twinsisters:
I have noticed that are experiences have been very similar. Wishing you a 2012 that continues to be afib free!

Rn52 and twinsisters,
Sounds like you two are definitely for cryo vs RF. Now, how did you come to that conclusion BEFORE you had the ablations? I'm still at the ??? point. What convinced you to do it the cryo way?

It seems the doctors' experience would be more with RF since it has been around longer.

My concern is I read somewhere that cryo might not "take" as well as RF? Is that true?

I, too, have noticed your similarities. That is great! I hope you both continue to be AF free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.stopafib.org/catheter-expect.cfm

What to Expect During Catheter Ablation
Your catheter ablation procedure will be done by an electrophysiologist in the electrophysiology (EP) lab . You will be hooked up for intravenous delivery of medications and fluids, and will receive medication for either conscious sedation, which puts you in a fog, or general anesthesia, which puts you to sleep. General anesthesia may be reserved for high-risk patients, such as those with sleep apnea or at risk for airway obstruction or pulmonary edema.1
You'll also be hooked up to a variety of monitors and equipment, which may include:
Pacing device, which will speed up the heart
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Blood pressure monitor
Mapping system, which helps the doctor locate the source of irregular electrical impulses
Ablation machine to deliver radiofrequency, cryo, or laser energy for creating scar tissue
Fluoroscopy X-ray machine, which helps the doctor monitor the catheters
Intracardiac ultrasound, also called intracardiac echocardiogram (ICE), to help the doctor locate structures of the heart and gain access to the left atrium, and to determine where to place the catheters and how much energy to use for ablation (important in preventing pulmonary vein stenosis and other complications).
Once you're hooked up to all the equipment, and are drowsy or asleep, the doctor inserts the catheters into large veins in the groin, neck, or arm. They are directed toward the right atrium, and a needle carries the catheters through the septum, the wall between the left and right atrium, and into the left atrium.
The pacing device speeds up the heart by sending electrical impulses to it. When the source of your irregular heartbeat is located, the doctor will use the catheter to apply energy from the ablation machine to produce a scar that blocks electrical impulses from the pulmonary veins and other areas of the left atrium, shutting down the abnormal rhythms and preventing afib.
What should you expect to feel? When the doctor injects medication, you may feel a burning sensation, and may also feel burning or discomfort when the energy is applied. You may also feel your heart speed up or pulse when the pacing device increases the heart rate.
When the procedure is complete, the doctor will check the heart's electrical signals and ensure that the heart rhythm is correct. As you might guess, with so much equipment to hook up, this overall procedure can last for three to eight hours, or more.
What to Expect After Catheter Ablation
After your catheter ablation, the doctor will remove the catheters and apply pressure to avoid bleeding at the catheter insertion site. To prevent bleeding, you'll stay still for up to six hours, though with anesthesia you may be out the whole time. You'll be hooked up to a telemetry monitor that uses EKG-like patches and displays your heart rhythm. You will likely have to stay in the hospital overnight.
Expect to be tired, even out of it, with some chest discomfort for a day or two. It is common to experience afib or heart palpitations after any heart procedure, but they will subside once your heart heals, generally within three months.
You can expect to be on anticoagulants, such as Coumadin (warfarin) or possibly Pradaxa (dabigatran), to prevent blood clots for three-to-six months after the procedure. After that, the CHADS2 or the CHA2DS2-VASc scoring system may be used to determine if you should continue on an anticoagulant. To learn more about these scoring systems, see New Stroke Risk Factors for Those with Atrial Fibrillation (AF): Female Gender, Heart Disease, and Age. You may also be on an antiarrhythmic drug for a few months to manage any afib episodes.
Your doctor may tell you to avoid baths and swimming and to avoid lifting for up to a week following the procedure. You may also wish to give yourself plenty of time to recover before resuming any work or physical activity that may stress the body.
Follow-up visits after the procedure will generally involve many of the same tests as before the procedure, such as:
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Echocardiogram
Transesophogeal echocardiogram (TEE)
Computed tomography (CT)
Holter monitor test
International Normalized Ratio (INR) if on Coumadin or warfarin
Other blood tests or lab work.
The HRS Consensus Statement suggests that follow-up should begin within three months after the ablation procedure and continue at six month intervals for at least two years. In addition, each doctor visit should include an ECG, and those who experience palpitations should wear an event monitor.1
Many people experience some atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter following a catheter ablation due to inflammation of the heart tissue. For this reason, the first three months are generally considered a "blanking period" in which success or failure should not be judged.
Some folks have said that their afib following catheter ablation was as bad as before, or worse. That is due to the inflammation, and the arrhythmia is often different from that experienced previously. As the body heals and the inflammation resolves, the afib and atrial flutter generally go away.
The HRS Consensus Statement deals with this issue:
Although early recurrence of AF carries an independent risk of treatment failure, its occurrence should not prompt immediate re-ablation attempts, as 20% to 57% of patients experiencing this event within the first months post-ablation will not have any further arrhythmias during long-term follow-up. Since the mechanism of AF post-ablation may be different from that of the patients clinical arrhythmia and may resolve completely upon resolution of the inflammatory process, some operators choose to treat all patients with suppressive antiarrhythmic agents for the first 1 to 3 months following ablation. Repeat ablation procedures should be delayed for at least three months following the initial procedure if the patients symptoms can be controlled with medical therapy.1
Just knowing that this may happen should help ease the disappointment and frustration if it does. If you can focus on recovery, you'll soon be past this. Many patients find that medications that failed previously now work to hold back the afib and get them past these initial few months.
For more information about determining catheter ablation success, see Measuring Catheter Ablation Success.

