I have had A-fib for a number of years now, but lately it has been getting much worse...namely, over the course of the past 6 weeks, I have had numerous episodes, with heart rates ranging from low 40's and occasionally stopping for 5 seconds, to heart rates between 130 and 160, and this transition from one extreme to another happens very quickly, going back and forth over the course of a 30-second period. It got so bad one Sunday afternoon about a month ago that I got so dizzy that I couldn't stand on my own, so my family took me to the ER. It took two IV doses of Cardizem over a period of 4 hours to get it slowed down enough to the point that the doctor felt comfortable discharging me. When I was discharged, I was still in A-fib, but had converted to a normal rhythm by the time I got back home.

On my follow-up visit with my cardiologist 2 days later, he recommended the cardiac ablation procedure. Since then, I have run across two people that I know who have had A-fib in the past, and they also had the cardiac ablation procedures, and they were virtually cured of their A-fib. I'm hoping for the same result, given that I also have an incurable form of Leukemia, and that's enough to deal with at one time.

The doctor tells me that the procedure will be anywhere from 3 to 4 hours, and I will be under general anesthesia for the first time ever. I will stay the night in the hospital for observation, and should go home the next day, barring any complications.

I'm told that it may take awhile for the scar tissue areas to develop inside of my heart, which would block the false electrical impulses that cause my A-fib. In other words, I may have episodes of A-fib for a while after the procedure, with the frequency of such episodes gradually tapering off.

I will keep y'all posted. Going in this coming Monday.