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Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:55 pm
by BoardRider
Recently my Heart has gone into atrial fibrillation regularly .I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and gone through with an Ablation as I am considering having this done. I guess I want to know if its effective and safe. If you could share you experiences , would be appreciative ?
I have just turned 50 I can longer exert myself . I have put my riding,surfing on hold as I am having lots palpations regardless of activity and have ended up in emergency twice. When this started happening it didn't affect me when exercising, going up hills or racing.Now it does and it has got worse.
Thanks in advance

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:43 am
by foo on patrol
Hope you get that, sorted out soon! :shock:

Must be a horrid thing to happen, while doing what you enjoy. :(

Foo

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:04 am
by sogood
Given your recurrent AF, your choices are live with it, lifetime anti-arrhythmic drug, open chest surgical ablation or minimally invasive ablation. Under that, I'd say that you are lucky to be offered ablation as it means that your cardiologist has found something to ablate and potentially resolve the issue for good. And under that, minimally invasive catheter procedure is the obvious choice. The only advice to you here is to find a competent interventional cardiologist to assess and perform the procedure.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:42 pm
by BoardRider
Thanks for your Replies, and spelling out my options. Thinking back I was always wondering why my fitness varied from day to day so greatly.
Not one to sit around I hope to get this fixed if possible.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:40 pm
by anonymous_
I have the same issue and am on beta blockers they are effective but I sleep a lot more. The ablation option would solve the problem but carries 5 % chance of death. I'll stick with the medication till my son is grown up and then reassess.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:39 am
by BoardRider
anonymous_ wrote:I have the same issue and am on beta blockers they are effective but I sleep a lot more. The ablation option would solve the problem but carries 5 % chance of death. I'll stick with the medication till my son is grown up and then reassess.
Thanks for the reply, your plan sounds very sensible .The risk of death is scary but I weighed it up . Some of the medication side effects are very difficult to deal with .I experience an slowed heart rate it doesn't adjust when I increased my exercise rate gasping for breath, then I became asthmatic . Any how nothing seems to help without creating another issue. The Dr I saw said I also have this swirly line on a ECG and they don't know why but people with this die suddenly of unknown cause ,great.
The Af episodes have become more frequent for me, I am now in Af more than I'm not.It interferes with my sleep,lots of sick time off work,unable to cycle , surf and the worse I cant drink coffee or have a beer .I'm waiting for my procedure date currently. The thing that is going to kill me first is watching my wife gear up for an Community ride this morning ' Ride like Crazy " .While I sit and whinge on an forum .What the hell ?

Signed Winey Heartbroken Boardrider :(

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:01 pm
by foo on patrol
^^You bloody sooky lala! :lol:^^

Hope whatever the procedure you have, that it works out for the best and you can leed a "normal" life. :wink:

Foo

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:12 pm
by matagi
My father-in-law was the second person in Australia to have an ablation, way back when it was a big deal and they actually kept a list of the people who had had one. The risk of death was also far higher back then.

These days, while I wouldn't call it a routine procedure, it is much more common and the majority of ablations are done via catheter. The complication rate is also way better than it used to be.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:20 pm
by anonymous_
hey boardrider have you had the procedure yet?

if you did hope it went well

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 1:32 pm
by iMad
Sorry to hi-jack this thread a bit and like the others hope that your treatment is 100% successful.

Some years ago, at St Vincents Hospital Sydney, my wife and I did a full day fitness assessment.
I was pretty fit at the time but when it came to a stress test on a bike, I was only about 2 minutes in when the operator stopped me and wouldn't allow me to continue due to wild fluctuations of my heart rate.
I was referred to a specialist that checked me out and finally said "Don't worry about it too much."

Some years later, again reasonably fit, I began to get massive variation in my pulse. So much so that I couldn't do a reading on my Omron blood pressure machine.
I was quite concerned at the time when I was getting readings of around 25 bpm and often no reading at all.
I went to my GP who took my pulse and, I remember clearly at the time, he panicked thinking I was suffering some sort of heart attack.
I was whizzed into the back room for an ECG and on looking at the results the two doctors concluded "Don't worry about it too much."
I'm still not sure why it happens or what the ramifications are.

I was ultimately referred to another heart specialist who diagnosed a 'murmer' due to an enlarged valve. He told me to exercise as hard as I like.
I still have no idea how it can be so wildly irregular and not be considered a problem.
Anyone else?

