Petey.... I have tried the asteroids! :)

Jim

It's scary! I do not have afib but have pvcs and PACs. Anything with the heart is very scary but they have come so far, you will do great!M

Jim,

I can understand how you feel totally. I was really afraid of the ablation procedure and didn't know how I would feel, whether it would work, etc. I would suggest the last few days leading up to it, try to distract yourself with anything you can. Get busy on doing things to catch up on everything so that when the ablation is done, you won't have everything piled up-bills, paperwork, etc. Get yourself so busy, you don't have as much time to worry and think about it. That's what I tried to do at the end.

Prep things like something to listen to when you are lying flat. Get some audiobooks lined up, or get playlists made for your ipod. Anything to get your mind off it.

I think everyone who has had an ablation can relate to how you are feeling now.

Concentrate on the NSR you hope to have afterwards and how good that will feel!!

Good luck to you!!

Ahhhhh Jim, You are certainly NOT a pest. I am grateful that you posted. Sorry for the anxiety...which is totally normal. Who doesn't have feelings about the unknown. We humans are like that, at least I know I am! And Waiting for Anything is not easy either!! Just look at the kids waiting or Christmas...waiting has never been fun.

I also feel better when I am assured that I am not alone on this Journey. Nothing is better than the reassurance of those who have been there. I recall the many Posts that Heart2222 shared before her ablation, and here she is with Priceless info and heartfelt support.

And, my Friend, If you had not posted, I would have any the opportunity to tell you that my accupuncture treatment wore off and my hip is back in pain, my sink is full of standing water, and I woke up an hr. ago in afib.....grrrrrr~ This too shall Pass!!!!!

Jim, please keep posting when you have thoughts to share. We All Care!!!!!!!!

Hi Jim- So good to hear from you! Sounds like you already got some really great comments and suggestions :) I have always equated the fear and anxiety while waiting for ablation day kind of like standing on the platform waiting for the roller coaster to come back at an amusement park. When you first get into that long line for the roller coaster, you are nothing but excited. The closer you get to the front of the line and the closer you get to your turn to get on the roller coaster, the excitement becomes mixed with fear and anxiety. It is funny how all those feelings can be happening to a person at the same time. I am excited for you and look forward to your comments regarding your ablation. This is such a good place to come when you are feeling afraid. There are so many of us that have been there and understand what you are feeling. You are not alone and among friends with us. I have always felt that the heart is the center of our being and the thought of it not working as it should is hard to handle. Then, trusting someone else with our hearts to do an ablation or any other prodedure is harder yet. You will do fine! :) Just keep thinking forward...starting a new year feeling better. Take care, Carrie

Jim:

I always wonder about people who approach things like ablation without concern. Discussing fears helps get over them. Most of my fears center around what I can't control because I like to control everything. I obsess and overthink things that I can't control. I did TM (meditation) and biofeedback. Both work. Biofeedback scientifically measures what you can control... your heart rate, BP, perspiration, and anxiety... in other words, how you react to things. Most people that succeed (type A personalities particularly) become successful by focusing on one thing to extreme (to the exclusion of everything else). It works very well, but it destroys quality of life. So the trick is to think about other things. I used to do an exercise where you picture yourself in the room, then think about the room in the building, then the building on the block, and outward and outward till you get out to the planet level. Then you can worry about asteroid! :-) Seriously, I was watching a show on doomsday preppers (Ancient Aliens wasn't on, haha). A psychologist was saying people become preppers because it dverts their thinking from what really bothers them... their own mortality. If it is a shared demise, it feels better. Plus you can do something about it... get a gun, by canned food, become self sufficient (a whole other topic), etc.

So anyway, back to ablation. We are not self-sufficient wnen it comes to things like what keeps our hearts beating or ablation. I hate reminders of lack of control. So we have to put our faith in EPs. You research the best you can and move forward with the confidence you have made the best decision. You concentrate on your life afib free. You think about moving forward and creating the best personal life you can and you never look back. You're young. Go for it!

petey

Jim:

Almost forgot, after the ablation you can concentrate on this:

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/03/the-consequence-of-doomsday-preppers.html

:-))))))))))))))))))0

petey

Thank you once again to everyone for helping me through my anxiety. I am a type A personality for sure. I always have been and need to be in control. When things are outside of my control, I get anxious!

