Cardioversion:Pre, During and Post

I wonder if anyone out there could tell of their personal experiences with cardioversion? I am scheduled to have one on Feb. 19th and I am trying to do everything I can to make it successful, both pre and post. I am taking Warfarin, Cartia and Digoxin and am under the care of a cardiologist. Did anyone try some antirhythmic meds or anything else to get back into sinus rhythm before doing the cardioversion? Is cardioversion as easy and safe as they say? How long did you maintain sinus rhythm...I sure don't want to do it every six months or so. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Momto3]

Good luck with the cardioversion!  My father-in-law had one in 2003 and he did great!  His cardioversion was for aflutter/afib and he had not been on antiarrythmics prior to the procedure.  He only had it done once and it seemed to work well.

I was with him right after the procedure and he was alert, talking, eating lunch and feeling fine.  He was on monitors to keep track of his heart rhythms, but other than that, he was doing well.  He said he had no recollection of pain and/or discomfort.  I asked since I was scheduled for an ablation the following morning ; )

Hope the cardioversion is successful!!

[fjohn]

Thank you so much! So nice of you to respond. I figure that the more I know about the procedure, the more I can go in there with a positive view.
I hope I can help you sometime.

[CollegeGirl143]

goood luck fjohn!! Ive never undergone cardioversion so i cant say what its like, but from your previous posts i can tell you are a good-spirited individual, and seem to have a stronge voice of reason within yourself.. Have faith, you will be jsut fine :)

[anacyde]

Just wanted to send good thoughts your way!  A friend of ours recently underwent cardioversion for afib, and it was successful.  In fact, I hear success rates are very high.  I hope everything goes textbook perfect for you.  Let us know when you come home!

[heartofgld]

I underwent cardioversion in Sept for afib. Unfortunately, it was not a planned procedure...I had it done in an ER. I was completely sedated during the procedure. And was happy to awaken in NSR. As for post-CV, I certainly felt better than I did pre-CV. I was also told to add 325mg of aspirin to my daily meds. Depending on your situation I guess it's up to the Dr as to whether they tell you to take aspirin or coumadin to ward off clots. Good luck! I hope your cardioversion goes smoothly:)

[wildcat27]

John,

I had a lone incident of A-Fib back in July...was cardioverted and have been in NSR since...except for the occassional bouts with PACs/PVCs.

I work out regularly and feel good generally (physically that is)...

The cardio version was really not a big deal for me...the worst part was the numbing spray they use before they give you the TEE...but I didn't remember anything about the procedure at all...

I was sore for about a month afterwards...but not pain...just sore. I had some interesting little marks from the defib pads as well...I looked good at the pool :)

Best of luck with the cardioversion...hopefully it will solve your problem and if not...there are myriad treatments now for A-Fib and other arrhythmias...if your interested check out the yahoo support group for A-Fibbers...it is excellent...lots of success stories of folks who have undergone maze and ablation procedure.

best wishes.