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 1:54 pm
by sogood
iMad wrote:I still have no idea how it can be so wildly irregular and not be considered a problem.
Anyone else?
Find out what the doctor said i.e. The specific jargon and show us the ECG. I suspect your "wildly" is a bit of an exaggeration.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:13 pm
by iMad
sogood wrote:Find out what the doctor said i.e. The specific jargon and show us the ECG. I suspect your "wildly" is a bit of an exaggeration.
It's some time ago now and I don't recall "the jargon" unfortunately. I will ask on my next visit.
"Wildly..." Hmmmm, well it was wild enough that my BP machine couldn't even register a pulse most of the times I attempted it and wild enough that my doctor panicked when he initially checked my pulse.
Even now when it's consistent, when I take my pulse manually, rather than with my Edge 500, I can feel it missing or delaying beats all the time.
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat............... BEAT, beat, beat, beat, beat. If you get my drift.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:17 pm
by sogood
Having a few benign ectopics and dropped beats here and there isn't too dramatic. I guess our frames of reference are different as I wouldn't call "wild" until you get some really serious stuff. As suggested, get a jargon from your doctor and I am sure your doctor is right.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:30 pm
by iMad
sogood wrote:Having a few benign ectopics and dropped beats here and there isn't too dramatic. I guess our frames of reference are different as I wouldn't call "wild" until you get some really serious stuff. As suggested, get a jargon from your doctor and I am sure your doctor is right.
Not that I've been overly concerned because I wouldn't be riding 27km per day if I was, but I have been curious particularly because I'm embarking on a change of lifestyle to improve my health.
I'm happy to see your comments too and the fact they're delivered with an air of authority.
Thanks for that and BTW, you sound as though you either have a medical background or at least an in-depth understanding of human physiology. Is that the case?
Cheers
Tony

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:20 pm
by webcycle
My wife had one about 15 years ago after suffering with Wolfe-Parkinson syndrome since a teenager (same condition that Greg Welch, the Aussie Triathlete had and also had an ablation). She had two proceedures, the first went for seven hours under twilight sedation, but couldn't isolate the pathway. The second, a couple of weeks later, which was successful.
Since then she has had no symptoms and although cautious about exercise (no physical reason to be - more mental thing) so can recommend it and the long term prognosis after.

Hope it all goes well

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:08 pm
by BoardRider
anonymous_ wrote:hey boardrider have you had the procedure yet?

if you did hope it went well
Yeah! I thought I would update. I ve had my ablation day three and sitting at home with a black groin, coughing up some blood bleeding every now and again from my gums .
I need to be on Warfin for a while.I had a heparin infusion while in hospital this is to stop any clots going places they shouldn't. I have to inject myself with clexane ? How do diabetics go about doing this daily? I am still getting palpitations occasionally but this should stop as the scar tissue forms in my heart.
They may of done some extra burning of my electrical pathway as I agreed to join a trial before being anaesthetised. I talked the anaesthetist into putting me to sleep as didn't want watch.
Overall I feel very sore particularly my chest.
Anyhow enough winging ! I am closer to being back on my bike commuting and maybe racing.
I cant believe how much I miss it. Envious of all you I see out riding in the Hills.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:30 pm
by foo on patrol
That's really good to hear Boardy and I hope, things keep gettin better for you! 8)

Foo

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:35 pm
by vince
good to hear you are recovering, warfarin is a butt pain i agree but blood thinners are needed. you'll probably find that the are more aware of your hearts activities from now on. when i read bruised groin i was taken back to my op (thanks for that) anyway its all good from here on. take care and heal quickly.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:38 pm
by BoardRider
Thanks
for your well wishes I will do my best.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:17 pm
by DaveOZ
Get well soon Board Rider.

I too have a black groin from an angiogram after a heart attack two weeks ago. I'm also injecting Clexane in my guts twice a day after an ultrasound on Friday showed a have a new clot in my base heart where the muscle was damaged.

you have my sympathy and I really hope you get back to full fitness fast.

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:38 pm
by foo on patrol
Why has this happend Dave and I hope all will be good for you. :(

Foo

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:11 pm
by DaveOZ
foo on patrol wrote:Why has this happend Dave and I hope all will be good for you. :(

Foo
Thanks Foo. I started a new thread here http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 49&t=52081

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:29 pm
by BoardRider
DaveOZ wrote:Get well soon Board Rider.

I too have a black groin from an angiogram after a heart attack two weeks ago. I'm also injecting Clexane in my guts twice a day after an ultrasound on Friday showed a have a new clot in my base heart where the muscle was damaged.

you have my sympathy and I really hope you get back to full fitness fast.
What a terrible thing to happen Dave, I hope you recover best wishes .

Re: Has anyone had an Ablation?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:54 pm
by Mulger bill
Glad it worked out pretty well BR, look after yourself mate.

Shaun