned, and works out 3 x a week at a gym, mows and gardens and stays on the go, (did weekly yoga classes-before the pandemic), sleeps pretty well, takes a boat load of supplements and small doses of 4 pharmaceuticals, Losartan, Eliquis, Metoprolol and Armour Thyroid, does eat some organic but still the SAD 'standard american diet'. I have turned over a lot of research both PubMed research and antidotal information that others have reported helpful but he has not applied but a fraction the suggestions I've shared. I've suggested avoiding toxins and anti-nutrients and multiple other lifestyle helps.

I follow the work of Neurosurgeon,. Jack Kruse MD who has added physics to biology and he understands the electric connections to the human body's inner workings. Don't know if his work would interest you or others here but he says you never get well in the environment you get sick in and after following him for a few years now I'm inclined to believe that statement. My loved one is not willing to move to see if that would help. Some of the advice is to learn how to take in sunlight, avoid blue light at night artificial light at night, drink deuterium depleted water, move to a less densely populated area at better latitude (ie South) with less EMF. He has compiled compelling science from published works that back up his unorthodox suggestions. These do seem to me to align with commonsense and nature. And it is refreshing to not be oversold a drug, a supplement or a procedure. Doctoring that uses the laws of the universe to heal rather than seeks to manage and try to eliminate the body's cry for help

I personally believe Afib is an 'electrical' and hydration problem. Basic is spiritual health, optimal sleep and quality nutrition (le local, seasonal, fresh, organic, no or low spray, nutrient dense (grown in good soil). Lowering toxins and shoring up decencies which sounds simple but the testing to determine, finding the correct personalized protocols and then application are the parts where it becomes complex to say the least.

Pain opened me up to new paradigm of thinking after my own health crisis in 2009. Tough way to learn. I am thankful to be so much better now 12 years later. And since I was retired after my crisis I now have time to keep learning about health or the lack thereof by Afib, Alzheimer, Autism, Lyme, Mold, MS, Arthritis and Cancer. genetics, microbiome health and a host of other factors that all need to be looked out to support the body to do what only it does best...maintain homeostasis for health and healing.

I believe that there are No incurable diseases. Healing is only deterred by a lack of knowledge and, or having an unwilling fortitude of 'I do, I can, I will' by the power and grace of God. And only God knows all the knowable. We all have limited time here. I hope He leads all seeking health here to find the knowledge to not perish prematurely but to thrive to our capacity throughout our lives on this earth.