Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Leading up to my ablation I was glad to read any reports by people who had just had the procedure. With this in mind I thought that I'd tell my story.
I have (had!!??) paroxymal afib, not persistent. It seems that getting an ablation before persistent afib sets in really raises the success level of the procedure. And so with much second guessing I decided to go ahead.
Dr. Chen at Kaiser in Santa Clara Ca. performed the procedure--a cryoablation--on Wed. Feb.18. I was delayed three hours because the earlier surgery Dr. Chen was performing went long. I brought a book, which was very helpful. I was a little worried that Dr. Chen would be tired, but then one worries about everything going in.
Interestingly, I was sedated but not knocked out, so I was aware through the whole thing. I was nervous about this ahead of time, but afterwards I think that I felt much better for not being put under. Everything was explained beforehand. There was a monent where the team administered a drug to make my heart beat fast and hard. This was to check for electrical 'leaks' after the initial cryo. (I'm sure it's more complicated than this).A bit weird but not bad.
So I was released the next morning, feeling surprisingly good. I've had no problem with the insertion points in my groin, other than bruises. Happily I've only had two instances of rapid heart beat (96 bpm sitting) one of which stopped after taking atenolol in about an hour and a half; the second came on after I went for a twenty minute walk, and that stopped in less than an hour. I was so freaked out by a possible storm of afib related activity post ablation that I got a prescription for anti anxiety meds; no need to take any so far.
After the second high heart rate I've decided to take it easy for a longer period. I have a theory that while my heart is remapping new pathways, it's best to avoid heart irregularities if possible. But I could be completely wrong about how things actually work! I have a tendency to theorize...wrongly.
So after a week and a half I feel really, really happy about how things are going so far. I feel good but get tired easy. This last sneaks up on me because I feel fine at the outset of activity and so presume I can do more than I should. Keep this in mind if you're about to have an ablation!
I'm still on a mild dose of atenolol (12.5 mg. a day) and warfarin. Hopefully these will be phased out in the months ahead.
Anyway, that's my story so far. Time will tell about how successful this whole thing was. And on that note, does anyone know if having a 'smooth' early aftermath to an ablation is a predictor for future success?
I have (had!!??) paroxymal afib, not persistent. It seems that getting an ablation before persistent afib sets in really raises the success level of the procedure. And so with much second guessing I decided to go ahead.
Dr. Chen at Kaiser in Santa Clara Ca. performed the procedure--a cryoablation--on Wed. Feb.18. I was delayed three hours because the earlier surgery Dr. Chen was performing went long. I brought a book, which was very helpful. I was a little worried that Dr. Chen would be tired, but then one worries about everything going in.
Interestingly, I was sedated but not knocked out, so I was aware through the whole thing. I was nervous about this ahead of time, but afterwards I think that I felt much better for not being put under. Everything was explained beforehand. There was a monent where the team administered a drug to make my heart beat fast and hard. This was to check for electrical 'leaks' after the initial cryo. (I'm sure it's more complicated than this).A bit weird but not bad.
So I was released the next morning, feeling surprisingly good. I've had no problem with the insertion points in my groin, other than bruises. Happily I've only had two instances of rapid heart beat (96 bpm sitting) one of which stopped after taking atenolol in about an hour and a half; the second came on after I went for a twenty minute walk, and that stopped in less than an hour. I was so freaked out by a possible storm of afib related activity post ablation that I got a prescription for anti anxiety meds; no need to take any so far.
After the second high heart rate I've decided to take it easy for a longer period. I have a theory that while my heart is remapping new pathways, it's best to avoid heart irregularities if possible. But I could be completely wrong about how things actually work! I have a tendency to theorize...wrongly.
So after a week and a half I feel really, really happy about how things are going so far. I feel good but get tired easy. This last sneaks up on me because I feel fine at the outset of activity and so presume I can do more than I should. Keep this in mind if you're about to have an ablation!
I'm still on a mild dose of atenolol (12.5 mg. a day) and warfarin. Hopefully these will be phased out in the months ahead.
Anyway, that's my story so far. Time will tell about how successful this whole thing was. And on that note, does anyone know if having a 'smooth' early aftermath to an ablation is a predictor for future success?
So glad to hear that all went well for you. Hope you have a speedy recovery and no more a fib. You are off to an excellent start!!