D:
Are you on an anti-coagulant? If so, you need see to its management and discuss with your doctors how to handle it for the surgery. I was off my Coumadin for 3 full days prior to my oral surgery last week, and I still bleed like crazy. So find out what you need to do in this area.

Ok....so I can help with this one a little bit. I am a recovery room nurse in a Surgical Center that does LOTS and lots of cataract surgery every day , what i tell you is what WE do you will still have to check for protocols where you live and with your surgeon cause eveyone is different. Cataract surgery is considered bloodless, none of the surgeons I work with discontinue blood thinners prior to cataract surgery, some patients insist on stopping them despite what we tell them and the normal amount of time is then 3 days , that not being the point though, in 12 years of recovering these patients and observing them on heart monitors I have never seen a pt with or without a history of a fib go into a fib post cataract surgery, could it happen ? I guess it could :) But that is my experience and I hope it gives you a bit of confidence ! jan

Dee.,
It is normal to worry. I believe all of us here get scared with the a-fib alone, but when facing surgery worry about the blood thinkers and
Going into a-fib. I know with my torn rotator cuff, when surgery was mentioned, I got scared and had a short a-fib attack. I don't plan on having the surgery! Jan is right though about cataract surgery being considered "bloodless".I know you will do fine and am sure they
will give you something to calm your fear:) Best wishes and God bless. I will keep u in my prayers. I hope Jan's great post gave you some comfort:)
Hugs,
Christine

I plan to have my cataracts removed before the end of the year. And so far I am not stressed about the operation. My doc said not to worry and I trust him.
And believe me I am a worry wart.

Good luck dee

Hi, I have not had this, but tomorrowsdream men
tioned she was going to have it last time she posted. She is not on much, but you might message her and see if she responds.

http://www.dailystrength.org/people/612382

I know you will love having better vision w/o glasses. Are you going to get the lense so you don't have to wear glasses for reading?

Best of Blessings, I know you will be fine!

Paul---not on an anti-coagulant right now, so it's one less thing to worry about. So far my heart has been stable, and my EP chose doing the holter tests every 6 months. Of course, sometimes I worry about this but that's another story!

Jan--Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I am feeling more confident.

Christine--Yes, my eye Dr. assures me that I will be relaxed. And he will order more medication if I feel the need. He's the calm type, always willing to answer any questions,even if he's behind schedule.

Missed12932--- I do trust my Dr, and try not to be a worrywart.
It's just as the date gets closer, seem to think about it more.
My surgery date is July 31st, and will post my experiences afterward. Hopefully, it will be very, very routine.

Yogacat---Thanks for reminding why I'm going through this!
Will still need reading glasses but I don't mind. I have a "dim or dark" cataract and it's annoying feeling the difference between the vision of my 2 eyes. Also, the eye pressure in this eye is higher than it should be, and cataract surgery should lower it, without needing to use prescription eye drops. Win-win, I hope!
D.

Had ablation 4+ years ago....had both eyes done over last month and one half ....no problems....minor anesthesia .... I would not worry ....I worry more about colonoscopy than cataract procedure . Because of the trauma your system endures in the prep. for it . FYI

Johny----Thanks for sharing your experiences. My Dr. is letting me choose the type of anesthesia, and I've been thinking that less anesthesia (type used for colonoscopy) would be a better choice because the last time I had general anesthesia (2011), it caused nausea for 12 hours---- despite being give the anti-nausea meds.
And nausea right after cataract surgery sounds very bad!!

I've had 1 colonscopy (before A Fib came along). Yes, the prep was way worse than the actual procedure. If I need to have another colonscopy, will ask about a less harsh prep. Think that might be possible.
D.

Hi D., I had cataract surgery about 2 weeks prior to my afib diagnosis. I am a big chicken when it comes to any kind of surgery, and it was truly a piece of cake. The most annoying part was being sure to use all the eye drops that are required. You will be absolutely fine! Blessings, Cheryl

Cheryl----Glad to hear that your surgery went so smooth.
Did learn about all these eye drops which are needed afterward.
Though annoying, it should be doable.

Think part of my stress is that the surgery was suppose to be July 10th and now scheduled for July 31st. I'm the kind of person that likes to get unpleasant things over with!!
D.

Hi Dee, Surprise, I don't get on this site much, but I do try to keep up with friends every so often.

I did have cataract surgery, but before the ablation. I have to say, that it was the easiest procedure and recovery.

Having gone through AF it's easy to imagine it coming back, even with innocent activities. I don't know if we ever lose that fear.

Take care, and good thought will be with you from your friends. Joan

Joan---Glad it was an easy procedure for you, and that the recovery wasn't too bad.

It's true that once you've gone through A Fib, there's this little worry that sticks in the back of your mind--- wondering if it's going to return.
Guess the challenge is to manage the fear.
D.

Just a note to say that my cataract surgery was smooth and uneventful---no A Fib. And I know this because I was(mostly) awake during the procedure and saw the heart monitor.
This surgery wasn't painful or scary. The pre surgery vision in my left eye was 20/80. When the eye patch came off at the next day appt. it was 20/30. Usually it takes 2-3 weeks to see improvement. The astigmatism is gone, and eye pressure now at a healthy number----win-win!

Thanks to all who shared your experiences, and thanks for the good thoughts.
It did make a difference!
D.

Thank you for Sharing this Great info! Nice to have a procedure that we don't have to be concerned about.

Glad your Vision is Good again!