Wow, Pete!
Very helpful post!! Thanks a lot!

Petey, I admire all your info..Keep it up it is so helpful.

R2D2

From a medical point of view, GA and CS are different, but I don't know how different they are from an "experience" point of view.
I actually don't recall which I had, but it was a long procedure (7 +) hours. I remember my EP saying I might wake up a bit a few times and then go back but I would be so out of it I wouldn't care, and that was exactly the case.

I remember being a bit "annoyed" that I kept waking up but that was it, I wasn't aware of anything happening except vaguely the lights in the room but it just felt like a second or two. No pain or anything like that.

I did feel fine after the procedure, no naseau or anything, just thirst.

I guess this was CS, but again I was pretty out of it and no "memories" or anything.

NYMN,
That's what I want to be oblivious to what they are doing. Sounds like you were pretty deep in your conscious sedation.

Great you had no nausea or anything. How was your recuperation?

heart2222: Yeah, I guess that's what happened. As I said, I never "knew" what was going on, except that I woke "up" for a second or two a few times. And recuperation was fine.

They kept me in the OR while they cleaned up the room (it was about 4:30 pm) rather than bring me to a recovery room. A friend me met outside of the room. They took me directly to the hospital room (with a great view of the East River in Manhattan, I may add). I was just very thirsty (and wasn't allowed anything to drink for 1/2 hr, that was hard, and then I gulped down water too quickly and felt bloated!)
I did have a loss of potassium so I needed IV potassium, but really there were no other post-procedure issues. I also remember the nurse anesthetist was very very competent and attentive, and I am sure if I thought I might have a problem with nausea, she would have take that into account. I went home the next morning and was fine (a bit tired tho for 1-2 days). I also had to take Lovenox for a few days. I was prepared (on my own) but my EP didn't really explain that, so check it out for your case if you need it. It is a wee bit of a hassle.

See if you can speak with the anesthetist in advance if you have any concerns. The often have many options about ways to keep you comfortable.

Good luck!

THanks for sharing, NYNM!

I just hope i'm out of it totally. IT's just such a long time for the procedure. I guess that discussion with the anesthesiologist is key to try to prevent a bad outcome.

I"m on Pradaxa now and I presume they will continue that afterwards. Were you not on any blood thinner? That is why they wanted you on Lovenox? I got that in the ER, not fun-shot in the tummy.

How did you handle lying still for 6hrs afterwards? You were on the hard table in the OR the whole time? I was hoping to be put on a hospital bed.