I was hoping my doctor would call with a cancelation just so this would be over and I could enjoy the holidays without the weight on my shoulders but so far... its still the 6th.

I will try to keep busy and come here as often as I can... usually each evening. I find it gives me the confidence I need as I move forward towards NSR.

Thanks once again for every single word sent my way. Once this is over, I hope to help others find strength...

Jim

Hang in there Jim. All will go well! Enjoy your holidays, and your family. You are in our thought and prayers. The Chandless Family

Hang in there, Dude! It's almost there. I just had #4. I don't mean to sound blas about is, but it was a piece of cake. The anesthesiologist knocked me right out probably because he got tired of hearing whine about my back! All I did was ask for a pillow under my knees and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. Im joking, but thats basically what happened.

Anyway, try to have some fun with it. At my first ablation, I remember keeping it light, engaging in humorous banter when appropriate, and focusing my attention on the nurses/doctors needs. When they asked what music I wanted, I said I wanted whatever they liked and would make them comfortable with the procedure. I also brought in a nice box of candy for the doctor/staff/nurses. Not sure if it helped, but I felt better.

Anyway, youre going through what a lot of us have been through and youll be fine!

Jim,
Yogacat is right. I am the biggest chicken on this board and the ablation scared the heck out of me. I'm a type A also and thinking of lying in a conscious sedation on the table for so long drove me nuts. But you won't remember that time on the table. Just distract yourself until it comes and it will be over and done with. Then you will be your way to NSR!! THings will start getting better!! That part is exciting!!
Busy yourself by preparing things around the house to help your recuperation be more comfortable. I tried to limit my up and down the stairs (I don't know if you have a two story house) so I organized things on one level so I wouldn't have to go up and down a lot.

I actually bought comfy pants for afterwards which I think did help the comfort level.

Put your Type A personality to use to think of afterwards and that will help the time beforehand to go quicker!!

I, too, wish my doc had a cancellation so I could get it over with .I hear you loud and clear.

Believe it or not, the few days beforehand, I thought it was coming too quickly.

Best of luck to you. The time beforehand is difficult to handle. Post a lot. I found the support on this forum to be extremely helpful!!

I think the hardest part for me is that I love my children like any parent and just want to make sure I am around for them. My daughter is just about ready to have my first granddaughter on or around the 26th of December and I don't want anything to mess up me being part of it.

I come here for the comfort to know I will be ok and maybe even free from this damn AFIB! :) Hearing from others that are in the same boat helps so much.

Everyone here is simply wonderful!

Jim

Wow Jim! Yours is right around the corner! Mine is Jan. 14th. I am slightly freaking out about it too. I know you will do fine and congratulations on that grandchild. What a great holiday you will have! So much to look forward to!

Kelly

You know, Jim, we undergo all these procedures so we can be here for our kids. That's great you are expecting a grandchild. That is something you can focus your thoughts on now. Go out and buy baby things!! Or build her something to use when she's born. That's a wonderful event to plan for to take your mind of it! Congrats to you and your daughter's family!!
YOu should be feeling much better by then, about 3 weeks after. Hopefully you will feel more energetic when you are in NSR!!

good point heart2222. I have had times in my life where I have had either a negative or a positive outlook on some event. The times that I proceeded with the mindset that everything was going to turn out ok, I proceeded to do things with the idea that something good was coming. Not only did the event turn out well, I got something done, and I felt it was a "growing" experience for me.

Did you ever get called in the boss' office and you are already making excuses for every possible thing that he could criticize? Then you go in and it turns out you get a raise or some other positive thing happens? That happened with me and I decided I need to have a positive outlook on the future.

Sometimes the ability to find the problems with things, also causes people to have a negative outlook and that is not healthy.

I am not saying you do that, I know I do. I admire people that have a happy optimistic outlook. I used to thing they were foolish.

petey