BREAKING NEWS!!! NEED INPUT

[toadster]

Back again...Ok more news, cardio called last night (Bless his heart") at 8 pm ....had long talk he hread my strips Ireneo hope you are reading this.....he said he saw two clear strips where heart went to around high 170's for a matter of seconds and went right back to normal (from my event monitor) He is referring them to an EP in Honolulu with a detailed letter of my history. He said he felt mine was a "simple" atrial tachycardia, either Paroxysmal Atrial Tach (which Ive had for 25 yrs controlled by beat blocker - butnot anymore) or his 2nd guess was AV Node Ren-entry Tach. He really was emphasizing ablation, felt it could be done very easily and I would be cured, period. He also went on to say yes, I could live the rest of my life with the on and off vicious attacks of tach (140-150) but I get the feeling he is pro ablation. He of course said it was my choice. He said your situation will NEVER KILL you, just a nuisance to live with and he said "whydo youwant to live with this you have put up with somuch) So i agreed to a consult with htis EP guyin Honolulu....Im totally terrified of this procedure, I mentioned risks to him he said with your "situation" he felt would be an easy fix....well Ive read other peoples experienes wiht ablation and Im not convinced.   Im in one &&(( of a pickle. I know nobody can make the choice for me, but do need more input from others ....I know we are all in the same boat. He went on to say other arrythmias are more tricky to do with he says mine is straightforward......he said go on with your life, do whatever you wish, you have a sound, very storng structual heart. etc.
I want to go home to Canada next Sat. as you know - he said fine, come back to Hawaii in Aug. think about it, and you can have it done then if you want.  ANd if you have more of the attacks, take the extra TorpolXL and go wiht the attacks.  I am stumped. I REALLY REALLY need input.......guys.......he said also take off the event monitor thank goodness as he caught wo good ones and said only put it backon if you have a long tach attack,and then transmit it to us.  He said no point in it causing you more grief every time it beeps for a second and spoikes we have the strips on that.....Waiting tohear soon I hope! Still stuck out here in the middle of hte Pacific and my heart (lol) says get on the airplane next Sat. enjoy your summer, see the ep guy when he can get you in Honolulu. Where I live in Canada they dont have an EP guy, and i think the cardios there would probably change my beta blocker who knows.
WAITING>>>>>>>>>>   THanks guys..........more input on ablation the easier my decision will be.
CHeers, Kathy the Toadster

[CollegeGirl143]

in the setting of a normal heart, this type of svt will not be life threatening.. For people with heart abnormalities, it can become a problem..

I had an ablation for the av node tachycardia you mentioned.. it was very easyily done, and worked like a charm... quick and painless.. best thing i ever did for myself

before you make this decision, i would reccomend seeing a counselor that has experience with health related anxiety.. you still sound extremely stressed about this, and its vital that you have a clear and open mind when making this decision, it will also help ALOT with your anxiety.

[toadster]

Hi there, thanks for writing so quickly!   Intectually, yes you are absolutely right and years ago I did have some counselling about anxiety attacks I also suffered from.  Can you elaborate a bit more on the whole procedue and also, I am fortunate enough to ahave medical insurance....I can go anywhere to have this and I want THEE BEST to do it.   Why did you go ahead if I may ask, how often were you having break throughs and did you ever go through the medication thing? Isnt interesting how like the cardio said, well your beta blocker worked very well for you for 19 years, things change in the body......
THanks and congratulations on your eduction into this.......Ive been following your posts too and I have nothing but admiration for you.   The world needs more of people who have been there..............THanks dear.
Warm regards from the heart,
Kathy

[CollegeGirl143]

Thank you very much for the warm words :)

I was having SVT attacks 2-3 times a day.. My pulse rate was above 200 when i was in SVT, and it lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to hours.. It was very easy to trigger, and very hard to break.. Beta blockers did nothing for me, Calcium Channel blockers helped keep my normal heart rate down a bit (i also have a slight innapropriate sinus tachycardia) But it did nothing for my SVT... My EP told me my only option was ablation...

The procedure was very easy... i went into the out patient ward of the hospital at 10 am... they put me in a bed, took an ekg, started me on an iv, and brought me up to the cardiac ward... i waited there for a few hours and then a group of people took me up to the Cath Lab... I got on a table and laid down.. The scariest part was the tech's hooking up all the wires, i remember how cold the metal defib pads where... Then they strap your arms down for safety sake.. this was the worst part... shortly after they gave me a sedative.. Next thing i knew i was back in outpatient.. my procedure was only a few hours long.. The worst thing about recovery was having to lay absolutely still after the ablation for 4 hours.. That was uncomfortable but thats about it... Post ablation, i had a higher heart rate, and more palps for a few weeks.. I have been completely SVT free since.. the AVNRT ablations are over 98% successful and have less than 1% chance of complications.. They are very common procedures, just make sure your EP has done quite a few.. Mine averaged 4 a week, so he was quite experienced.

[toadster]

Ok we are on a roll now (lol) You are a brave lady!!!  My hubby has had multiple angiograms and angioplasties which I have been there to see. So I am familiar about the bleeds into the groin in recovery watching him too.Sometimes we know too much right?  Anyway....your story is an encouraging one and I thank you for sharing...Your episodes were much more severe than what is going on with me at the moment. Since break through April 22nd I have had one. Having said that, it appears I still have a choice,as I posted, BUT Im like you.....who needs this? Did yours happen at an early age?
Did your EP offer any insight after seeing him/her about why, etc.? If you wouldlike you can email me privately at ***@**** as I am one of these people who really seek out the best of everything no matter what is going on health or otherwise.  My daughter lives in Austin TX, I heard about the Texas HEart Institute, how in the world do we find these EP fellows like you had who REALLY are very very experienced.   So do you feel since you really didnt have a choice, then "lets get on with it?" The pickle Im in is, right now there is no panic, I can take my time to think about it.  Funnily enough tjust had a thought, when I had my total hysterec.  here dec/06 they threw mein the cardiac lad as i went into sinus tach from the anesetic, the cardio overreacted
and fed me Amiadorone which was inappropriate I was told later, and was on it for a full 10 days, (this is used for life threatening arrythmias I was only taching at 120!) I wonder if that med. triggered this change as until then I was in perfect form..........also so were you entirely asleep when they did it, and was it only one spot or pathway they had to do?? Sorree for all the questions, but I must do information gathering. Also going to get another opinion from the cardio in B.C. Canada............whats your thoughts on that too????