ablation #3

I am scheduled for my 3rd ablation on feb. 26th. Actually i had just an EP study in the early 90's and then 2 actual ablations last year(feb. and july). I had dual pathways in my AV node that they found in the 90's but couldn't fix bc they couldn't do cryo. I had the ablation in feb 08 for afib and they also got rid of one of the av nodal pathways. The ablation in jul 08 was bc i went in to a-flutter so my EP went back in and did PVI. Now i am having almost constant bigeminy so he is going to try to fix that. I was actually supposed to have the PVC's fixed in feb 08 but he couldn't keep my heart from going into a fib and had to shock me 3 times so he had to fix some of the a fib. I had not had the CTangio prior to the 1st ablation so he had to be careful and kind of blindly fix what he could. He didn't get it all and that is why i had the a flutter. With the 2nd ablation i had the CTangio and mapping before hand and he did find 9 areas that he had to cryo. The ablations are not without their risks and I am a nurse plus I do way too much reading here on the net but it comes down to quality of life and weighing everything out. I am 44 and have had problems since I was in my mid 20's. I had a pseudo-aneurysm and a hematoma after my first ablation which was very painful. The procedure itself was a breeze for me bc I had plenty of sedation. Not so with my procedure in July. I didn't feel any effects of the Versed but had enough of the Fentanyl to be unable to move or talk so I was basically paralyzed but conscious of the whole 8+ hours. Pretty much had post traumatic stress symptoms after that!! Needless to say I am worried about that part for my procedure in 2 weeks. Spent about an hour with my EP yesterday discussing all of this. Hopefully everything will go well. He said my PVC's are coming from the left ventricle which do not have as high a cure rate as the right but I am hoping for the best. Third time surely has to be the charm!!
I was wondering has anyone else had 3 ablations done and if so did it finally work?

3 Comments

unsure of pvc cause

by sheraria - 2009-02-14 01:02:45

I was pretty much normal rhythm after my 2nd ablation(even though he hadn't fixed the pvc's) until about 6 weeks out and then my heart rate started to slowly rise. since i started having problems in my 20's i have tachycardia if i am not on a beta blocker. the goal of these procedures was to get me med free. in aug. i went back on propranolol bc my heartrate was up in the 140's to 150's. it would slow down to 113's to 120's if i layed down or would sit at rest but as soon as i stand up it shot right back up. it caused me to be very shaky and not be able to comfortably perform some of my job duties such as drawing blood and administering injections to babies and children. then by oct i was having all kinds of pvc's again. they tried a different beta blocker and it actually made them worse. since november i will have bigeminy for a week or so solid and them maybe 5-7 days of totally NSR with not one pvc. then right back to bigeminy. right now i have been in bigeminy for almost 11 days with no relief. i am still on my beta blocker and nothing else has changed. i feel all the time like i can't take a deep breathe. split seconds of the light headedness when i have to pause after the pvc. sometimes to the point where i think...is it safe to drive. to take care of pts. i am also shaky when i have so much bigeminy which makes it difficult with my job. i make it work but sometimes it is hard.

i know that stress can and does play a role in a lot of arrhythmias but i didn't start having them with such frequency until far enough out that i don't think they are coming from that. i do get more of them when i think about the procedure coming up now but i guess that is a good thing bc in order for my EP to map them and fix them you have to have them during the procedure so it is one of the few times they will be welcomed!

?????????????

by pete - 2009-02-14 02:02:35

I see on your details and on your post that you in fact do not have a pacemaker. You also do not mention one in your post.These complex ablation proceedures do not seem to be giving you the fix you are looking for. I am baffled as to why you have not had a complete AV node ablation and a crt pacemaker. Otherwise called a biventricular cardiac resynchronisation pacemaker. This treatment would not have been available when you first had problems all those years back. The AV node ablation is straitforward if I may use the word compared to the lengthy hit and miss prolonged ablations you have have. 1/2 hour proceedure compared to 8 hours on some of the much more risky ablations. Both myself and my neighbour have had this solution and we are both doing extremely well. Im off to work today in the hospice and the work is really tough but my heart can now take it.

Effects of the botched anesthesia

by ElectricFrank - 2009-02-14 12:02:48

It's possible that the emotional strain of your last experience is causing some of your arrhythmia problems. I sure notice it when I feel stressed. My PVC's really take off.

frank

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